Continuing Education Archives

You know video is a powerful storytelling medium and no one knows stories better than libraries! Get the facts on video marketing, basic tech tools and tips, and get your story shared. Learn how to tell your library's story with video cheaply, easily, AND effectively.

Objectives:
• Learn the basic terminology and techniques for simple video creation
• Be aware of multiple free or inexpensive tools for recording/creating, editing, improving and sharing your library's videos
• Be able to select one of the common video types to use for marketing your library

By popular demand, Grant Halter, Data Coordinator & Research Analyst at RAILS, will give a short demo of Google Data Studio. Data Studio is a quick and intuitive tool for creating dashboards to visualize and present data. Free with a general Gmail account, setup is easy and instructional documentation can help you troubleshoot most issues.

Whether you're planning a new website or want to improve your current one, usability testing is a powerful tool for understanding how your patrons interact with your website. This webinar will walk you through the process of identifying testing needs, planning a test, running one, and summarizing your findings. You will learn how to make usability testing easy enough to incorporate throughout your project and not just at the end (when it's too late!)

Whether you're planning a new website or want to improve your current one, usability testing is a powerful tool for understanding how your patrons interact with your website. This webinar will walk you through the process of identifying testing needs, planning a test, running one, and summarizing your findings. You will learn how to make usability testing easy enough to incorporate throughout your project and not just at the end (when it's too late!)

Based on an implemented training project to train call center employees, join Brian Pichman as he uncovers the tips and tricks to building an online learning environment. We will be using Canvas as the platform for the discussion - learn how to create and build course content in an effective delivery method to retain information. This is great if you need to train employees or you wish to train your community on general skills.

Presenter: Brian Pichman​

If you are looking for fast, easy ways to incorporate usability testing and patron feedback into your work, then this webinar is for you. You will learn how to adapt techniques for usability testing, prototyping, and agile work styles to help you gain clarity and solve problems. Everyone from solo librarians to members of large teams will feel empowered to get out of their offices onto the floor of your library to test solutions with real patrons.

Topics:
- Importance of user research and usability testing
- Creating a testing plan

Join Brian Pichman of the Evolve Project as he highlights this year's biggest technology trends and what it means for 2018. What changes are on the horizon and what are the hot tech buzzwords? What technologies should we hold out for? From drones to virtual/augmented reality, to creating, to innovation, to just amazing technology - this webinar will uncover it all. Find out what is on the cusp and what will be the biggest trends of 2018.

Topics:
Latest Tech Trends
A Look Back At Past Trends and Predictions
Technology to Look Out For
How to Stay Informed

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Startups have to use innovative tricks and lean practices to turn an idea into a profitable business. Libraries can implement these tricks to save money or improve processes and procedures. Join Brian Pichman as he shares some secrets and resources to make technology more affordable and also what processes and procedures that can be implemented to save costs and drive more efficiency for your library.

Topics:
* Uncover apps that allow for increased efficiency (communication, project management, etc.)
* Websites that offer resources to start-ups and funding opportunities

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Want to build a website but not sure where to start? Join Brian Pichman as he shows you the quick tips for getting a website building on Drupal up and running. Drupal is a Content Management System; that if properly deployed can save time and energy in building interactive and powerful websites. Learn everything from setting up a server, what modules to set up and basic introduction on how Drupal works. You will also be able to play on your own Drupal Server (https://simplytest.me/).

Topics:

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Is it time to refresh your website? Probably! In this two part webinar you will learn how to assess and improve your site using best practices and web conventions; no tech skills or big budgets required. After this webinar you'll have a better understanding of how to create a user-centered website, and plenty of ideas that you can implement right away.

Presented by library website expert Aaron Schmidt, these sessions will draw from the guide he created for RAILS titled "Library websites are for use" and will cover:

Part Two October 24, 2017
* Visual design navigation

Is it time to refresh your website? Probably! In this two part webinar you will learn how to assess and improve your site using best practices and web conventions; no tech skills or big budgets required. After this webinar you'll have a better understanding of how to create a user-centered website, and plenty of ideas that you can implement right away.

Presented by library website expert Aaron Schmidt, these sessions will draw from the guide he created for RAILS titled "Library websites are for use" and will cover:

Part One October 17, 2017:
* Critical tasks

Learn about contemporary patron privacy issues facing libraries today, and the practical actions libraries can take to improve patron privacy protections. The webinar will provide an overview of the ethical and legal foundations for patron privacy, and highlight resources that can be used to help libraries preserve patron privacy when adopting new technologies. Topics to be addressed include vendor agreements, securing the library's ILS, amd using HTTPS, VPNs, and the Tor browser to safeguard web browsing and online communications.

Presenters:

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Do you commonly find yourself working different shifts, in different locations or just wanting to check into work while you are away? If you're at this level of juggling, then this is the webinar for you. We will discuss how to utilize cloud based technologies such as One-Note, Google Docs, Google Apps, and other Media and Sharing Collaboration sites in a way to increase your and your team's overall productivity.

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This is Part 3 of a 3 part series.

With the rise of data breaches and exploits, what tips and tricks can libraries employ to remain secure? Join Brian Pichman, who holds a Masters of Informational Security, as he discusses IT basic security and how to protect your library.

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This webinar will offer tips, strategies, and resources to strengthen your library's social media presence. Learn about social media plans and keeping content fresh and up-to-date. The presenter will also share tips for a variety of social media platforms.

Topics/Agenda:

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