This 8-week intensive, virtual training is created to prepare library managers for the specific challenges you will face but were not trained for. Each live-session week will include training from an expert guest speaker, a facilitated discussion, and an interactive session to workshop new skills with peers. In the week between each live session meeting, you will have the opportunity to work on asynchronous prompts in peer cohort groups that will lead to a culminating portfolio of management resources. You will leave this course with a new cohort of peers and a Library Journal Management Training Certificate.
After consulting with our advisory board and gathering input from librarians across the country, we're excited to showcase our updated program.
Many library managers don't receive the training they need to manage a team, department, or branch. We have a new course to help. Library Journal's Library Management Training online course will set you up for success in your future or existing management position by training you on the fundamentals of staff relationships and management, managing difficult conversations and staff feedback, crisis and incident management, and more.
Built specifically for managers (or those on a future management track), this interactive course will give you the opportunity to learn from experts, role play challenging scenarios, get feedback from experts and peers, and build a management resource portfolio. Register before August 22 to receive that early bird rate!
COURSE PROGRAM
Week 1 Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Foundations of People Management: Becoming a Leader
What kind of manager do you want to be? How do you gain the self-awareness to ensure you can manage yourself as well as your team? And how can you show up authentically without putting on a costume of power? This introduction to the course will showcase different management styles, detail qualities of good leaders, share the foundations of managing a team, and teach you how to foster a culture of relationship building between your staff and yourself.
Session 1 Facilitated Discussion | 2:45-3:00 pm ET
This dedicated Q&A session and facilitated discussion will give you the opportunity to ask questions you didn’t get to ask in the session. If there are topics discussed earlier that you still don’t fully understand, this is a chance for speakers to unpack or clarify anything.
Break and Workshop Q&A | 3:00-3:15 pm ET
An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course
Session 1.2 | 3:15-4:00 pm ET
Foundations of Equity-Centered Leadership
How can your leadership style better serve and support BIPOC, disabled, LGBTQIA+, and neurodivergent staff? What is cultural competence, and what does this mean for staff management, recruitment, and reaching diverse communities? Learn how to create a workplace culture that invites all employees to feel respected and included. You will learn the characteristics of white supremacist and hetero-patriarchal work cultures and tangible ways to avoid them in your management practices. Leave this session with a toolkit for engaging with staff, establishing policies, and reaching diverse communities in ways that center intersectionality, vulnerability, and relationships.
Week 1 Live Workshop | 4:25-5:00 pm ET
This live, moderated working session will give you an immediate opportunity to process and apply the skills you’ve learned this week. You will be divided into smaller working groups and presented with a prompt, role play, or activity related to this week’s session. You are encouraged to join on camera and audio to discuss ideas, ask questions, and hear from other participants in class.
Week 2 Session 2 | 2:00-2:50 pm ET
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
How to Manage People: Team Meetings, Check-ins, Reviews, and Change
How do you run an effective and efficient team meeting? What should - and should not - go into your annual reviews? How often should you have staff meetings and one-on-one check ins, and how should you structure them? And how do you communicate clearly, transparently, and directly with staff, especially regarding changes or challenging situations that might impact their work lives? This week will focus on these questions and provide tangible strategies and templates for streamlining your processes and making the most out of time and communications with your team.
Session 2 Facilitated Discussion | 2:50-3:10 pm ET
Break and Workshop Q&A | 3:10-3:25 pm ET
Week 2 Live Workshop | 3:25-4:00 pm ET
Week 3 Session 3 | 2:00-2:50 pm ET
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
How to Manage People: Difficult Conversations, Feedback, Conflict, and Resistance
How do you give negative feedback to staff? How do you know when to escalate to writing a disciplinary report, and how do you write one? How do you manage interpersonal conflicts on your team, especially in cross-generational teams? And how do you manage and create buy-in with resistant staff? This week will teach you practical skills for managing difficult conversations, diffusing tension on your team, and redirecting, coaching, and building relationships with resistant staff. We’ll also discuss how to create and enforce “people first” policies to help set and manage staff behavior expectations.
Session 3 Facilitated Discussion | 2:50-3:10 pm ET
Break and Workshop Q&A | 3:10-3:25 pm ET
Week 3 Live Workshop | 3:25-4:00 pm ET
Week 4 Session 4 | 2:00-2:50 pm ET
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
How to Manage People through Conflict and Resistance
Staff burnout is at an all-time high, and many systemic and stackable issues contribute to staff burnout. How do you support your staff even and especially when the cause of their burnout is out of your direct control? How can you identify what’s causing burnout and advocate for the resources your team needs to help build resilience? And what are ways you can create positive impact within your sphere of influence? This week will focus on these questions and discuss ways to advocate for your staff, including how to “manage up” when needed. We will also cover ways to reduce burnout and create resilience by ensuring your management practices are equitable and inclusive.
Session 4 Facilitated Discussion | 2:50-3:10 pm ET
Break and Workshop Q&A | 3:10-3:25 pm ET
Week 4 Live Workshop | 3:25-4:00 pm ET
Week 5 Session 5 | 2:00-2:50 pm ET
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Crisis Management and Communications: Showing Up for Your Team and Yourself
Safety and security are top of mind for librarians across the country. How do you manage your team through crises? And how do you communicate clearly and effectively about crises, both internally with your staff and externally with your community and the media? This week will focus on creating safer libraries by ensuring your emergency policies and procedures are up to date and work for you. We will discuss strategies for iterating on and implementing your crisis plans; how to mandate and respond to incident reports; and how to debrief with your team after an event in a trauma-informed way. We will also discuss how to achieve effective internal and external crisis communication.
Session 5 Facilitated Discussion | 2:50-3:10 pm ET
Break and Workshop Q&A | 3:10-3:25 pm ET
Week 5 Live Workshop | 3:25-4:00 pm ET
Week 6 Session 6 | 2:00-2:50 pm ET
Tuesday, November 21, 2023
How to Align with Your Strategic Plan and Use Data to Make Decisions
So you’ve been given a strategic plan from your library’s top leadership, but how do you align with it and apply it to your everyday work life? How do you use your strategic plan to decide where and how to allocate money, your time, and your staff’s time? And how can you collect and analyze data to make informed decisions and learn your community? This week will focus on data fluency and how to use your strategic plan to create branch and/or department plans to establish a vision and workflow for your team.
Session 6 Facilitated Discussion | 2:50-3:10 pm ET
Break and Workshop Q&A | 3:10-3:25 pm ET
Week 6 Live Workshop | 3:25-4:00 pm ET
Week 7 Session 7 | 2:00-2:50 pm ET
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
Foundations of Financial Planning and Budget Management
How do you juggle multiple projects in your library at once? How do you engage your staff and ensure you stay on budget? What are the larger, organizational budget processes and constraints, and how does this impact how you allocate resources and manage projects? This week will focus on how to manage projects and your branch or departments’ budget in a way that is aligned with your strategic plan. You will learn practical tips from a library perspective and leave with templates to streamline this part of your job.
Session 7 Facilitated Discussion | 2:50-3:10 pm ET
Break and Workshop Q&A | 3:10-3:25 pm ET
Week 7 Live Workshop | 3:25-4:00 pm ET
Week 8 Session 8 | 2:00-2:50 pm ET
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Promoting Career Development in Your Staff and Yourself
Studies show that career development is one of the key indicators for staff retention. So how do you promote career development in your staff? And how do you advocate for your own goals and trajectory? In this final week, we will discuss how to mentor and coach your teams to help them build the skills and self-sufficiency they need to move forward in their careers. We will also discuss how to find mentors of your own, as well as career path opportunities for managers and strategies for stretching into a new role whenever you’re ready.
Session 8 Facilitated Discussion | 2:50-3:10 pm ET
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