ACRL offers a number of online learning opportunities to meet the demands of your schedule and budget. If you have a question about an e-Learning opportunity, contact Jon Stahler, jstahler@ala.org.
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Note to CACUL members: ACRL is now offering its nonmember rates to CACUL members in Canadian dollars (the rates are stated in Canadian dollars but charges will be made in US dollar equivalents). The discount does not apply to opportunities where ACRL is partnering with another organization to offer e-learning.
UPDATE: During the ALA Web Redesign project, registration links may be different than normal. If you are having trouble locating a particular course for online registration, please visit the ALA Upcoming Distance Learning Events page to register for the course.
Registration for all ACRL e-Learning opens approximately one month prior to seminar/Webcast start dates.
The Engaged Library: Strategies for Building Vibrant Learning Communities
(September 12, 2008; 11 a.m. Pacific | 12:00 p.m. Mountain | 1:00 p.m. Central | 2:00 p.m. Eastern; 1.5 hours)
The library’s core roles of developing content, creating access services, and supporting inquiry have been fundamentally stretched with the evolution of the digital library and parallel development of digital learning and scholarship. What does the transformation of content and methods of scholarship mean for the library and for campus communities? Do the core physical assets of collections and facilities have the same draw and focus? In this webcast, you will gain an understanding of how these changes are impacting the development of libraries (both physical and virtual) in the 21st century.
Designing Web Sites for Academic Libraries, Part 2 (September 1 - 27, 2008)
This four-week course builds on the work completed in "Designing Web Sites for Academic Libraries, Part 1." Participants will learn about advanced CSS design, accessible menus, and re-Javascript and will review multimedia (FLASH, Quicktime etc.), Web-accessible database applications (PHP, MYSQL, ASP etc.), and content management software options. Prerequisite: Completeion of "Designing Web Sites for Academic Libraries, Part 1" or consent of the instrutor.Copyright and the Library, Part II: Library, Classroom and other Issues including the DMCA (September 15 - October 3, 2008)
In this course, students will continue to learn to think in terms of U.S. copyright law. In this course, students will focus on issues pertaining to Libraries with a special focus on how copyright pertains to the classroom setting. Sections 108, 109, 110, 512 and 1201 will be examined for a thorough understandin on their impact in academic libraries.Virtual Reference Competencies I (September 29 - October 18, 2008)
In this seminar, participants will engage in learning activities, supported by readings as well as lecture and discussion, to acquire and improve the technical competencies required by effective virtual reference librarians.
Introduction to Website Usability (October 6 - 24, 2008)
For very little investment in staff hours and training you can reap tremendous benefits by connecting with the users of your library website and Web based applications through usability testing. This three-week course is designed for the librarian or library IT staff person who is interested in setting up a usability program but doesn’t know where to begin. Registration is now open!Virtual Reference Competencies II: Practice and Expand Communication Skills and Knowledge (October 27 - November 15, 2008)
Virtual reference service requires all of the same professional communications skills and knowledge as face-to-face reference service. The challenge is to apply, practice, imagine, and understand how to communicate professionally within the technology context and using good reference skills and knowledge. During this course, engage in learning activities supported by readings as well as lecture and discussion, to practice and expand the communications competencies required by effective virtual reference librarians. Registration is now open!Electronic Collection Development for the Academic E-Library (November 3 - 22, 2008)
In this hands-on, three-week course, participants will learn to create an academic e-library collection development plan for free and fee-based Web-accessible resources for a patron community of their choice. Participants will end the session with a completed collection development plan for the e-library collection they wish to develop.Virtual Reference Competencies III: Maintain and Build Reference Skills and Knowledge (November 24 - December 13, 2008)
Without good communications skills a librarian will have a difficult time being a good reference librarian. However, without solid competence in reference skills and knowledge, a librarian is not a librarian. This reference expertise is why information seekers—all potential and current library users—will choose to use virtual reference services instead of just Googling on their own. Reference competencies involve searching, critical thinking, and information organization skills, as well as knowledge of specific reference sources and information-finding tools.Teaching Portfolios for Librarians (check back for dates)
Participants in the three-week course will learn the concept and structure of teaching portfolios, articulate their teaching philosophy, identify supporting materials to include in their portfolio, and more. The course will provide the opportunity to learn from one another through online peer interaction and review.Assessing Student Learning Outcomes (check back for dates)
In this three-week online seminar, librarians will gain the skills they need to create assessment tools to measure student information literacy. After completing the course, academic librarians will be prepared to work with faculty to design, implement, and evaluate tools for assessing student learning outcomes.Creating a Comprehensive Plan for Information Literacy (check back for dates)
This online seminar will guide you through the process of developing a comprehensive plan for information literacy using worksheets developed by the presenter, participating in weekly on-line chats, and comparing examples of completed plans from a variety of institutions. Registration opens in spring 2008. Registration will open by close of business on Monday, March 10.All Users Are Local: Bringing the Library Next Door to the Campus Worldwide (check back for dates)
In this three-week seminar, participants will learn how to design a plan for library support of distance education at their institutions. By the end of the seminar, participants will be able to complete an institutional self-assessment on current involvement and future plans for distant education.Creating a Comprehensive Plan for Information Literacy (check back for dates)
This online seminar will guide you through the process of developing a comprehensive plan for information literacy using worksheets developed by the presenter, participating in weekly on-line chats, and comparing examples of completed plans from a variety of institutions. Registration now open!Designing Web Sites for Academic Libraries, Part 1 (check back for dates)
Participants in this four-week seminar will learn how to plan, design, and develop content for Web sites in an academic setting.XHTML and CSS (external) will be introduced. Participants will end the session with a completed Web site plan and design, and a main Web page with at least two subpages that illustrate how the design will be implemented. Registration now open!Copyright and the Library, Part 1: The Basics Including Fair Use (check back for dates)
In this course, students will learn to think in terms of U.S. copyright law. Students will focus on building understanding of current copyright law, creating a “copyright palette” for their libraries, and assessing a library’s legal risk with regard to current U.S. copyright law. Additionally, students will build an understanding of the Fair Use clause, as well as how to legally apply fair use in the library, classroom, and broader campus environments. Registration now open!
Webcasts take place in an interactive, online classroom environment with one user/one login. If you select the group rate, one person must register, login, and keyboard during the event. A group registration allows an institution to project the Webcast to participants in the same location.
Keys to Innovation (September 9, 2008; 11 a.m. Pacific | 12:00 p.m. Mountain | 1:00 p.m. Central | 2:00 p.m. Eastern; 1.5 hours)
Discover new ways to look at innovation by participating in this webcast. Learn the differences between innovation and creativity. Be part of a discussion on the impact of an organization’s age on its innovation tendencies and learn the key environmental factors in creating an innovative culture. The webcast will also cover the politics of innovation in complex organizations.The Role of the Librarian in Combating Student Plagiarism (September 23, 2008; 11 a.m. Pacific | 12:00 p.m. Mountain | 1:00 p.m. Central | 2:00 p.m. Eastern; 1.5 hours)
Like other educators, librarians are aware of the growing instances of student plagiarism and academic dishonesty that take place on college campuses. Librarians frequently anecdotally discuss discipline faculty’s revulsion toward the growth of student plagiarism that has seemingly grown in tandem with our society’s dependence on digital texts found on the Internet. We acknowledge that this problem is often an effective hook to convince reluctant faculty to bring students into the library for instruction. However once we get these professors and students into our library classrooms, we typically have a hard time presenting curricular content that focuses on anti-plagiarism student learning outcomes and/or developing additional outreach techniques that can be included in information literacy outreach and instruction to both faculty and students.
Practical Strategies for Building a Library 2.0 Game Plan (check back for dates)
Terry Huwe, director of library and information resources at the University of California-Berkeley's Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, will outline the practical steps that led his library to develop a robust set of Library 2.0 strategies, focusing on both technological and interpersonal skills.
Leading the Academic Library (check back for dates)
John Budd, author of The Changing Academic Library, will introduce some basic ideas of leadership, emphasize the nature of the academic library as an organization, and investigate both the language and ethics of leadership in this one-and-a half-hour session.
Technology Trends in Academic Libraries (check back for dates)
Roy Tennant, user services architect for the California Digital Library, will highlight key technological trends, demonstrate working examples of these technologies, and discuss how libraries are beginning to use them to provide useful collections and compelling user services.Joint Webcast on Author Rights (check back for dates)
ACRL and ARL, through the Institute on Scholarly Communication, along with SPARC are sponsoring a special joint webcast on author rights. Julia Blixrud, Assistant Director for Public Programs of SPARC, and Trisha Davis, Rights Management Coordinator of The Ohio State University Libraries, will help discuss ways to amend publisher copyright transfer agreements to keep key rights to journal articles.Getting Started with Screencasting (check back for dates)
Webcast leader Courtney Greene will explore screencasting—delivering screen captures via RSS—and its potential applications in the academic library in this two-hour session. Registration will open in February 2008.Being and Finding a Mentor (check back for dates)
Mentoring is fundamental to career development and professional growth. Kathryn Deiss will discuss what effective mentors and effective protégées do to create this important power relationship. Examine the difference between mentoring and coaching – a distinction not often made in the workplace. Find out what can help you maximize your mentoring relationship if you have one, and what you need to do to develop one if you do not have one. Registration will open in March 2008.Program Review for Academic Libraries (check back for dates)
Institutional program review guidelines often list the library as a resource for departments undergoing review. However, more academic libraries are being included in their institution’s review cycle and asked to undergo program review themselves. This session will introduce academic program review; discuss what is involved in putting together a program review for an academic library; and present questions to consider in working through the program review process.Coming of Age: Oberving Student Researchers in their Native Habitat (check back for dates)
In 2007, the University of Rochester Libraries completed a two-year study of undergraduates, with a focus on how students conduct research within the context of campus life. Anthropological methodologies, such as cultural probes, interviews, and mapping diaries, were used to construct a holistic picture of the lives of undergraduates. The results of the study have informed decision making at the Libraries and has helped staff align efforts with the needs and expectations of the Net Generation. Discover how the findings from the study enhance work with students.Leading Change (check back for dates)
How can we better understand the effects of change on our organizations and on the people in them? During this webcast, Kathryn Deiss will provide several models which can serve as lenses through which to view change. Tools such as the models and techniques for helping people through change will be provided.Information Commons 101 (check back for dates)
Is your institution in the planning phase for a library renovation or addition that includes a space that will serve as an information or learning commons? If so, this webcast will provide an overview of some of the key planning components you should take into consideration as you develop a program for the facility.
Registration now open!Blended Librarianship(Design Thinking) (check back for dates)
This workshop examines how librarians can futher integrate themselves into the instructional process at their college or university by utilizing current and emerging instructional technologies to connect with faculty and students, designing instruction to enhance learning, and developing partnerships with staff from teaching and learning as well as teaching and technology centers.Next Generation Information Commons (check back for dates)
Some information commons are now more than ten years old and are in need of refreshing in terms of conception, configuration, technologies, and services. Others are so popular that additions are planned, either adjacent to the existing commons, on other floors, or in other buildings on campus. Through the use of principles and practical examples, participants will learn about trends in information and learning commons. A wide variety of photos will be used to illustrate the presentation.
ACRL and TLT Group have partnered to offer a multipart seminar series on information literacy. Seminars consist of multiple live Webcasts coupled with online readings.
Live Webcasts: Thursdays, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Eastern