When: March 17 – May 11, 2025 (8 weeks)
Where: Online & Asynchronous (see more info)
Cost: $360 (Register 2 weeks early for 10% off)
CE Credit: 2.6 CEUs/ 26 LEUs
Program#: 315625
Payment and Cancellation Policy
Questions? Email the CE Team
Libraries are well positioned to provide business reference, services, and partnerships. However, it can be hard to know where to to get started, especially if you don’t have a background in business information. In this eight-week course, you will learn the fundamental steps for honing your skills as a business librarian and community partner. Learn the basics of effective business reference, brainstorm business-library partnerships, and develop effective library programming for job seekers, professionals, and small businesses alike. Through weekly recorded lectures, readings, and assignments, you will learn to expand your library’s business offerings and strengthen its relationship to local businesses.
Learning outcomes: In this course, students will:
- Understand the value of business services at the library
- Implement quality business reference practices
- Evaluate key business reference sources
- Determine opportunities for working with the small business community
- Recognize avenues for developing partnerships with job seekers and professionals
- Develop a list of business programs to deliver at the library or in the community
- Plan a coworking space at the library
- Position the library as an effective business resource throughout the community
Course Audience: This course is ideal for public library staff, , but can also be beneficial for workers in academic libraries.
Required Materials: There are no required materials. All lectures, readings, and materials will be provided in the course content.
Instructor
Barbara Alvarez has over 13 years of experience with libraries and information organizations. As a former business liaison librarian, Barbara designed and delivered partnerships, programs, and continuing education tools to job seekers, professionals, and business owners. For her work, she received the Morningstar Public Librarian Support Award and the PrivCo Award for Outstanding Business Librarianship. She was also nominated for the Athena Award for innovation and creativity in the library’s community.
Barbara is the author of the book Embedded Business Librarianship for the Public Librarian with ALA Editions. She has taught at the university-level for five years, including business reference and service classes. Barbara has a PhD in Information Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.