Polished & Prepared

This 4-part course certification series includes:

Polished & Prepared Part 1: Communicating Like a Pro
Date: March 12, 2:00–4:00 PM ET

Communicate clearly, confidently, and professionally in every library interaction.

Strong communication is at the heart of excellent library service and professional success. This 2-hour, online crash course will help you strengthen your professional communication skills across a variety of workplace situations, including interactions with patrons, colleagues, and supervisors. You will learn strategies for active listening, clear written and verbal communication, receiving feedback, and choosing the right tone and medium for your message.

You will leave this 2-hour crash course with practical tools to communicate more effectively, reduce misunderstandings, and build stronger working relationships throughout your library.

Polished & Prepared Part 2: Behaving Like a Pro
Date: April 8, 2:00–4:00 PM ET

Navigate workplace expectations with confidence, professionalism, and care.

Professional conduct often feels like an unspoken rulebook, especially in public-facing library environments. This crash course demystifies workplace expectations by examining professional behavior through a library-specific lens. You will explore real-world scenarios related to boundaries, accountability, collaboration, and workplace etiquette, with attention to equity and organizational culture.

You will leave this 2-hour crash course with greater clarity around professional norms and the confidence to navigate workplace challenges while maintaining respect for yourself, your colleagues, and your community.

Polished & Prepared Part 3: Thinking Like a Pro
Date: May 19, 2:00–4:00 PM ET

Strengthen your professional judgment and decision-making skills on the job.

Libraries require staff to make thoughtful decisions every day, often with limited information and competing priorities. This crash course focuses on developing professional thinking skills such as problem-solving, prioritization, adaptability, and critical reflection. You will explore how to approach challenges proactively and align daily decisions with your library’s mission and values.

You will leave this 2-hour crash course with strategies to think more strategically, respond confidently to change, and approach your work with greater intention and impact.

Polished & Prepared Companion Course: Workplace Success and ADHD
Date: June 11, 2:00–4:00 PM ET

Learn sustainable practices to help employees with ADHD achieve their goals and maximize their potential.

Employees with ADHD have many unique strengths to leverage in the library. This 2-hour, online crash course is a companion to the Core Professional Skills series and centers neurodivergent experiences in the workplace, with a focus on ADHD and library work. Participants will learn the unique skills that neurodivergent employees bring and how to harness the power of divergent thinking. We will explore practical strategies for organization, time management, communication, and self-advocacy that can support success in fast-paced library environments while honoring your boundaries and capacity. The course also offers insights for neutrotypical supervisors and colleagues seeking to understand and support their neurodivergent colleagues.

You will leave this 2-hour crash course with concrete tools to reduce overwhelm, increase productivity, and create systems that support long-term workplace success.

Kate Hall, Executive Director, Northbrook Public Library

Kate Hall is the Executive Director of the Northbrook Public Library, a Library Journal 5 Star Library, after serving as Director at the New Lenox Public Library and in various library positions in the Chicagoland area for over 20 years. Kate has been in leadership positions in state and national library groups and has served on the committee and chaired Director’s University, an intensive training for new Illinois Public Library Directors that has trained over 350 new library directors. She has co-authored two books, The Public Library Director’s Toolkit and The Public Library Director’s HR Toolkit. Kate is the recipient of the 2021 Illinois Library Association Librarian of the Year Award and in 2021 launched Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide joint programming cooperative. Most importantly, she is the devoted servant of two very demanding black cats.

Christina Fuller-Gregory, Assistant Director of Libraries, South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenville

Christina Fuller-Gregory (she/her/hers) is a librarian, writer, and facilitator whose sphere of expertise centers equity, belonging, and radical empathy. A 2021 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, Christina’s work is driven by a desire to see libraries develop strategies for becoming brave and resilient organizations.

Lisa Kropp, Library Director, Lindenhurst Memorial Library

Lisa Gangemi Kropp is a dynamic library leader with a passion for building responsive, people-centered public libraries. With over 30 years of experience working a variety of jobs in public libraries and library systems, her skills include customer service, sustainability in libraries, youth services, human resources, and more. She is known for guiding organizations through thoughtful change management, aligning mission, staff, and community needs. In recognition of her impact and leadership, she was named a 2025 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, highlighting innovative work that strengthens libraries and the communities they serve. She is the Director of the Lindenhurst Memorial Library in New York.

Kate Thompson, MLIS, Owner, Kate Thompson Consulting, LLC

Kate Thompson is an advocate for neurodiversity and a seasoned speaker and coach who empowers workplaces to better support neurodivergent individuals by embracing their strengths and navigating challenges. As a member of the Iowa Olmstead Consumer Task Force, she supported the full inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of community life. Through the Iowa Family Leadership Training Institute, she advocated for policy change at the state and local level. Kate has assisted libraries in launching Accessibility Teams and surveying users to create more inclusive services and environments.

Kate has taught courses and delivered presentations on neurodiversity to a wide range of audiences, including the Public Library Association and the University of Wisconsin Information School’s continuing education department. She was a contributor to the ALA Editions book Library Programming for Autistic Children and Teens and has written for the blogs of American Libraries and the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom.

Through her firsthand experiences as a parent and her professional work with autistic individuals, Kate has gained deep insight into the strengths and challenges faced by neurodivergent employees. Living with ADHD has further shaped her understanding of cognitive diversity and the importance of embracing different ways of thinking. In her consulting work, Kate helps organizations unlock the full potential of neurodivergent employees by designing inclusive recruitment, onboarding, and workplace practices that foster belonging.

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS CERTIFICATION SERIES

This certification track is recommended for new library workers, regardless of library type.

FORMAT

These will be live webinars with access to course materials. You will be able to access the recorded webinar and all course materials for six months after the conclusion of each webinar.

EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT

This course series includes four individual courses, each designed to take approximately two hours to complete. You can move through the content at your own pace and on your own schedule. You will earn a total of eight hours of professional development credit and your Library Workplace Professional Skills Certification from Library Journal.

ON-DEMAND ACCESS

You will have access to all course materials for six months after the course start date.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

Complete the series to earn your Library Journal Library Workplace Professional Skills Certification.

ACCESSIBILITY

All video recordings feature auto captioning. Please email course-support@libraryjournal.com upon registration if you require accommodations. We will make our best efforts to support your needs.

SUPPORT

For support with online courses, please contact course-support@libraryjournal.com .