Prepared to Respond

AFTER COMPLETING THIS COURSE, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO:

• Audit and strengthen your reconsideration policy so it is clear, current, and ready to hold up under real pressure.
• Give frontline staff clear language and steps so they’re not stuck figuring out what to say in the moment.
• Apply proactive strategies to ensure your full community is represented in your collection while reducing your visibility to potential challengers.
• Respond to formal and informal challenges using established best practices that protect both your library and your staff.
• Identify and build relationships with allies and coalitions before a challenge arrives, not after.
• Use effective tactics for board meetings and public-facing advocacy to protect intellectual freedom at the institutional level.
• Communicate clearly and persuasively with challengers, administrators, and community members about the value of a wide-ranging collection.
• Leave with an updated policy framework and the confidence to advocate for all materials in your library.

You will leave with concrete tools, updated policies, and a clearer sense of how to protect your collection and your community without waiting for a crisis to force your hand.

This course is especially helpful for:

• Public and school librarians responsible for collection development or policy decisions
• Frontline staff who may be the first to hear concerns or complaints about materials
• Managers and directors who need to guide staff and respond to challenges
• Anyone responsible for maintaining or updating reconsideration policies
• Library workers who want to feel more prepared before a challenge happens

If that sounds like your role, you will probably see yourself in this course.

If you are someone who:

• Feels a little uneasy about how your library would handle a real challenge
• Has a policy in place but isn’t sure it would hold up under pressure
• Worries about staff being caught off guard at the desk
• Is watching challenges increase and wants to be ready, not reactive
• Wants to protect your collection and your community without making your library a target

This course was built for you.

ALL THE DETAILS

Book challenges don’t usually start as formal processes. They start with a conversation, a complaint, or a moment where a staff member has to respond without much time to think. What happens in those early moments often shapes everything that comes next.

This course focuses on helping you feel more prepared in those moments and beyond. You’ll look at what actually holds up when policies are tested, how to give staff clearer guidance so responses are consistent, and how to approach challenges in a way that protects both your collection and your team. You’ll also explore how to build support ahead of time, so you’re not trying to figure everything out once a situation is already underway.

SESSIONS AND PRICING

Early bird pricing ends one month before the session deadline. Course materials become available on the registration deadline date.

GROUP OPTIONS

Training a team? Choose the setup that matches how you want to plan and pay:

Group course enrollment: Enroll 3+ staff in this course and save.

Bulk course credits: Prepay once, get the highest per-seat discount on every course, and assign seats later.

Unlimited annual licensing: System-wide access for a year with no per-course approvals.

Request Discounted Group Pricing

Questions? Email groupsales@libraryjournal.com.

COURSE FORMAT

This is a fully self-paced, asynchronous online course consisting of 4 modules. Each module includes video instruction, slides, readings, and practical exercises designed to connect directly to your library’s policies and day-to-day work.

EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT

Each module is designed to take approximately 4 hours to complete, for a total of 16 hours. You may move through the course at your own pace and on your own schedule.

COURSE ACCESS

You will have access to all course materials for six months from the material unlock date. You can start at any point during that window and move through the course at your own pace.

CREDIT & CERTIFICATE

Complete all modules to earn 16 professional development credit hours and a Library Journal certificate of completion, which will be emailed to you.

ACCESSIBILITY

All video recordings feature auto-captioning. If you require accommodations, please email course-support@libraryjournal.com upon registration and we will make our best efforts to support your needs.

SUPPORT

For technical or course-related support, please contact course-support@libraryjournal.com.