by Ann Kaste
Quick Summary
Minitex and Minnesota Libraries participate in the Professional Development Alliance, the nation-wide group of library consortia who coordinate learning opportunities for library staff. One of our partners, the Boston Library Consortium, is opening several programs to interested library staff this spring. All are welcome to join!
Social Media & Email Marketing Foundations for Libraries
March 29 | 1-3 pm ET
Do you want your staff to better understand the most effective way to use social media and email to promote your library? Does the idea of creating social media posts and e-blasts that effectively capture the attention of your audience seem daunting? In this session, Angela Hursh will unlock the secrets to effective social media and email marketing for libraries. See how libraries just like yours are using social media and email to drive the use of their resources. Please note the recording of this program will only be available to registrants. If you are unable to attend the live program but are interested in viewing the recording, we encourage you to register. Register here.
Metadata for Digital Preservation
April 5 | 12:30-2:30 pm ET
Metadata, and especially preservation metadata encompassing the technical and administrative aspects of description, is essential for providing continued access to your digital objects. It provides assurance that digital objects are authentic, renderable, and useable. This webinar serves as a starting point for understanding the kinds of information you will want to gather to support digital preservation, using current guidelines, standards, and models in the field to identify core information required to steward digital objects over time. Register here.
Digital Storage 101
April 12 | 12:30-1:30 pm ET
Providing the right kind of storage with the right number of copies for your digital files can make the difference between losing and saving your organization's digital cultural heritage. If you are completely new to digital preservation storage, or simply need a refresher or tips for how to work with your IT department, this webinar will help you improve storage at your institution. The instructor will cover requirements for storage environments as well as several affordable and scalable options to meet small and mid-size organizations' needs for storage. Register here.
Strategies for Born-Digital Collections
April 20 | 12:30-2:30 pm ET
This webinar is for anyone interested in developing or refining their organization’s collecting and preservation practices for content originating in a digital form. Emails, websites, and files stored on computers and removable media all require unique approaches for their acquisition and care. The instructor will guide participants through software, hardware, and practices designed to meet the challenges of various types of born-digital content. Participants will gain an understanding of the technical requirements to care for born-digital collections and how to prioritize born-digital content for preservation. The instructor will share examples of workflows for born-digital content to help participants develop practical solutions for the collections in their own institutions. Register here.
Accessibility & EDI in Marketing
May 4 | 1-3 pm ET
In this course, Angela Hursh from NoveList will share practical principles for incorporating accessibility and equity, diversity, and inclusion fundamentals in promotional material. Learn how to strategically and intentionally create promotions that will engage all community members. You’ll leave this two-hour interactive session with a deeper understanding of the importance of this work, as well as tools to ensure your promotional materials meet accepted accessibility and EDI standards. Register here.
Creating Preservation Quality Oral Histories
May 10 | 12:30-1:30 pm ET
Making sure the stories of your oral history subjects will be available long into the future starts before you even press “record.” This session teaches participants about the technical considerations that go into making an oral history recording preservation-quality. This includes selecting the right equipment, capturing audio that is clear and with as few ambient noises as possible, and making sure your recordings are in file formats that support digital preservation. The instructor will cover practical and achievable recommendations that meet different resource levels and budget needs so that both small and large organizations can improve the preservation quality of their oral history recordings. Register here.
Digitizing Photographs
May 15 | 12:30-1:30 pm ET
This webinar provides an overview of photograph digitization. Digitizing photographic collections can foster research, engage users, and help preserve the original objects, but a one-size-fits-all approach to reformatting will not provide the best results given the variety of photographic formats and processes that exist. This one-hour webinar will address prioritizing materials for reformatting based upon preservation needs, the benefits and drawbacks of various digitization methods, equipment options and workflows, and present considerations related to file formats and resolution to assist you in choosing an approach that is right for your project. Register here.
No More Neutral: How to Use Marketing to Position Your Library in Challenging Times
May 17 | 12-1 pm ET
On top of everything else they need to do, libraries increasingly find themselves at the center of controversy. The American Library Association reports a substantial increase in the number of book bans and challenges in 2021 (double the number of reports from 2020). Oftentimes, the library’s efforts to create collection and service policies that fulfill its mission statement of inclusion are the focus of these challenges. These attacks cost money, lower morale, and productivity amongst the staff of libraries. They also threaten the very existence of libraries as safe spaces. But libraries do have some power, and it comes in the form of promotion. In this session, you’ll learn marketing tactics you can use now to clarify your library’s policies, solidify your library’s positions, and clearly communicate your mission, vision, and values. And you’ll hear tactics to use to rally community and stakeholder support to your defense if your library should face such a challenge. Register here.
