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Continuing Education

The mission of the Library of Virginia’s Continuing Education Program is to enhance library staff’s capabilities in all phases of library service through a comprehensive training program.

The Library of Virginia sponsors a variety of training opportunities each year to help those responsible for library service to develop their skills and learn new approaches. Workshops and conferences cover such topics as library services to special populations, cataloging databases reference services, children and youth services, library trustees and friends of the Library. An annual public library director’s training is offered in the fall.

Marketing FIVA Training Series  |  Front Line Customer Service  |  Upcoming Training  |  Professional Certificate  |  MLS Programs

Marketing Find It Virginia Training Series

Starting in February 2023, join your colleagues on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 1 pm to get tips and suggestions for how to market the Find It Virginia resources that are available from the Library of Virginia. Each session will look at the following topics:

    • How the resource meets user needs and what user problems can it help solve (the value proposition you can use to promote the resource to users)
    • Reviewing the marketing tools available to library staff (print, electronic, social media)
    • Other marketing tips or ideas
    • Library success stories

Links to the recordings of the sessions will be available in the LVA Niche Academy Staff Academy following the sessions.

Find program dates, descriptions, and registration information.

Access recent training in Niche Academy

Front Line Customer Service Online Course (February 2022 – September 2023)

This course is available through 9/30/23

The Library of Virginia Library and Networking Division is excited to announce a new online course, Front Line Customer Service!

Access the course here: https://my.nicheacademy.com/libraryofvirginia-staff/course/38645

or on the front page of LVA’s Niche Academy: https://my.nicheacademy.com/libraryofvirginia-staff

Front-line customer service employees work to create a welcoming environment in the library. They are service professionals who work directly with customers to create positive experiences and to build long-lasting relationships. They are an essential part of the library experience, usually being the first point of contact with the customer through greeting them, handling their issues, and answering their questions.

Front-line employees also experience the stressors of serving people with difficult behaviors that can affect their confidence, self-esteem, and their ability to create a welcoming experience for all. We often forget to support our people on the front lines, even though they are the heart and soul of the organization.

A library without a confident, knowledgeable, and well-supported staff is only a well-intentioned building.

In this six-module interactive and skill sharpening Front Line Customer Service online course, library employees will learn, explore, engage and grow personally and professionally through videos, exercises, knowledge checks, and more in current and relevant topics including:

    • Growing Your Confidence in Serving Customers
    • Creating a Positive Customer Experience for Everyone
    • Handling Difficult Customer Behaviors with Less Stress and More Satisfaction
    • Creating Workplace Safety and Environmental Awareness
    • Recognizing Positive Customer Behaviors and Stopping Customer Bashing!

Throughout this course, you will have the opportunity to discover and apply proven techniques to create relationship-building experiences, even for your most difficult customer. Each module is designed to grow your confidence and skills in only one to two hours per week and includes time for you to reflect on your learning.

Access the course here:  https://my.nicheacademy.com/libraryofvirginia-staff/course/38645

NOTE: This is a self-paced course. You can learn on your own time and schedule.

Upcoming Training

To register for any of the upcoming training opportunities please view our schedule of events

Librarian’s Professional Certificate

Public libraries serving a political subdivision or subdivisions having a population greater than 15,000 and libraries operated by the Commonwealth or under its authority, shall not employ, in the position of librarian or in any other full-time professional librarian position, a person who does not meet the qualifications established by the State Library Board.

To obtain a Librarian Professional Certificate for the Commonwealth of Virginia visit: http://www.lva.virginia.gov/lib-edu/certification.asp

Master in Library Science Programs

At this time the only program to offer local classes in library science is the Catholic University of America.  However, there is a range of online programs available for those interested in pursuing a master’s in library and information science.

Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, Virginia: Master of Library and Information Studies Program at Old Dominion University is accredited by the American Library Association Committee on Accreditation, with the status of Initial accreditation. The next comprehensive review visit is scheduled for Fall 2028. Learn more here.

Virginia participates in the Academic Common Market (ACM) program, which is an arrangement among Southern states allowing students to pay reduced tuition rates at a non-Virginia college or university while studying in select programs not available at Virginia public institutions.  An application for participation and further information about the program is available on their Web site.

The following colleges and universities offer distance education programs for a library science degree.

 

 

This site is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. It is managed by the The Library of Virginia Library Development and Networking Division.