RA for All Roadshow Visits Pierce County [WA] Library System and Blog Adjustments

I have a lot of presentations this month and while I used to have a separate post for each one here on the blog, I am not going to do that anymore. If you want to see my schedule and/or slides from a specific presentation, you can always turn to my Recent and Upcoming Presentations page where I list every thing I have done for the previous 6 months and what I currently have scheduled with one click.

However, last week, and continuing today, I started a new contract with Pierce County Library System in Washington that I thought was worth sharing with all of you as we navigate a challenging continuing education landscape in the midst of a lingering pandemic.

We have set up 4 months of virtual trainings with learning extensions between sessions. Here is our schedule with links to the January slides:

• January: RA for All: Flip the Script and Think Like a Reader 
• Thursday 1/6 and Tuesday 1/11 
• Slide Access here
• February: Booktalking Your Way to the Friendliest Library in Town
• Thursday 2/3  and Wednesday 2/9 
• March: Demystifying Genre
• Thursday 3/3 and Tuesday 3/8  
• April: Actively Anti-Racist Service to Leisure Reader
• Thursday 4/7  and Tuesday 4/12

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I have given the first talk, but before that I had multiple planning meetings with the team in charge of the program. I have to say, so far it seems like it is going well. The leaders are very invested in making this a worthwhile experience and the staff are very engaged in the learning.

After posting this schedule a few months ago, another library contacted me about creating something similar for their system. That multi month training program begins this week as well. They are a different library on the other side of the country, as a result, the training program we have created is different. In fact, I think it important to point out, even though I give praams with the same title often, every single one of my programs is updated each time I give it AND personalized for the specific needs of the client.

On top of these monthly trainings, the next 6 weeks bring new clients all pursuing basic RA training to begin their year plus the regular monthly anti-racist programs that Robin Bradford and I provide. 

2022 is starting off as a big year for virtual RA training, even more busy than 2021. 

Why I am telling you all of this? A few reasons.

1. I like to keep my readers abreast of all the different ways I provide training
2. I used to use up a regular posting spot for most training programs, but with just about everything being virtual now, I am able to physically be more places, so I have more live appearances. I don't have the slots to do that AND it is not worth your time to see the same slides over and over again.
3. Even though more libraries are hiring me, I know that the most of you get the majority of your learning from me via my blog posts. I want to make sure my content is worth your time. No matter how busy I get presenting, I still want this website to be a top notch training resource, not just a repository for slides.

So please remember to stay up to date on my latest presentations via the Recent and Upcoming Presentations page, I promise to post slides when something has been overhauled or is new. For example, in February, the Booktalking program for PCLS will receive its largest revision in a few years, so I will post those slides with a discussion of the changes I made.

As always, I am open to your ideas for this blog. Please contact me with what you would like me to cover or to share some awesome things you are doing at your library. I am always up for showcasing library workers here with a guest post.