We Have to Work Together (So Let's Make It Work)

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

• Build stronger professional relationships grounded in mutual accountability, honest communication, and genuine investment in shared goals.
• Navigate workplace dynamics and conflict more confidently, whether you are a frontline staff member, a newer colleague, or a manager.
• Identify the forces that quietly shape workplace culture and apply strategies to influence them, even without formal authority.
• Reflect on your own role in the dynamics around you as a foundation for building healthier relationships with the people you work with.

You will leave with concrete, library-specific strategies you can put to work immediately, wherever you sit in your organization.

This course is especially helpful for:

• Library staff at any level who want to build stronger working relationships
• People navigating a new role, team, or workplace dynamic
• Anyone dealing with communication breakdowns, tension, or unresolved conflict
• Managers who want to model and support a healthier team culture
• Staff who care about their workplace but aren’t sure how to influence it

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

If you are someone who:

• Feels the tension in your workplace but isn’t sure how to address it
• Finds small miscommunications turning into bigger issues than they should be
• Is trying to build credibility or stronger relationships with colleagues
• Wants to handle conflict earlier instead of letting it build
• Wants work to feel a little easier, not heavier, because of the people around you

This course was built for you.

Course Introduction | 12:00–12:05 pm ET

An orientation of the day and where to find live session recordings.

Session 1 | 12:05–1:00 pm ET
Creating and Contributing to a Culture of Collaboration

What does genuine collaboration actually look like in a library workplace, and how does it differ from simply avoiding conflict? How can individual staff members help shape a culture of trust and shared purpose, regardless of their role or title? This module examines the habits and practices that build collaborative teams. Leave with concrete strategies for contributing to and helping sustain a culture of collaboration in your own library.

Break | 1:00–1:15 pm ET

Session 2 | 1:15–2:15 pm ET
Building Better Relationships: Communication & Emotional Intelligence

What is the role of communication in relationship building, and what kind of communication is best to facilitate connection? How do you work toward growing emotional intelligence when it's such an amorphous concept? This session will explore practical ways to grow your communication skills and help to create and build trust with colleagues and patrons.

Break | 2:15–2:35 pm ET

Session 3 | 2:35–3:30 pm ET

Rebuilding Relationships: How to Repair Ruptures

Every relationship will have ruptures and setbacks; it's normal. But how do you respond, repair, and move forward? This session will discuss tactics for rebuilding relationships and how to create a culture of feedback.

Optional Group Working Session | 3:30–3:50 pm ET

How can you help build a culture built on reciprocity, relationships, and professionalism right now despite whatever role you hold in the library? This optional, interactive working session will be an opportunity to collaborate with peers across the country as you share successes, failures, learnings, and ideas. You’ll have the option to break into groups of managers and non-managers.

Please note: This session is completely optional, and it’s meant to be interactive, so if you can’t or don’t want to be in breakout rooms, you’re welcome to log off. If you stay, we ask that you please join on camera and audio to discuss ideas, ask questions, and hear from other participants in class.

Reflection & Closing Remarks | 3:50–4:00 pm ET

Jo Henry, Reference & Instruction Librarian, Horry-Georgetown Technical College

Jo Henry, MLIS, MPA, is reference and instruction librarian at the Horry- Georgetown Technical College Library (Georgetown Campus), South Carolina. Previously she was a librarian at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and the information services librarian at South Piedmont Community College. She has published in the Journal of Library Administration, College & Research Libraries News, Community & Junior College Libraries, Public Services Quarterly, and Library Review. Additionally, she has presented at numerous library conferences and co-facilitated a variety of library workshops alongside Dr. Richard Moniz. Ms. Henry is co-author of Fostering a Civil Workplace: Strategies for Personal and Organizational Success (2025), Cultivating Civility: Practical Ways to Improve a Dysfunctional Library (2020), The Dysfunctional Library: Challenges and Solutions to Workplace Relationships (2018), The Mindful Librarian: Connecting the Practice of Mindfulness to Librarianship (2016), Fundamentals for the Academic Liaison (2014), and The Personal Librarian: Enhancing the Student Experience (2014).

Richard Moniz, Director of Library Services/Instructor, Horry-Georgetown Technical College

Dr. Richard Moniz has dedicated more than 30 years to the library profession. He holds a Master’s degree in History from Rhode Island College, a Master’s in Library Science from the University of Rhode Island, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Florida International University. Since 2018, Dr. Moniz has served as Director of Library Services at Horry-Georgetown Technical College. Previously, he was Director of Library Services at Johnson & Wales University for both the North Miami (1997–2004) and Charlotte (2004–2018) campuses. In addition to his administrative leadership, he has taught computer science and history courses at Johnson & Wales and has been an adjunct instructor in the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s MLIS program for nearly two decades. A prolific author, Dr. Moniz has written and co-authored numerous articles and several influential books, including: Practical and Effective Management of Libraries; Fundamentals for the Academic Liaison; The Personal Librarian: Enhancing the Student Experience; The Mindful Librarian; Librarians and Instructional Designers: Innovation and Collaboration; The Dysfunctional Library: Challenges and Solutions to Workplace Relationships; Recipes for Mindfulness in Your Library; Cultivating Civility: Practical Ways to Improve a Dysfunctional Library; and Fostering a Civil Workplace: Strategies for Personal and Organizational Success. Beyond his writing, Dr. Moniz has been an active leader in the library community. He has served as Chair of the Library Leadership & Management Association’s Continuing Education Committee (2009–2010), twice as President of the Metrolina Library Association (2007 and 2015), and as the 2022–2023 Chair of PASCAL’s (Partnership Among South Carolina Academic Libraries) Board of Directors. He has also contributed his expertise on several additional nonprofit boards.

Most workplace friction doesn’t come from big conflicts. It shows up in small moments: unclear expectations, missed communication, tension that never quite gets addressed. Over time, those moments add up and start to affect how the work gets done and how people feel doing it.

This course focuses on what you can actually do about that. You’ll look at real workplace scenarios and learn practical ways to communicate more clearly, handle tension earlier, and build stronger working relationships without needing a formal leadership role. You’ll also reflect on your own role in these dynamics, so the changes you make are intentional and sustainable.

SESSIONS AND PRICING

This is a live online session. If you can’t attend in real time, you will receive access to the recording.

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 live, 4-hour online session featuring interactive discussion and practical scenarios drawn from real library workplaces.

EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT

Plan for approximately 4 hours for the live session, plus optional time for reflection and applying what you learn.

ON-DEMAND ACCESS

You will have access to the session recording for six months after the live event.

CREDIT & CERTIFICATE

You will receive 4 professional development credit hours and a Library Journal certificate of completion.

ACCESSIBILITY

All sessions include 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.