Fundamentals of Librarianship for Frontline Staff

After you leave this course, you should have the ability to:

• Understand the core, universal values of libraries.
  
  
• Understand how libraries make decisions based on their core values.
  
  
• Have working context for how and why libraries operate the way they do.
  
  
• Understand and articulate the role of intellectual freedom in libraries.
  
  
• Increase your media literacy and ability to recognize mis- and disinformation.
  
  
• Understand and articulate the role of media literacy for library patrons.
  
  
• Assess who your library serves and understand the foundations of community engagement, programs, and services.
  
  
• Understand the foundations of library collection development.
  
  

Who should take this course

This course is geared toward frontline and other public-facing staff who did not go to library school.

This will be a 3-week online course and will include:

• 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.)
  
  
• Facilitated discussions:  Audience participation in Q&A and discussion with guest speakers.
  
  
• 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 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 October 30-November 6. 

Expected time commitment

If you attend or watch the recordings of all live sessions and participate in the asynchronous workshop, you'll spend approximately 2-4 hours per week on this course. You'll earn 15 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 15 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 .

From Fall 2024 Participants:

"This was such a great course for a person who does not have a library science degree. SO helpful!"

"I enjoyed how the speakers took some not so interesting topics and made them into something I could really sink my teeth into. I appreciate when it is interesting. They were all so pleasant and willing to answer questions time providing."

"Wow! In three short sessions, this course covered so many important and relevant issues so many library staff are facing today. Excellent presenters who were knowledgeable and engaging!"

"If you are a new librarian, or have come into the profession recently, this workshop is for you!"

"I highly recommend for all Circulation Staff to attend this course! I found it very insightful to better understand the hows and whys of a library!"

"As I'm newer to working in a library, this was a wonderful course and I learned so much. The speakers did such a great job conveying so much valuable information and sharing their insights. I will highly recommend this course!"

"The course content was all very relevant to my work experience and job responsibilities. The topics discussed expanded my understanding of library principles, values and goals. And I really appreciated the discussions on the very challenging issues we face in library work at present."

Week 1: Fundamentals of Core Library Values
Thursday, October 30, 2025

Course & Workshop Introduction | 2:00-2:15 pm 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 | 2:15-3:15 pm ET
Core Values of Library Science: Neutrality, Inclusivity, Privacy
What are some of the core values that libraries share? How do libraries make decisions based on those values? This session will discuss neutrality, inclusivity, and privacy as some of the universal values of libraries. You will leave this session with a better understanding of why your library takes particular stances and creates some of its most foundational policies.

Break | 3:15-3:30 pm ET

Session 2 | 3:30-4:30 pm ET
Core Values of Library Science: Intellectual Freedom
What kinds of freedom do libraries believe in? What do intellectual freedom and freedom of speech look like in a library context? This session will continue the conversation about core library values, this time focusing on intellectual freedom, freedom of speech, and freedom to read.

Week 2: Fundamentals of Information Literacy and Community Engagement
Thursday, November 6, 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 1 | 2:15-3:15 pm ET
Information Literacy: Identifying Mis- and Disinformation
How can you identify mis- and disinformation in a time when AI and deep fakes are becoming more and more convincing? What is the library's role in vetting material and helping patrons understand factual information? This session will help you understand how to vet information for yourself and give you tools to help patrons with information literacy.

Break | 3:15-3:30 pm ET

Session 2 | 3:30-4:30 pm ET
Foundations of Community Engagement
How do libraries know what their community wants? How do you figure out who you're serving and how do you make them feel valued? This session will discuss the foundations of community engagement, relationship building, and data analysis. You will learn the basics of community data collection and analysis to help you better understand and build relationships with the people you serve.

Week 3: Fundamentals of Library Programs, Services, and Collection Development
Thursday, November 13, 2025

Weekly Workshop Introduction | 2:00-2:15 pm ET
An introduction to this week\’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course.

Session 1 | 2:15-3:15 pm ET
The Why and How of Library Programs and Services
Libraries are about more than just books! What kinds of programs and services do libraries offer, and why? This session will discuss the wide-reaching types of events, classes, programs, and services that libraries might offer. You will leave with a better understanding of the scope and role of the library in your community.

Break | 3:15-3:30 pm ET

Session 2 | 3:30-4:30 pm ET
Collection Development 101: Understanding the Basics
How and why do libraries purchase their collections? How do libraries try to ensure credibility and reflect community needs in collections? And what happens when there are challenges to collections? This session will provide a foundational overview of the how and why of collection development, including the rationale behind decision making and a high-level overview of the weeding process.

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.