Continuing Education Archives

Discover how to assess and improve your school library collection to meet the needs of faculty, parents, students, and the community. Learn the basics of creating a diverse, trend-aware collection, making it accessible and engaging, and managing your budget for new materials. You'll leave with practical strategies to ensure your collection is effective and well-used.

In this webinar, learn steps you can take to meet legal requirements and develop a library culture that prioritizes accessibility. Katie Myers, ADA Coordinator at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, will share their ongoing efforts, discuss lessons learned, and provide practical advice that can help you get started identifying regional Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and community resources that provide partnership, collaboration and training.

Even if a library has been focusing on making its website more accessible, PDF files that patrons download are often overlooked. PDF documents are not inherently accessible and require specific effort to make them accessible. In this session, learn concrete actions you can take to make your library’s PDF content accessible.

Includes information on processes and outcomes of the work of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Learn methods you can implement now to make your library a harder target for eAccessibility complaints.  Learn about the supports a library needs to create and maintain an accessible digital footprint. 

In this interactive session, learn how we partnered across departments to create a service that connects our community to printable assistive technology with the development of the Assistive Tools Kit, a collection of seven small devices that can be used by people of all ages to help with daily tasks such as writing, carrying bags, and opening small lids or bottle caps. Customers can borrow an assembled kit to learn which tools are most useful and create their own custom kit using the library’s 3D printers for a nominal cost of materials.

Learn how to create specialized collections to serve people with disabilities more inclusively at your library. In this webinar, Library Accessibility Consultant Renee Grassi talks about developing accessible collections to serve individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, those with Alzheimer's, dementia, Autism Spectrum Disorder, learning disabilities, blindness or low vision.

Managing remotely – regularly or on a temporary basis - is much more accessible than in the past. Technology has made things possible that we could never have imagined. It can help work to continue and business to go on during disruptions such as weather or pandemics. However, it takes a solid plan to ensure that things move smoothly and to avoid miscommunication and feelings of disconnection. In this session, we will (virtually) discuss: -

Has your library contemplated digitizing your local newspapers? There are several options available to libraries who are interested in getting their collections online. Tina will provide details on assessing your collections, procuring copyright permission, investigating grant opportunities, setting goals and outcomes, purchasing equipment for in-house projects, and how to pick a company that is the best fit if you choose to outsource the project.

Topics:
* Assessing your newspaper collections
* Copyright permissions

Details/Watch

Join two leaders in the field to learn about models of service, programming and technologies that create a welcoming library environment for young patrons with disabilities. Learn about dynamic programs being offered at public libraries around the Chicagoland area that can be replicated at your library.

Details/Watch