How to Advance in Your Library Career

After you attend this course, you’ll be able to:

• Set and achieve career development goals.
  
  
• Find mentors.
  
  
• Navigate the relationships and politics necessary to move up in library systems.
  
  
• Understand how libraries and administrative positions operate.
  
  
• Plan and enact your own advancement.
  
  

Week 1: Seeking the Right Opportunities for You
Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Course & Workshop Introduction | 2:00-2:15 ET
An introduction to the weekly assignments, an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course, and a chance to complete the course pre-assessment.

Session 1 | 2:15-3:00 ET
Advancing Your Career: How to Stand Out
How can you make sure you're standing out in your job? How do you network and make yourself more visible? This opening session will cover practical ways to seek opportunities that will help you advance your career. Learn tips for getting more involved in your organization and larger library associations, how to discern which opportunities will be best suited for your goals, and how to find mentors to support you.

Break | 3:00-3:15 ET

Session 2 | 3:15-4:00 ET
Understanding Library Leadership
What do library leadership roles entail? How are upper-level leadership roles different from middle management? And what skills do you need to ensure you develop for each kind of role? This session will discuss the ins and outs of library leadership expectations and responsibilities. Leave with a clear direction for the skills and mindsets you need to develop to reach your goals.

Week 2: Preparing for Leadership
Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Weekly Workshop Introduction | 2:00-2:15 pm ET
An introduction to the weekly assignments and a chance to ask questions about the online workshop.

Session 3 | 2:15-3:00 ET
Preparing to Apply and Interview
What do application materials and interviews for management and leadership positions look like? How can you best prepare to ensure success? This session will give you practical tips for how to apply and interview with confidence. Leave knowing how to avoid common pitfalls and navigate the entire hiring cycle from beginning to end.

Break | 3:00-3:15 ET

Session 4 | 3:15-4:00 ET
Thinking Like a Leader: Systems and Savviness
What is a leadership mindset, and how does your thinking have to change for an upper-level leadership position? How can you build relationships and political savviness to engage with your local communities and government? This final session will discuss what systems thinking entails and how to apply it as a leader. We will also discuss navigating political landscapes as a face of your library. Leave this session with tangible ideas for how to elevate your mindset and approach to thrive as a senior leader.

Who should take this course

This course is geared toward early-career public librarians.

This will be an on-demand online course and will include:

• Facilitated discussions: Audience participation in Q&A and discussion with guest speakers.
  
  
• Live sessions: Guest speaker presentations by leaders in their field. (All sessions are recorded for on demand access for six months after the course ends.)
  
  
• Asynchronous workshop: Project-based weekly assignments to connect what you’re learning to your professional life. Includes written feedback from an expert in the field who functions as the workshop facilitator, as well as peer conversation via discussion forums. Workshop available for all multi-week courses plus half-day courses where indicated.
  
  
• Early access on-demand resources:Access to a series of past live session archives from Library Journal and School Library Journal courses to explore at your own pace.
  
  
• Online Classroom: The virtual learning platform that holds all course content and is accessible for six months after the course ends.

*Note: You do not have to complete the asynchronous work during these three weeks; it will be open to you for six months. However, the feedback from facilitators will only be available from December 2 - December 16. 

Expected time commitment

If you watch the recordings of all sessions and participate in the asynchronous workshop, you'll spend approximately 2-4 hours per week on this course. You'll earn 10 hours of PD credit and a Library Journal certificate of completion.

On-demand access

All live guest speaker sessions are recorded and available on-demand for six months following the initial broadcast as a part of your purchase.

Certificate of completion

Complete the course and earn 10 professional development credit hours. We provide a certificate that is emailed to you.

Accessibility

All guest speaker sessions feature auto captioning and are made available on demand after the initial broadcast. Please email course-support@libraryjournal.com upon registration if you require any special accommodations and we will make our best efforts to facilitate them.

Support

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

Annie Lewis, Director of Libraries at Multnomah County Library

Annie Lewis was appointed Multnomah County Director of Libraries in October 2024 after serving as Interim Director since June 2024. In this role, she provides strategic direction and leadership for the organization through creating systems that are rooted in organizational values of equity and inclusion and by nurturing organizational development to support people through change.

Prior to this role, Annie served as Multnomah County Library’s Deputy Director, beginning in 2022. In that role she oversaw the Public Services division, which includes Location Services, Community Services, Integrated Services, Safety & Security, the Office of Project Management and Evaluation and library policy.

Beginning with Multnomah County Library as a bilingual Spanish Youth Librarian in 2014, Lewis has also served as Gresham Library Supervisor, Early Childhood Services Manager, Director of Community Services and Deputy Director.

Annie previously served as a librarian for the City of Beaverton and the City of Tualatin and as a Family Involvement Coordinator for Clackamas County. She holds an MLIS from the University of Washington and a B.A. from Pacific University. Annie enjoys spending time in nature.

Discounted rates are available for a limited time only. Secure your tickets now to lock in the best price.

Group Rates

We offer discounts for groups of 3 or more.

For larger groups of 15 or more, we offer the option to apply group rates across multiple courses to receive significant discounts. For more information, select “Bulk Course Credits Packages” in the form below.

Request Discounted Group Pricing

For support with group purchases, please contact groupsales@libraryjournal.com.