Specialist skills and knowledge training for public library staff

CILIP are presenting a series of online training sessions for GLL library staff in 2023.

There are thirteen sessions in 2023 and they take place once a month throughout the year from February to December (excluding August), with two sessions in June, September and November.

They will be normally be held as live online events using Zoom on Tuesday mornings from 10am-1pm

There is one in person session on Monday 20 November 11am-2pm.

Making Public Libraries More Inclusive for Neurodiverse Staff and Customers

8 Feb 2023

Libraries are open, welcoming, inclusive spaces for local communities. This session looks at steps libraries can take to ensure inclusion and provision to customers and staff who are neurodiverse. 
Trainers: Joanne Foster-Murdoch and Alison Rainton

“I found the training very useful, especially learning about good practice for making libraries inclusive.”  
Completed, closed

Managing Difficult Situations in Public Libraries
21 March 2023

This session look at how to detect, diffuse and deliver customer service when faced with challenging situations in the library. 
Trainer: Mel Ibbotson

"The group work was very useful and informative Also, lots of useful, clear information and tips were given by the trainer.” 
Completed, closed

Working with New Arrivals in Public Libraries
18 April 2023
What barriers do new arrivals face in accessing and using library services? What are libraries already doing to offer a welcome? This session  will examine the issue of people seeking sanctuary to the UK, look at what it means to become a Library of Sanctuary and discuss what libraries are doing and what more they can develop to support new arrivals.
Trainer: John Vincent
“The enthusiasm from the trainer and other delegates was very inspiring, thank you, I have found this course very useful.” 
Completed, closed

 

Visual merchandising for public libraries
23 May 2023

How do we manage our library spaces and display our stock to ensure customers have a great experience and easily discover what our libraries have to offer? This session considers the best ways to display and market our stock.
Trainer: Nicola Rogers

"Very helpful and practical course; the examples provided were excellent and thought-provoking, and Nicola was great - very enthusiastic!" 

"Great presentation, friendly environment, good mix of information and shared experiences with others."
Completed, closed

Enquiry skills and an introduction to Dewey
6 June 2023
Public library staff help customers to find what they are looking for. This session looks at enquiry skills. It also provides an introduction to Dewey: how resources are classified in public libraries and what those series of numbers mean. 
Trainer: Mystery Beck
“Very informative, useful and practical course, delivered enthusiastically.” 

Completed, closed

Engagement and promotion for public libraries
27 June 2023
This session provides an overview on what effective engagement looks like and considers tools and techniques for effective promotional activities. 
“The trainer was very skilled, experienced, passionate and empathetic.”

"I feel more positive about looking at new ways to promote the Library and to expand our customer knowledge of services we provide and also services they may need/like that they are unaware of.”
Trainer: Terry Kendrick
Completed, closed

 

Planning and running events in public libraries
18 July  2023
This session is a practical guide on how to plan and deliver a successful event at your library.
Trainer: Jane Purdie

"I found this event really useful and informative and it has given me lots of ideas to think about. It was also really helpful to talk to people from other sites about events they run."
Completed, closed

Social media for public libraries
12 September 2023
This workshop covers key social media platforms, why they're so important to public libraries, how they work and which types of content are most effective on each. We’ll aim to increase delegates’ understanding of the uses of social media and confidence in sharing content for posting.
Trainer: Ned Potter

This was a wonderful training session - so refreshing and informative. Thank you for re-instilling the confidence in us to be more 'human' and creative and reminding us that Social Media can be and is fun!"

Completed, closed

Public libraries: past, present and future

26 September 2023
This session gives an introduction to public libraries, highlighting important issues from their past, looking at services now and considering key issues for their future. 
Trainer: Diana Edmonds

“It was very informative and conducted at a great pace for effective and enjoyable learning.”   

Completed, closed

Customer Care in Public Libraries
17 October 2023
This session provides an introduction to customer care within a GLL public library environment. It will look at how to deliver the key components of excellent customer care including the appearance and presentation of the library and engaging with customers. 
Trainers: Nicola Grigg and Karen Waring
Completed, closed

 

Supporting Customers to Discover their Past using online ancestry tools
7 November 2023

This interactive session delves into the family history websites Ancestry & Find My Past. It looks at navigation, functionality and how to use these resources to best support library customers
Trainer: Katie Goddard
Completed, closed

Understanding eBooks & eMagazines
Monday 20 November 2023
This interactive session will take delegates through Libby and Pressreader, the eBooks and eMagazine platforms used across GLL partnership libraries in order to increase their skills and confidence in supporting customers.
Trainer: Daniel Andrews
In person session at the new Wandsworth Town Library, London
Completed, closed

Greener Libraries: how public libraries are adapting to a sustainable future

12 December  2023
This session is about sustainability in relation to public libraries. Delegates will be able to increase their awareness of this important area, learn about developments that took place in 2022, projects that are currently underway and find out about steps they can take in their own libraries.
Trainer: Imogen Loucas

“I really enjoyed it! Environmental concerns and reducing my carbon footprint are really important to me...so being empowered to make some change, however small, in the workplace is great. By the end of the day, I'd already got permission for, and ordered, a battery recycling box for our library”

Completed, closed

Find out more 

To read more about any of the sessions, click on the name of the session to link through to the session page. There you will find:

• a description of the course
• the learning objectives of that course
• details of the trainer (once confirmed)
• a timetable for the session
  

How to register

Once registration is available for the session(s) you want to attend, click on the 'Book Now' button. Complete the online registration form. You need to fill in a registration form for each session. You don't need to be a CILIP member or sign in to the website to book and there is no fee. Once you've completed the form, submit it and you will receive an email that you've registered.

How to join the session

About a week before the session, you'll get an email with details about how to join the session, including the Zoom meeting link. On the day, open Zoom and use the Zoom meeting details to join the training session.

Certificate of completion

After you've attended a session, we'll send you a personalised certificate of completion and a link to complete a feedback form.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about booking, please contact Jill Howard, Training Manager at CILIP: jill.howard@cilip.org.uk

Quotes are all from delegates who attended sessions in 2022.

We look forward to seeing you at one of our training sessions very soon!