Check out the Professional Development Calendar for more information and to register for the following FREE online professional development opportunities.
NOTE: until we can get the calendars synced, the calendar will show Maine State Library (MSL). MSL is the host for the national professional development calendar.
NEW TO NICHE! Starting this month, will highlight the library continuing education trainings and tutorials newly added to the NMSL Professional Development Niche Academy Learning Platform. Find them after the At Your Leisure pre-recorded webinars section.
READ THIS NEXT! This section features one recent reading (print book, eBook or journal article published within the last five years) focusing on the librarianship profession. Scroll down after the New to Niche section to find this month’s reading selection.
CONFERENCE
Thursday, Jul 10 (10 am-5pm) SLJ Picture Book Palooza (SLJ)
Join us July 17th for our fifth annual SLJ Picture Book Palooza, an all-day, free virtual celebration of authors and artists from around the world, who bring picture books to life with their extraordinary art. Register for a day dedicated to their craft and hard work, with a schedule that includes keynotes, author panels, and illustrator spotlights with visionary creators. Visit the exhibit hall, chat with authors and publishing teams, download digital galleys & resources, and be prepared to be inspired as you build your collection, one picture book at a time. Follow the conversation on socials! #PictureBookPalooza. For more information and to register, visit: https://www.slj.com/event/slj-picture-book-palooza-2025.
PROGRAMS BY TOPIC
ACCESSIBILITY
Jul 14: How to Make Constituent Services More Accessible (GovLoop) https://www.govloop.com/training/
ADVOCACY
Jul 1: Get Your Voice Heard Where Decisions are Made: Grow your Advocacy Skills (NonprofitLearningLab) https://www.nonprofitlearninglab.org/webinars
Jul 3: Reel Change: Nonprofit Video Storytelling for Social Impact (Bloomerang) https://bloomerang.co/webinars-events/
Jul 23: Maximizing Impact: The Blueprint for Success with Recurring Donors (CharityHowTo) https://www.charityhowto.com/nonprofit-live-webinars
ASSESMENT/PLANNING
Jul 9: Calling it Quits: How to Evaluate Library Services and Decide What to Stop Doing (Georgia Library Association) https://georgialibraryassociation.org/Carterette-Series-Webinars
Jul 14: Decode the Funder’s Playbook: How to Read Between the Lines of an RFP (GrantStation) https://grantstation.com/product/online-education/view-all-2
Jul 15: Data Governance: Coordination Requires Clarity (TechSoup) https://events.techsoup.org/techsoup-events-and-webinars/
Jul 21: Using Data and Evaluation to Strengthen Resilience, Navigate Change, and Build Power (NonprofitLearningLab) https://www.nonprofitlearninglab.org/webinars
Jul 30: Reserves – What, Why, When, and How (Much?) (PropelNonprofits) https://propelnonprofits.org/trainings/
BOARDS
Jul 10: Introduction to Fundraising Planning (Candid Learning) https://learning.candid.org/page/course-catalog
CAREERS (Staff)
Jul 22: 6 Questions to Ask to Diffuse Any Conflict and Save Your Job (TrainingMagazineNetwork) https://www.trainingmagnetwork.com/calendar
Jul 29: Share Knowledge, Ideas, Learning, and Library Solutions! (Nebraska Library Commission) https://nlc.nebraska.gov/scripts/calendar/eventlist.asp?Mode=ALL
CHILDREN & TEENS
Jul 10: Book Drop in Your Library (StarNetLibraries) https://www.starnetlibraries.org/development/webinars/
Jul 16: Talking Teen Services: Strengths-Based Relationship Building Panel (Colorado State Library) https://costatelibrary.libcal.com/calendar/librarieslearn
Jul 24: Book Drop in Your Library (StarNetLibraries) https://www.starnetlibraries.org/development/webinars/
Jul 30: How Libraries Can Promote Computational Thinking and Learning Among Preschool Families with Work It Out @ Your Library (PublicLibraryAssn) https://www.ala.org/pla/education/onlinelearning/webinars
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
Jul 23: What’s Up Wednesday – A Conversation about Curating Digital Collections (Indiana State Library) https://continuinged.isl.in.gov/find-training/online-training-series/
Jul 30: Elevating core skills with new Library Foundational Training (LiFT) courses (WebJunction) https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction.html
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION
Jul 16: Serving Neurodiverse Library Patrons (StarNetLibraries) https://www.starnetlibraries.org/development/webinars/
DEVELOPMENT & MANAGING CHANGE
Jul 9: Leadership Under Pressure: Mastering Change, Complexity, and Uncertainty (TrainingMagazineNetwork) https://www.trainingmagnetwork.com/calendar
Jul 23: Lead Through Change: The Science that Helps Managers Adapt—Not Resist (TrainingMagazineNetwork) https://www.trainingmagnetwork.com/calendar
FUNDRAISING
Jul 9: Nonprofit 101: The Basics of Fundraising Readiness (Nonprofit Hub) https://nonprofithub.org/webinars-events/
Jul 15: Bring Back the Joy: Fundraise Like a 5th Grader (and Love Your Job Again) (GrantStation) https://grantstation.com/product/online-education/view-all-2
Jul 15: The Status of (Modern) Fundraising in the United States (Blackbaud) https://www.blackbaud.com/events/webinars
Jul 16: Nonprofit 101: Getting Started with Event Planning (Nonprofit Hub) https://nonprofithub.org/webinars-events/
Jul 28: Up Your Numbers Game: How to Gather and Use Data to Drive Fundraising, Programming and Strategic Planning Efforts (NonprofitLearningLab) https://www.nonprofitlearninglab.org/webinars
Jul 29: Sponsors: How to Find Them & Create a Win-Win (Productive Fundraising) https://productivefundraising.com/event/
LEGAL
Jul 23: Navigating E-Rate Federal Policy (Libraries4DE) https://libraries4de.org/resources/upcoming-events/
LIBRARY SPACES
Jul 15: Member Portals: Enhancing Engagement Through Community Spaces (TechSoup) https://events.techsoup.org/techsoup-events-and-webinars/
Jul 16: More Than a Building: Creating Welcoming Academic Libraries (ASERL) https://www.aserl.org/#webinars
MANAGEMENT
Jul 9: Fortifying Your Library: Protecting Your Library and Staff Through Policy (Niche Academy) https://www.nicheacademy.com/upcoming-webinars
Jul 23: Meetings that Matter: Seven Steps to Running an Effective Meeting (Niche Academy) https://www.nicheacademy.com/upcoming-webinars
Jul 28: Navigating Workplace Dynamics at Your Agency (GovLoop) https://www.govloop.com/training/
READERS’ ADVISORY
Jul 17: Celebrate Stories Across Generations (Booklist) https://www.booklistonline.com/upcomingWebinars
Jul 23: Getting to Know Graphic Novels (Booklist) https://www.booklistonline.com/upcomingWebinars
Jul 30: DK’s Fall 2025 Librarian Preview (Booklist) https://www.booklistonline.com/upcomingWebinars
REFERENCE
Jul 15: From Access to Impact: Practical Approaches to OA in Higher Education (ACRL/Choice) https://www.choice360.org/media/webinars/
Jul 17: Super Searchers and Meet LEO (PublicLibraryAssn) https://www.ala.org/pla/education/onlinelearning/webinars
Jul 24: Dare to Weed: Deselecting, Deaccessioning, and Discarding in Academic Research Libraries (ASERL) https://www.aserl.org/#webinars
Jul 25: The American Revolution: Transatlantic Resources in the Library of Congress Collections (FDLP) https://www.fdlp.gov/events
Jul 31: An Introduction to the Journal of the House of Representatives: Everything That (Hasn’t) Changed in 250 Years (FDLP) https://www.fdlp.gov/events
SCHOOL LIBRARIES
Jul 15: School Safety: Building a Culture of Prevention, Protection, and Preparedness (edWeb) https://home.edweb.net/webinars/
Jul 29: Science and the Science of Reading: How Experiences Catapult Language Comprehension (edWeb) https://home.edweb.net/webinars/
TECHNOLOGY
Jul 9: Identifying and Managing Cyber Risk (TechSoup) https://events.techsoup.org/techsoup-events-and-webinars/
Jul 9: Printing, Scanning, and Faxing at the Library (Nebraska Library Commission) https://nlc.nebraska.gov/scripts/calendar/eventlist.asp?Mode=ALL
Jul 30: Pretty Sweet Tech (Nebraska Library Commission) https://nlc.nebraska.gov/scripts/calendar/eventlist.asp?Mode=ALL
Jul 30: What’s Up Wednesday: AI in Libraries: Transforming Information Access (Indiana State Library) https://continuinged.isl.in.gov/find-training/online-training-series/
Jul 30: Modern Marketing for Mission-Driven Teams: Tools, Tactics, and Trends (Blackbaud) https://www.blackbaud.com/events/webinars
AT YOUR LEISURE
Pre-recorded webinars to view at your convenience
Fighting for the First Amendment: Anti-book banning training series (EveryLibrary Institute). America needs people like you to stand up and fight against the extremist groups who are banning books across the country. You might not know this but librarians, as government employees, can’t often legally fight against the book bans happening in their community. Their jobs and careers are often threatened, they’re attacked publicly, or the municipal attorneys advise them against taking any action. That means that they need people like you to stand up and push back against the well organized groups who are fighting to deny your right to read and control information in your community. That’s why we created this webinar series to help people like you stand up against the book banners. Visit: https://www.everylibraryinstitute.org/anti_book_banning_training_series
Living Room Conversations: Connecting Your Library Community Through Conversation (Programming Librarian). Living Room Conversations are a simple, easy, and effective way to bring your community together through community conversations and civic dialogue programming. Living Room Conversations offers a plug-and-play library program that allows both small and rural as well as large and urban libraries to hold community conversations on a wide range of topics. This webinar will guide participants through the Living Room Conversations dialogue model and offer examples of how libraries across the country have brought their communities together to engage in thoughtful, respectful, and transformative conversations. Visit: https://programminglibrarian.org/webinars
Nonprofit Board Best Practices (Bonterra). Your board is a key element of your nonprofit’s fundraising and donor engagement strategy. It’s important to recruit members who are passionate about your mission, invested in growing your impact, and focused on enhancing your fundraising efforts. In this webinar, Bonterra Fundraising Coach Janet Cobb will share her best practices to help you build and collaborate with your board, focusing on three key areas: where and how to recruit new board members, how to keep board members engaged, what it means to cultivate a fundraising-focused board. Visit: https://www.bonterratech.com/events-webinars/nonprofit-board-best-practices
NEW TO NICHE!
Hosted on Niche Academy, a learning, training, and development platform, the NMSL Professional Development Academy provides dozens of recorded trainings and tutorials focusing on a variety of topics such as basic librarianship skills, library management, community relations, accessibility, and many others. Each month, new recordings and tutorials are added to the NMSL Academy. Starting in July 2025, the Continuing Education Coordinator will highlight the trainings added to the NMSL Professional Development Academy during the previous month.
New to Niche – June 2025
- New Category: Library Staff Support and Wellness
-
Addressing Secondary Trauma Stress, Compassion Fatigue, and Burnout
-
Addressing Bullying for Managers
-
Reducing Burnout for Academic Library Workers
-
Note: While the Niche Academy trainings are available for free to New Mexico library managers and staff through the New Mexico State Library subscription, an account is needed to access the content. Some of the tutorials require additional approval prior to watching. For more information, please contact Ada Negraru, Continuing Education Coordinator: ada.negraru@dca.nm.gov
READ THIS NEXT!
In addition to the calendar of professional development webinars, Read This Next! highlights one recent reading (print book, eBook, journal article or blog post published within the last five years) focusing on the librarianship profession.
This month’s selection is Fundamentals of Planning and Assessment for Libraries by Rachel A. Fleming-May and Regina May (Chicago: ALA Neal-Schuman, 2021). Part of the ALA Fundamentals series, this book thoroughly covers the basics of conducting library planning and assessment. Library administrators and staff will gather information about the history of planning and assessment in libraries, the basic principles, why these processes are important, and how to collect, analyze and report assessment data. Included are planning strategies, different types of community assessments, such as user surveys, focus groups, interviews, and case studies, as well as sample forms such as surveys and consent forms. This title is a must read for those responsible with conducting community needs assessments and gathering data about library users.
Check out NMSL’s recently acquired library and information science collection titles: 2025 – New in Library and Information Science – LibGuides at New Mexico State Library
Happy Reading! Happy Learning!