Presentation Skills with Ned Potter
2023-09-14 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Chicago)
This is a two-part webinar:

September 7, 2023 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am CDT

September 14, 2023 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am CDT

You can register once and access both sessions:Register for live webinars or webinar recordings

The aim of this two-part workshop is to build confidence and be able to produce amazing looking but, crucially, effective presentations in a variety of styles depending on how important the presentation is and how much time you have.

Everything in this hands-on training is based on the research into multimedia communication and how to get your key messages to stay in the minds of your audience: how to make your message stick. No gimmicks, just achievable ideas and techniques which work.

We’ll cover the golden rules of creating presentations, finding amazing images without breaking copyright laws or spending any money, and creating PowerPoint Presentations in different styles. We’ll also look at interactive quizzing tools such as Menti: when and when not to use them, and how to use them most effectively.

Ned Potter is an Academic Liaison Librarian at the University of York, and a Trainer for various organizations including the Bodleian, the NHS and the British Library in the UK, and PiCS in Australasia. His book The Library Marketing Toolkit was published by Facet in 2012. Ned can be found online at ned-potter.com and on Twitter at @ned_potter.

Exploring the Magic of IFTTT to Help Streamline Your Digital Life with Chad Mairn
2023-09-29 08:00 - 09:00
Register for live webinar or recording

IFTTT (If This, Then That) is a versatile automation platform that empowers you to connect and streamline your digital life. It puts the Internet to work for you by generating simple connections with online products that you use every day. In this webinar, we will:

Understand the Internet of Things and see how they will change the world.

Learn how to use and customize IFTTT to connect with a variety of products and services.

Gain insights from real-world examples of how individuals and businesses have successfully leveraged IFTTT to simplify their digital workflows and enhance productivity.

Explore other automation tools like Zapier, Hootsuite, Buffer, and others.

Chad Mairn is an Information Services Librarian, Assistant Professor, and is the founder of the Innovation Lab at St. Petersburg College. While an undergraduate studying Humanities at the University of South Florida (USF), Chad was awarded a Library of Congress Fellowship for helping archive personal papers and other items in the Leonard Bernstein Collection. During his Library and Information Science graduate work, also at USF, Chad became a technology liaison between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Florida public libraries.

PLAN webinars are free for all Florida library staff and volunteers.

Let's Do a Mind Map with Linda Bruno
2023-11-29 14:00 - 15:30
You may have heard the term “mind mapping.” But have you ever wondered exactly what it means? Does it mean we are going to study the brain? No 😊 – I don’t think a 90-minute webinar could quite cover that complex organ!

However, we are going to unleash our brains in a creative process known as mind mapping.

In this online workshop (notice the fun format we’ll be using – it’s online AND it’s a workshop!), we are going to start with your idea – so we’ll ask you to submit your idea a few days ahead (you’ll receive a reminder email) so that you can be prepared.

Whether you are planning an event for your library, trying to develop a new service offering, a new program, or even a project you’ve been wanting to do in your personal life, this online workshop is just what you need to get a significant start on where to begin…and what to do next and next and next!

As everyone shares their ideas in the online workshop, the rest of us will help each attendee work through their own mind map to come up with as many details as we can possibly imagine over the course of our 90 minutes together, some of which you may not even need. By using guiding questions, we’ll also be able to help bring out important details that might otherwise be overlooked.

Imagine the wealth of creativity contained within our “meeting room” in the minds of all the attendees – and you have all of that at your disposal!

This is a unique opportunity to not only take some time to really focus on that idea that has been percolating in your mind, but also be able to pick the brains of some highly imaginative people.

Don’t miss this special online workshop!

Linda Bruno has been developing and conducting training workshops for libraries for more than fifteen years. Her favorite thing to do is to help people become their best selves! That’s why she offers workshops on topics ranging from Leadership Skills to Emotional Intelligence – and lots of areas in between.

If you can’t attend the live webinar, register anyway and you’ll receive a link to the webinar recording a few days after the event.

Persevere with Passion with Linda Bruno
2024-02-14 14:00 - 15:00
Perseverance. It’s such a common word, it has almost become cliché. And yet…there is nothing cliché’ about what our world has experienced in recent years. How do we truly persevere in the midst of sometimes-difficult situations?

Perseverance has definitely become a necessary attribute just to work in a library these days. To do it with passion can be fulfilling – and draining – in the midst of life changes and challenges.

And if we’re being honest with ourselves, the passion we are so proud of in our work requires perseverance to maintain. This webinar will help you do just that!

Linda Bruno has been developing and conducting training workshops for libraries for more than fifteen years. Her favorite thing to do is to help people become their best selves! That’s why she offers workshops on topics ranging from Leadership Skills to Emotional Intelligence – and lots of areas in between.

If you can’t attend the live webinar, register anyway and you’ll receive a link to the webinar recording a few days after the event.

Useful AI Tools with Laura Solomon
2024-02-21 14:00 - 15:00
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the world, and libraries can take advantage of AI tools to improve a wide variety of library services, from providing personalized recommendations to answering complex questions.

We’ll discuss a variety of AI tools, including those for marketing, research, transcription, writing and more.

This class is perfect for any librarian or library staff member who is interested in learning more about the usefulness of AI.

Laura Solomon is the Library Services Manager for the Ohio Public Library Information Network and a W3C-certified front-end web developer. She has been doing web development and design for more than twenty years, in both public libraries and as an independent consultant. She’s written three books about social media and content marketing, specifically for libraries, and speaks nationally on both these and technology-related topics. As a former children’s librarian, she enjoys bringing the “fun of technology” to audiences and in giving libraries the tools they need to better serve the virtual customer.

If you can’t attend the live webinar, register anyway and you’ll receive a link to the webinar recording a few days after the event.

Let's Get Personal with Linda Bruno
2024-03-20 14:00 - 15:00
Organizations everywhere are trying to set themselves apart and the library world is no different – or at least we shouldn’t be. Just a decade or so ago, we didn’t worry about “competition,” but now it’s rampant. Bookstores, online resources, Smartphones, even Starbucks! All are competing for “our customer.”

What can we do to make sure our patrons remain loyal to us and realize our value? How can we make our customers feel so special, they can’t wait to return? How do we make sure we don’t tend to lump them into a big group called “our customers”?

In this 60-minute webinar, we’ll look at how personalization may be one key that can help us remain first in our customers’ hearts in today’s competitive environment.

Linda Bruno has been developing and conducting training workshops for libraries for more than fifteen years. Her favorite thing to do is to help people become their best selves! That’s why she offers workshops on topics ranging from Leadership Skills to Emotional Intelligence – and lots of areas in between.

If you can’t attend the live webinar, register anyway and you’ll receive a link to the webinar recording a few days after the event.

Trends in Emerging Tech with Laura Solomon
2024-03-27 14:00 - 15:00
With so much new technology coming at us so fast, it can be difficult to keep up.

Join Laura Solomon for an exploration into emerging technology trends, and how these trends might (or might not) re-shape library services.

Laura Solomon is the Library Services Manager for the Ohio Public Library Information Network and a W3C-certified front-end web developer. She has been doing web development and design for more than twenty years, in both public libraries and as an independent consultant. She’s written three books about social media and content marketing, specifically for libraries, and speaks nationally on both these and technology-related topics. As a former children’s librarian, she enjoys bringing the “fun of technology” to audiences and in giving libraries the tools they need to better serve the virtual customer.

If you can’t attend the live webinar, register anyway and you’ll receive a link to the webinar recording a few days after the event.

Tension and Friction and Conflict - Oh My! with Linda Bruno
2024-05-01 14:00 - 15:00
Tension. Friction. Conflict. Disagreements. Discord. Call it what you will, it’s still the bane of every working person’s existence. Let’s just get rid of it! Oh, if only we could! That’s probably not a logical expectation but understanding it and dealing with it certainly is!

There are many reasons these feelings are in our workplaces. Occasionally (ahem!) we have different personalities in our orbit. With different personalities comes tension, which sometimes moves to friction, which sometimes becomes conflict and on and on!

We know that the problems within our workplace can affect service to our patrons and it is rarely – if ever – a positive effect.

So rather than try to pretend everything is hunky dory (gotta love that term!), let’s figure out ways to lessen the tension and friction caused by normal, everyday emotions that we all have from time to time.

Linda Bruno has been developing and conducting training workshops for libraries for more than fifteen years. Her favorite thing to do is to help people become their best selves! That’s why she offers workshops on topics ranging from Leadership Skills to Emotional Intelligence – and lots of areas in between.

If you can’t attend the live webinar, register anyway and you’ll receive a link to the webinar recording a few days after the event.

Rhodium Rules with Linda Bruno
2024-05-22 14:00 - 15:00
We’ve all heard of using “the golden rule” when dealing with others. Some of us have even heard of using “the platinum rule.” But did you know that some sources say that rhodium is the most valuable of precious metals? Isn’t that the standard by which we might want to gauge our treatment of our customers?

In this 60-minute webinar, we’ll brainstorm ways we can treat them in such a way that they’ll realize how much we value their presence in our libraries – even if it’s virtually. We’ll look at how we can make our customers feel as if they are our most precious resources – because indeed, they are the reason we have a job.

It never hurts to look at ways we can make sure they’re glad they came to us!

Linda Bruno has been developing and conducting training workshops for libraries for more than fifteen years. Her favorite thing to do is to help people become their best selves! That’s why she offers workshops on topics ranging from Leadership Skills to Emotional Intelligence – and lots of areas in between.

If you can’t attend the live webinar, register anyway and you’ll receive a link to the webinar recording a few days after the event.

The Right Service at the Right Time with Vanessa Neblett and Josh Fox
2024-05-29 14:00 - 14:30
The Right Service at the Right Time (www.rightservicefl.org) is Florida’s statewide web portal designed to connect the working poor, jobless, and homeless with social services and government assistance programs.

It is intended to assist customers who may seek privacy or who may be uncomfortable in asking for assistance in their search for help find local resources in all 67 Florida counties.

Started in 2010, RSRT provides contact information and descriptions for customers on the following topics: Daily Needs, Family Assistance, Financial, Healthcare, Housing, Immigration, Jobs, and Transportation.

Join us for this short, informational session to learn more about how you and your patrons can access this free resource.

If you can’t attend the live webinar, register anyway and you’ll receive a link to the webinar recording a few days after the event.

Joshua Fox, MLIS, is the lead librarian on the statewide Right Service at the Right Time project. He is currently responsible for training, overseeing data review, vetting new services, and collecting data on usage for the Right Service at the Right Time website. Fox has been a reference librarian at the Orange County Library System for the past 17 years and has worked extensively with individuals in need of social services and government assistance. Fox is the creator of a bimonthly cultural food history program and two gaming programs for adults at the library.

Vanessa Neblett, MLIS, is the Department Head, Adult Services for the Orange County Library System (OCLS) and the Project Manager for Right Service at the Right Time (RSRT) for the past 4 years. For over 20 years, she has worked in a variety of roles for OCLS including as a librarian, Digital Access Architect, and Assistant Manager in branches, Circulation, Acquisitions, and Reference. In addition to RSRT, Neblett oversees adult computer classes and programs, ESL classes, Talking Books, and adult online high schools at OCLS.

The Art of Saying No to Customers with Linda Bruno
2024-06-12 14:00 - 15:00
Perhaps you’ve heard the myth that since the customer is always right, you have to say yes to whatever they want.

News flash! Not only is the customer not always right, there are certainly times when you can and should say no.

But even though the customer is not always right, they are always “the customer.” Interactions with users require trust, respect, and focus on the needs of the individual. When we incorporate those aspects of service into our interactions, we develop loyalty. And in today’s “I can find it elsewhere”-world, loyalty is at a premium.

In this webinar, we’ll help you determine when it’s appropriate to use that important little word. More importantly, you’ll learn how to say no in a way that maintains the loyalty you’ve worked so hard to earn.

Linda Bruno has been developing and conducting training workshops for libraries for more than fifteen years. Her favorite thing to do is to help people become their best selves! That’s why she offers workshops on topics ranging from Leadership Skills to Emotional Intelligence – and lots of areas in between.

If you can’t attend the live webinar, register anyway and you’ll receive a link to the webinar recording a few days after the event.

Making Your Habits Stick with Linda Bruno
2024-08-07 14:00 - 15:00
I recently read an article from a group of psychologists that said it takes 18 to 254 days to create a habit. 18 to 254!! That’s quite a range. No wonder we never know whether or not we’ve “arrived”! And often we focus on the time to develop that habit rather than the process we are using to get there, which can result in…no results.

In this webinar, based on James Clear’s bestselling book titled Atomic Habits, we’re going to delve deeper into the “how” of developing a habit, rather than the “how long.” According to James, there are 4 laws we can follow that will result in new habits – and the inverse is true; if we do the opposite of those 4 laws, we can break bad ones.

Don’t let the word “law” worry you – he gives us simple guidelines to make sure we are moving in the right direction. Don’t miss this opportunity to reflect on a topic that can make a meaningful difference in your life!

Linda Bruno has been developing and conducting training workshops for libraries for more than fifteen years. Her favorite thing to do is to help people become their best selves! That’s why she offers workshops on topics ranging from Leadership Skills to Emotional Intelligence – and lots of areas in between.

If you can’t attend the live webinar, register anyway and you’ll receive a link to the webinar recording a few days after the event.

How Do We SERVE Our Customers? with Linda Bruno
2024-08-14 14:00 - 15:30
There are thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands (!) of books, articles, workshops, and TED talks on serving customers. Technology is touted as the “be all and end all” of customer service – and it’s certainly important in today’s library world.

And yet…there are some basic things we can do to make sure we SERVE our customers in the way they want to be served. Things that we may overlook in the rush to make sure we are offering the latest and greatest in technology and programming.

Picture this: what would happen if your technology disappeared for a day or two or five?

What would still draw your customers to your library?

In this webinar, we’ll look at five areas that can help us develop happy customers. Happy customers create a happy library environment. A happy library environment draws more customers. More customers lead to a happy library staff and…you get the picture. We need to make sure we are pleasing our customers – which makes us all happy!

Linda Bruno has been developing and conducting training workshops for libraries for more than fifteen years. Her favorite thing to do is to help people become their best selves! That’s why she offers workshops on topics ranging from Leadership Skills to Emotional Intelligence – and lots of areas in between.

If you can’t attend the live webinar, register anyway and you’ll receive a link to the webinar recording a few days after the event.

Finding Your Focus in a World of Distractions with Linda Bruno
2024-08-28 14:00 - 15:00
If I asked you to list as many of your distractions as possible in 60 seconds, how many could you list? But then, my request is a distraction, isn’t it?? And now – poof! You’ve lost your focus!

Part of the issue with finding – and keeping – our focus is that sometimes we aren’t even aware we lost it! From multi-tasking to meetings to media (social and otherwise!), to my own tendencies, every hour of the day seems to hold a multitude of opportunities to lose our focus.

I recently read that it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to regain full focus after a distraction at work. That seems a bit of a stretch – until you consider the key words “full focus.” We are so accustomed to partial focus, we may even deny that our focus is elsewhere.

In this webinar, we are going to heighten our awareness of distractions so that we can manage those distractions, set boundaries when necessary and appropriate, and calm the chaos that a loss of focus can create. Join us – and be ready to focus 😊!

Linda Bruno has been developing and conducting training workshops for libraries for more than fifteen years. Her favorite thing to do is to help people become their best selves! That’s why she offers workshops on topics ranging from Leadership Skills to Emotional Intelligence – and lots of areas in between.

If you can’t attend the live webinar, register anyway and you’ll receive a link to the webinar recording a few days after the event.

Strategies and Tips for Resolving Access Issues with Vendors with Susan Epstein and Rebecca Harrington
2024-10-15 14:00 - 15:00
Troubleshooting access to your library resources and communicating issues to vendors can seem overwhelming in today’s complex online environment.
In this one-hour session, we’ll discuss strategies for effectively documenting access issues and tips for resolving access based on real-world success stories with vendors.
Whether you report issues internally, contact vendors directly, or wear both hats in your library, this webinar will help you improve your speed and efficiency in resolving access issues with vendors.
Susan Epstein is Head of Library Access Systems at the FSU Charlotte Edwards Maguire Medical Library. In her 10+ years of troubleshooting and resolving access issues, she has “strongly encouraged” accurate and clear testing, communication, and documentation from both her library colleagues and vendors.
Rebecca Harrington is Head of Resource Acquisition and Discovery at the Thomas G. Carpenter Library, University of North Florida. She has spent over 20 years cleaning up library messes, from negotiating licenses, managing deaccession projects, implementing systems and tools, and spending quality time with technical support.

Register Now

Essentials of Library Science: A Crash Course for Library Staff with Regina Burgess
2024-11-01 00:00 - 23:59, 2024-12-01 00:00 - 23:59, 2025-01-01 00:00 - 23:59, 2025-02-01 00:00 - 23:59
This self-paced course explores libraries as dynamic community centers and covers key areas, including intellectual freedom and access to information; understanding different library types and staff roles; using classification systems such as the Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress; how technology reshapes library functions; and strategies for effective collection management and community programs. This course is perfect for enhancing your skills and understanding of modern librarianship.

You will need a Niche Academy account to access this course; if you don’t have a Niche Academy account, you can create one at my.nicheacademy.com/plan-staff. Due to licensing agreements, this course is available to PLAN-member library staff only. If your library is not a member of PLAN, please contact your multitype library cooperative for access to self-paced courses.

PLAN Annual Meeting
2024-11-01 09:00 - 14:00 | Gulf Coast State College, 5230 US Highway 98 - Student Union East 2nd Floor, Panama City, Florida, 32401, United States
Join us for the PLAN Annual Meeting!

We’ll start with breakfast and networking, move on to the business part of the meeting, and then hear short presentations from colleagues at PLAN libraries on topics such as seed libraries, innovation planning, student outreach and engagement, life skills programming, and how to host a book fest at your library. And then we’ll finish with lunch and networking.

There is no charge, and all library staff are welcome to attend!

Knowledge Hub: Artificial Intelligence
2024-11-06 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-12-04 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-01-08 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-02-05 10:00 - 11:00
Join us for our monthly AI discussions—whether you’re an AI novice or a daily user, everyone is welcome!

We meet on the first Wednesday of each month. Register once and attend any or all of the sessions.

These informal discussions start with a brief demo of an AI tool, followed by an open conversation where you can share your experiences, learn about AI in libraries, and catch up on the latest AI news.

No prior AI experience is required, and all Florida library staff are welcome to attend.

Schizophrenia: An Interview with Esme Weijun Wang
2024-11-14 13:00 - 14:00
Join Ryan Dowd for this interview and hear the candid and personal experiences of a New York Times bestselling author who struggles with schizophrenia.

Esmé Weijun Wang is the author of The Border of Paradise (2016) and The Collected Schizophrenias (2019).

Note: Due to licensing agreements, access to this webinar is available to PLAN-member library staff only.

Records Management Training
2024-11-26 09:00 - 12:00 | https://planfl.org/event/records-management-training/
This three-hour webinar is designed for anyone who works with or who is responsible for Florida public records.

Almost every library and library cooperative in Florida is subject to records management law: “…any state, county, district, authority, or municipal officer, department, division, board, bureau, commission, or other separate unit of government…and any other…entity acting on behalf of any public agency.“

Records management is the management of records throughout their life cycle, from their creation through active use, inactive storage, and final disposition. Florida’s records management program is authorized by section 257.36, Florida Statutes and applies to records of public agencies as defined in 119.011(12), F.S.

Topics covered:

Basic concepts of records management.

Records retention, records schedules and series.

Records disposition documentation and methods.

Rules and statutes concerning records storage and inventory.

Public access provisions.

Rules and standards concerning electronic records and email management.

Knowledge Hub: Microsoft 365
2024-12-05 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-02-06 10:00 - 11:00
Are you a library staff member who wants to stay ahead of the curve with the latest features and integrations of Microsoft 365? Then this is the group for you!

Stay Updated: Get the latest news on Microsoft 365 updates and features.

Collaborate: Share your experiences and learn from fellow library professionals.

Innovate: Discover new ways to integrate Microsoft 365 into your library’s workflow.

Support: Find solutions to common challenges.

When? The first Thursday* of each month at 10 AM CT (11 AM ET). Register once and attend any or all of the sessions. (We’ll meet the second Thursday for January and July.)

Mental Illness Short Course: High Risk and Low Risk Situations
2024-12-12 13:00 - 13:30
This training will cover:

What the research says about mental illness and violence

Three warning flags that a situation is high risk

Two tools you can use in low-risk situations

Please note that the recording of this live training WILL NOT be added to Niche Academy. Instead, two 5-minute trainings will be added (Mental Illness Part 1: High Risk Situations and Mental Illness Part 2: Low Risk Situations).

If you want to watch the replay of the combined training, please register using the Zoom link above so you will be able to access the recording.

Note: Due to licensing agreements, access to this webinar is available to PLAN-member library staff only.

PLAN Jam 2025
2025-02-03 09:00 - 15:00 | Wakulla County Public Library, 4330 Crawfordville Hwy, Crawfordville, Florida, 32327
9 AM to 3 PM CT (10 AM to 4 PM ET) – Location is in the Eastern time zone

A workshop to empower your community through effective disaster planning — with, by, and for Panhandle libraries!

Join us for an insightful workshop designed to empower public library professionals in enhancing their disaster preparedness and community engagement strategies in gray skies and blue. This interactive session, featuring emergency operations officials, library leaders, and researchers, will focus on revising public library disaster plans, creating actionable frameworks for libraries to serve as community resiliency hubs, mastering the essentials of local government collaboration, and leveraging GIS technology to effectively map vulnerable communities.

Participants will learn to critically assess and update their existing disaster plans, ensuring that they are not only comprehensive but also adaptable to the unique needs of their communities. This workshop will also explore the concept of libraries as resiliency hubs. Attendees will explore innovative strategies to transform their libraries into spaces that provide support and resources during crises, fostering a sense of safety and preparedness within the community. Collaboration with local government entities is essential for effective emergency response. This session will cover best practices for building and maintaining partnerships with local agencies, ensuring that libraries can play a pivotal role in community recovery efforts.

Finally, participants will gain hands-on experience using GIS tools to identify and analyze underserved citizens in their service areas. By mapping these communities, libraries can better tailor their services and outreach efforts to address specific needs during emergencies. This workshop promises to equip librarians with the knowledge and skills needed to elevate their roles as community leaders in disaster response and resilience. Join us in fostering stronger, more resilient communities through the power of public libraries! Bring your library disaster plan and questions!

Continental breakfast and lunch provided for all registrants at no charge.

Registration deadline: January 27, 2025
