A free, three-part webinar series for beginners and for experienced educators and instructional designers who like refreshers. Our goal? To improve the effectiveness of your online education programs, including webcasts, podcasts, webinars, and asynchronous, self-paced, facilitated, and blended models. A joint presentation of the Medical Library Association and Pattern Research, Inc. A practical review of adult education theories we know work well. Write simple behavioral objectives that mean something, connect with the learners, help them remember what they learned, encourage them to apply the information in their workplaces, and decide how you are going to improve your virtual webinars and courses for next time. Topics include: online standards for adult education, mistakes Pat makes so you won’t, the limits of time and technology, what content tends to works best online, and, if you dislike online education, why Pat hated it for 20 years, and what changed her mind.

A free, three-part webinar series for beginners and for experienced educators and instructional designers who like refreshers. Our goal? To improve the effectiveness of your online education programs, including webcasts, podcasts, webinars, and asynchronous, self-paced, facilitated, and blended models. A joint presentation of the Medical Library Association and Pattern Research, Inc. A practical review of adult education theories we know work well. Write simple behavioral objectives that mean something, connect with the learners, help them remember what they learned, encourage them to apply the information in their workplaces, and decide how you are going to improve your virtual webinars and courses for next time. Topics include: online standards for adult education, mistakes Pat makes so you won’t, the limits of time and technology, what content tends to works best online, and, if you dislike online education, why Pat hated it for 20 years, and what changed her mind.

We love technology (aka Bright Shiny Things) and ironic, photo-shopped images. Nonetheless, cool cloudware, visual memes, and splash headlines are not all that is needed to provide effective virtual learning. Technology and aesthetics are crucial, but add content, process, and inspiration. Tweaking these five factors can improve most presentations. Topics include: Make emotional connections online, chose content that works, (why some good ideas don’t work), outline the flow of your course, aka The Script, make sure that "cool" do not interfere with retention (people like it but can’t remember what they saw), and why all technology sucks (and coping 'til it doesn’t.)

We love technology (aka Bright Shiny Things) and ironic, photo-shopped images. Nonetheless, cool cloudware, visual memes, and splash headlines are not all that is needed to provide effective virtual learning. Technology and aesthetics are crucial, but add content, process, and inspiration. Tweaking these five factors can improve most presentations. Topics include: Make emotional connections online, chose content that works, (why some good ideas don’t work), outline the flow of your course, aka The Script, make sure that "cool" do not interfere with retention (people like it but can’t remember what they saw), and why all technology sucks (and coping 'til it doesn’t.)

Paid work is available for librarians and others who specialize in the information economy. But, is moving from being a paid employee (with benefits) to someone who has to identify customers and convince them to pay you enough money to cover health insurance, food, lodging, gas, and cat food the best move for you? Being smart, competent, experienced, credentialed, and effective are not enough. Self-employment is as much a lifestyle choice as it is a financial decision. Are you a perfectionist, or can you set limits on how much you do? Does negotiating about money make you uncomfortable, or can you ask for what you want? Does your family think being self-employed means glamour and big bucks, or are they supportive of long hours, missed vacations, and time on the road? Do you hope for a job where people will pay you and leave you alone, or do you actually like human beings? We will review the basics, including identifying necessary skill sets, managing finances, setting deadlines, finding and keeping customers, and avoiding common mistakes.

Paid work is available for librarians and others who specialize in the information economy. But, is moving from being a paid employee (with benefits) to someone who has to identify customers and convince them to pay you enough money to cover health insurance, food, lodging, gas, and cat food the best move for you? Being smart, competent, experienced, credentialed, and effective are not enough. Self-employment is as much a lifestyle choice as it is a financial decision. Are you a perfectionist, or can you set limits on how much you do? Does negotiating about money make you uncomfortable, or can you ask for what you want? Does your family think being self-employed means glamour and big bucks, or are they supportive of long hours, missed vacations, and time on the road? Do you hope for a job where people will pay you and leave you alone, or do you actually like human beings? We will review the basics, including identifying necessary skill sets, managing finances, setting deadlines, finding and keeping customers, and avoiding common mistakes.

What practical examples of good project management principles can you apply at your library? Here are stories drawn from real-life situations, including projects that were years late, silly mistakes smart people make, and why If the Plan is in Your Head, There is No Plan! Topics include course corrections, deciding what to stop doing, the consequences of failure, and why time is of the essence.

The building blocks of project management include basic concepts such as the importance of setting priorities and deadlines, making sure the chain of command is known to all, and why it is necessary to check in with your team mates more than once a year. Topics include aligning project management with your strategic plan, anticipating problems, writing and sharing your plans, and knowing when it is time to stop.

The practice of project management is about improving how you get your work completed: on time, under budget, and at an agreed-upon level of quality. Also, would the people involved want to work with you and each other again? Even if you are a solo librarian or associate, or work alone, project management also is about coordinating your activities with the often conflicting needs of customers, colleagues, and bosses, as well as people in other institutions.

This program is primarily for active and potential LE@D subject matter experts, but feel free to spread the word to friends and colleagues. Some of the topics include examples of recent successful outlines, the necessity of stories, examples, activities, exercises, and downloadables, and suggestions for creating behavioral objectives.

“Time management” is too often a code phrase for “Burn Yourself out for the sake of the team.” Instead, create an operations plan with precise target audiences and limited goals, but improved products and services. The most difficult step: deciding what you will stop doing, so you can free up time, money , and staff for better quality work. Throwing darts at a wall is not the best way to choose what to eliminate. We will review several tested, practical strategies that help make hard decisions. Topics include reviewing the iron triangle (time, cost, quality), creating a working strategic plan, establishing priorities, ethical constraints, and making hard choices.

“Time management” is too often a code phrase for “Burn Yourself out for the sake of the team.” Instead, create an operations plan with precise target audiences and limited goals, but improved products and services. The most difficult step: deciding what you will stop doing, so you can free up time, money , and staff for better quality work. Throwing darts at a wall is not the best way to choose what to eliminate. We will review several tested, practical strategies that help make hard decisions. Topics include reviewing the iron triangle (time, cost, quality), creating a working strategic plan, establishing priorities, ethical constraints, and making hard choices.

This program is primarily for active and potential LE@D subject matter experts, but feel free to spread the word to friends and colleagues.

This program is primarily for active and potential LE@D subject matter experts, but feel free to spread the word to friends and colleagues.

This program is primarily for active and potential LE@D subject matter experts, but feel free to spread the word to friends and colleagues. Some of the topics include examples of recent successful outlines, the necessity of stories, examples, activities, exercises, and downloadables, and suggestions for creating behavioral objectives.

Making information accessible is the key to a relevant library. You are handed materials and asked to make it easy for people miles away to find them. The power a simple, accurate, and concise record has to draw a straight line from the question to the answer is amazing! It doesn't need to be complicated, and the logic in it is beautiful. Learn some tips that might help improve a new cataloger's competence and confidence, whether you are that new cataloger, or someone who supervises or trains new catalogers. Did you know you can break the rules? That the age of the reader counts? That there are times when you should not catalog? And sometimes, simple is better?

Making information accessible is the key to a relevant library. You are handed materials and asked to make it easy for people miles away to find them. The power a simple, accurate, and concise record has to draw a straight line from the question to the answer is amazing! It doesn't need to be complicated, and the logic in it is beautiful. Learn some tips that might help improve a new cataloger's competence and confidence, whether you are that new cataloger, or someone who supervises or trains new catalogers. Did you know you can break the rules? That the age of the reader counts? That there are times when you should not catalog? And sometimes, simple is better?

In those few moments when a baby relaxes and cuddles in your lap as you read them a book, a wonderful thing is happening—babies learn that books contain words, pictures, and stories that interest them. You can start teaching early literacy skills to babies without them or their grownups even knowing that that’s what you are doing! Whether you are preparing programs for babies in your library or community center, teaching early literacy skills to daycare providers, or providing support to new parents in an outreach program, a few tips can make your work easier and more productive, as well as more fun and effective for the babies and their adults.

In those few moments when a baby relaxes and cuddles in your lap as you read them a book, a wonderful thing is happening—babies learn that books contain words, pictures, and stories that interest them. You can start teaching early literacy skills to babies without them or their grownups even knowing that that’s what you are doing! Whether you are preparing programs for babies in your library or community center, teaching early literacy skills to daycare providers, or providing support to new parents in an outreach program, a few tips can make your work easier and more productive, as well as more fun and effective for the babies and their adults.

The most important resource a library or any other institution or business has is its people. New employees need orientation. When hiring freezes trigger cross-training, everyone will want support. A maturing profession is leaving the workplace, and the knowledge of decades has to be captured and transmitted. How can you help your institution create a mentoring program that helps bridge generational and cultural differences and support employees during periods of stress and change? How can you help build mentor and protégé partnerships that elicit the best in productivity, workplace relationships, and career development? This free webinar is for anyone who is interested in starting or improving their institution's mentoring program.

The most important resource a library or any other institution or business has is its people. New employees need orientation. When hiring freezes trigger cross-training, everyone will want support. A maturing profession is leaving the workplace, and the knowledge of decades has to be captured and transmitted. How can you help your institution create a mentoring program that helps bridge generational and cultural differences and support employees during periods of stress and change? How can you help build mentor and protégé partnerships that elicit the best in productivity, workplace relationships, and career development? This free webinar is for anyone who is interested in starting or improving their institution's mentoring program.

Not every library is blessed with a competent genealogist. What if you are the staffer faced with a library user's questions about Grandma's grave, Great-Grandpa's last name, or the family jewels (or scandals) – and you haven't a clue where to begin? Join us for a free webinar giving you "Ten Tips to Effectively Serve the Genealogy Searcher" from an experienced librarian and genealogist, with decades of practical know-how to share. Willie Braudaway is the Director of the Del Rio (TX) LDS Family History Center and the author of "Genealogy: An Introduction for Library Staff", a new self-paced continuing education course for anyone interested in genealogy service from the University of North Texas Lifelong Education @ Desktop (LE@D) project.

Not every library is blessed with a competent genealogist. What if you are the staffer faced with a library user's questions about Grandma's grave, Great-Grandpa's last name, or the family jewels (or scandals) – and you haven't a clue where to begin? Join us for a free webinar giving you "Ten Tips to Effectively Serve the Genealogy Searcher" from an experienced librarian and genealogist, with decades of practical know-how to share. Willie Braudaway is the Director of the Del Rio (TX) LDS Family History Center and the author of "Genealogy: An Introduction for Library Staff", a new self-paced continuing education course for anyone interested in genealogy service from the University of North Texas Lifelong Education @ Desktop (LE@D) project.

Sometimes the hardest people to deal with are your co-workers, the people with whom you might spend more time than your own family. Unfortunately, familiarity does not always result in good relationships. Misunderstandings can take on lives of their own. Is it possible to repair old conflicts and regain trust and respect? Most of the power lies in the details of your behavior, regardless of who "started" it. Learn what you can do to change the dynamics of workplace relations with time-tested tactics borrowed from behavioral and cognitive psychology. If you are trying to improve the culture of your workplace, want to get along with co-workers better, want to improve your supervisory methods, or need ideas for a staff meeting discussion on internal customer service, you might find some useful reminders. [Warning: Although this program is about workplace conflict, you might find the same techniques work with family, friends, and neighbors!]

Sometimes the hardest people to deal with are your co-workers, the people with whom you might spend more time than your own family. Unfortunately, familiarity does not always result in good relationships. Misunderstandings can take on lives of their own. Is it possible to repair old conflicts and regain trust and respect? Most of the power lies in the details of your behavior, regardless of who "started" it. Learn what you can do to change the dynamics of workplace relations with time-tested tactics borrowed from behavioral and cognitive psychology. If you are trying to improve the culture of your workplace, want to get along with co-workers better, want to improve your supervisory methods, or need ideas for a staff meeting discussion on internal customer service, you might find some useful reminders. [Warning: Although this program is about workplace conflict, you might find the same techniques work with family, friends, and neighbors!]

Managing your institution’s information technology needs research and a written plan; decisions made in reaction to the crisis-of-the-hour usually end up wasting time and money. And you might regret decisions made in haste. But where do you start when your resources are limited and the possibilities are endlessly confusing? Learn how to start making sense out of technology planning and make the plan work for you, your employees, and customers, plus, discover a couple of important technology caveats. Although the focus is libraries, schools, and higher education, this free webinar is for anyone who is interested in making better choices regarding the purchase and use of technology for their agency or business. Carson Block is a geek who speaks English. He has lead, managed, and supported library technology efforts for more than 15 years, working with public, school, academic, and special libraries of all sizes, ranging from direct technology support to large-scale projects.

Managing your institution’s information technology needs research and a written plan; decisions made in reaction to the crisis-of-the-hour usually end up wasting time and money. And you might regret decisions made in haste. But where do you start when your resources are limited and the possibilities are endlessly confusing? Learn how to start making sense out of technology planning and make the plan work for you, your employees, and customers, plus, discover a couple of important technology caveats. Although the focus is libraries, schools, and higher education, this free webinar is for anyone who is interested in making better choices regarding the purchase and use of technology for their agency or business. Carson Block is a geek who speaks English. He has lead, managed, and supported library technology efforts for more than 15 years, working with public, school, academic, and special libraries of all sizes, ranging from direct technology support to large-scale projects.

People use social media tools like Facebook for personal projects: sharing photos or connecting with friends. But did you know that you can find great information about business, industry and careers using tools like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter? Social media can be a critical resource for library staff. Students, career changers, job hunters, and business people can find out about industries and companies, connect with important people, and promote themselves to potential employers and customers. Learn some of the basic ways to leverage social media, whether you are an information professional, consultant, teacher, or someone using it for your own personal and career pursuits.

People use social media tools like Facebook for personal projects: sharing photos or connecting with friends. But did you know that you can find great information about business, industry and careers using tools like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter? Social media can be a critical resource for library staff. Students, career changers, job hunters, and business people can find out about industries and companies, connect with important people, and promote themselves to potential employers and customers. Learn some of the basic ways to leverage social media, whether you are an information professional, consultant, teacher, or someone using it for your own personal and career pursuits.

Internet searching is easy to do; actually finding the right information for you and your library user is harder. One problem is that even experienced library reference staff can treat online searching as a superficial tactic. Learn ten practical tips that can improve the quantity, quality, and focus of your internet search results. Kit Keller is the director of Library Services and Student Achievement at Chancellor University in Cleveland and the author of "Online Research Strategies for Librarians", a new self-paced continuing education course for anyone interested in improving their reference skills from LE@D.

Internet searching is easy to do; actually finding the right information for you and your library user is harder. One problem is that even experienced library reference staff can treat online searching as a superficial tactic. Learn ten practical tips that can improve the quantity, quality, and focus of your internet search results. Kit Keller is the director of Library Services and Student Achievement at Chancellor University in Cleveland and the author of "Online Research Strategies for Librarians", a new self-paced continuing education course for anyone interested in improving their reference skills from LE@D.

These days so much of our communication happens by email, texting, websites, blogs, and wikis that writing is more important than ever. Author Claudia Sorsby states, “In cyberspace, your writing style is your voice.” This free webinar provides a quick tour of some of the more common mistakes even experienced professionals make (and regardless of one’s level of education). Topics include punctuation, jargon, keeping words “in agreement,” too many words, using the wrong words, and failure to edit, as well as using social media abbreviations (texting shorthand) in workplace documents.

These days so much of our communication happens by email, texting, websites, blogs, and wikis that writing is more important than ever. Author Claudia Sorsby states, “In cyberspace, your writing style is your voice.” This free webinar provides a quick tour of some of the more common mistakes even experienced professionals make (and regardless of one’s level of education). Topics include punctuation, jargon, keeping words “in agreement,” too many words, using the wrong words, and failure to edit, as well as using social media abbreviations (texting shorthand) in workplace documents.

Graphic design and printed workbooks. Live performances, such as theater and music. Poetry and fine fiction. Film and theater. Radio. All old-school formats for delivering information that can provide insights into what can polish your virtual classroom presentation skills. Topics: Create checklists and agendas, address production issues before, during, and after, apply classic rules of legibility and commercial design to 21st Century presentations, upgrade sound and recording issues, and collect more practical technology tips.

Graphic design and printed workbooks. Live performances, such as theater and music. Poetry and fine fiction. Film and theater. Radio. All old-school formats for delivering information that can provide insights into what can polish your virtual classroom presentation skills. Topics: Create checklists and agendas, address production issues before, during, and after, apply classic rules of legibility and commercial design to 21st Century presentations, upgrade sound and recording issues, and collect more practical technology tips.

Benefits statements describe what your library users accomplish by using the library's services. Strategic plans, collection development, marketing campaigns, what kinds of snacks to put in the vending machines? Benefit statements help you analysis, respond to, and promote your library's impact from the library customers' points of view. Writing benefits sounds simple, but people who work for a workplace they love can find it difficult to put themselves in the shoes of the people they serve.

Benefits statements describe what your library users accomplish by using the library's services. Strategic plans, collection development, marketing campaigns, what kinds of snacks to put in the vending machines? Benefit statements help you analysis, respond to, and promote your library's impact from the library customers' points of view. Writing benefits sounds simple, but people who work for a workplace they love can find it difficult to put themselves in the shoes of the people they serve.

Is a training program the answer to your workplace problems? Although I make my living as a trainer and educator, there are many situations where I tell potential customers that I don't think a workshop, seminar, or class is appropriate. Let me share 15 reasons not to hire me and what is going to work better to resolve personnel and productivity issues. Although most of the examples come from my work with libraries, universities, schools, local government, and nonprofit organizations, these ideas apply to pretty much any workshop.

Is a training program the answer to your workplace problems? Although I make my living as a trainer and educator, there are many situations where I tell potential customers that I don't think a workshop, seminar, or class is appropriate. Let me share 15 reasons not to hire me and what is going to work better to resolve personnel and productivity issues. Although most of the examples come from my work with libraries, universities, schools, local government, and nonprofit organizations, these ideas apply to pretty much any workshop.

Most futurists compile data, create projections, plot trajectories and draw straight lines between the present and the future. But the world is not a graph of perfect squares and limited categories. Professional futurists can make an impression as long as you don't think about their track records. However, you can improve your ability to accurately forecast trends and predict breakthroughs by avoiding some simple mistakes and being willing to test even proven ideas and your own favorite theories. Learn how to avoid the "true believer" trap, what questions to ask when offered evidence that something is true, how to build a personal think tank, and how to apply these ideas to your work as a researcher.

Most futurists compile data, create projections, plot trajectories and draw straight lines between the present and the future. But the world is not a graph of perfect squares and limited categories. Professional futurists can make an impression as long as you don't think about their track records. However, you can improve your ability to accurately forecast trends and predict breakthroughs by avoiding some simple mistakes and being willing to test even proven ideas and your own favorite theories. Learn how to avoid the "true believer" trap, what questions to ask when offered evidence that something is true, how to build a personal think tank, and how to apply these ideas to your work as a researcher.

This program is primarily for active and potential LE@D subject matter experts, but feel free to spread the word to friends and colleagues.

This program is primarily for active and potential LE@D subject matter experts, but feel free to spread the word to friends and colleagues.