Webinars for School Library Staff – Part 5 in the Professional Learning series

Part 5 in my Professional Learning Series is all about webinars. COVID-19 may have pushed us even further into connecting and learning online, but webinars have always been a great way to up-skill and learn from others in the profession.

Here are my top favourite places to find great quality webinars on a variety of topics, but all useful for application in a school library.

ALIA Webinars

One Saturday a month, ALIA Schools provides a free, 1 hour webinar on a variety of topics. You can find out more on the ALIA Schools website or blog. As these are free webinars, no recording of the event is provided, so you need to be able to attend. However, the slides and resources are often shared afterwards.

ALIA Schools also schedule paid webinar events, so watch the ALIA site or ALIA schools blog for more details, or sign up to their newsletter for updates.

ALIA also host other free and paid webinars, like the free social media webinar just before Library and Information Week or the STEM In Libraries webinar. Many of these you can re-watch after the event. Keep an eye on the ALIA events page for more details. 

ASLA Webinars

On the first Wednesday of every month, ASLA offer a webinar. Members pay $20 to access, while non-members pay $40. Check out the upcoming webinar on their website. 

EduWebinar

Offering a subscription based membership or pay per webinar options, EduWebinar is a fantastic, Australian based webinar and learning company. Run by the fantastic Karen Bonnano, who has worked as a teacher librarian, so often has webinars that are library focused. There also often free webinars, like the School Libraries During and Post COVID-19 series.

Elizabeth Hutchinson

Elizabeth Hutchinson has worked as a school librarian and is now a trainer specialising in school libraries. She often has webinars you can access for a reasonable price – just note the prices are in pounds – and can access in your own time, which is great if you are in Australia. Check out her resources on her website.

Our Two Cents Webinars

Hosted by US School Librarians, Heather White and Amanda Jones, the Our Two Cents webinars cover a range of school library topics can be accessed freely on their website or YouTube channel.

 Your local or not so local state library organisation

Check out your state library organisation to see what webinars they have on offer. And don’t forget to check other state library groups. Even check overseas groups. I recently joined the Kansas Association of School Librarian’s Summer Institute for School Librarians which includes two free webinars and a paid course. They were happy to have an outsider join and it was great to get an international perspective.

The International Society for Technology in Education Librarians Network

With a focus on technology and education, check out the ISTE Librarians Network webinar schedule. 

Librarian In the Middle

If you want to learn more about branding or marketing in your school library, check out Librarian In The Middle. Sarah offers great resources, courses and webinars. Find it here.

Software Specific

If your school library uses Softlink, ePlatform, LibGuides or similar software, check out their great ranges of webinars and videos for specific up-skilling.

So, are these webinars you tune into? Are they helpful? Where else do you get your webinars from? Share in the comments.

Infobase Webinars

Infobase are running a massive range of free webinars, many of which are school library focused. Find upcoming events here.