Your First Public Library Job

AFTER YOU COMPLETE THIS COURSE, YOU’LL BE ABLE TO:

• Feel clearer about what public libraries actually do, beyond checking out books.
• Understand what is expected of you in your role, and what is not.
• Explain your library’s mission and core values in language that makes sense to patrons and colleagues.
• Approach common patron questions and service situations with more confidence.
• Respond more calmly and professionally when interactions become challenging.
• See how your daily work connects to larger principles like access, intellectual freedom, and equitable service.
• Recognize the library as a community anchor, and understand the bigger picture of the work you are part of.

The result is greater clarity, practical tools you can use immediately, and a stronger sense of confidence in your first public library role.

WHO THIS COURSE IS FOR

If you are someone who:

• Just started your first job in a public library and feel like you are learning everything at once.
• Want to do a good job but are still figuring out systems, policies, and expectations.
• Have already had a patron interaction that surprised you.
• Are not always sure where your role begins and ends.
• Want to feel more confident at the circulation desk or service point.
• Care about doing this work well and want to understand the bigger picture.

This course was built for you.

This course is especially helpful for:

• Library assistants and circulation staff in their first public library role.
• Newly hired librarians transitioning into public service.
• Pages and paraprofessionals moving into expanded responsibilities.
• Staff entering public libraries from other fields.
• New hires participating in structured onboarding programs.

If you are in your first year of public library work, you will see yourself in this course.

THIS COURSE CONSISTS OF 6 ON-DEMAND MODULES:

Module 1: Library Mission and Roles

This beginning module will lay the groundwork for your workplace success by exploring the core mission and vision driving public libraries of all types. You'll learn about common job roles and responsibilities that you might encounter and gain a solid understanding of the essential services and collections that are the heart of public library work. This foundational knowledge will help you connect the dots between the work you do to the library's vital community mission.

Module 2: Core Library Values

Public libraries are built upon a number of fundamental principles. In this module, we'll explore key values such as information access, intellectual freedom, privacy, and the concept of libraries as a public good. Understanding these values is crucial, as they inform daily operations, policies, services, and collections at your library. This module will reveal how these core tenets underpin your work which supports your community.

Module 3: Community and Workplace Culture

Libraries are shaped by their communities, and this module explores how those relationships, alongside your workplace culture, influence your library's operations. In this module you'll learn about diverse library users, identify the unique makeup of your community, and gain an understanding of how a library is tailored to meet local needs. You will also learn about workplace culture, guiding you to identify the dynamics of your own workplace. By the end, you'll grasp how both your local community and workplace culture shape your daily work experiences and contribute to the library's success.

Module 4: Sensitivity Training

Our individual perspectives impact our interactions with library users and colleagues. In this module, we will define and discuss key concepts such as identity, belonging, and inclusion to help you better understand the varied and complex experiences of others. This sensitivity training aims to provide a foundational understanding of what it means to create a truly inclusive and collaborative environment. By the end, you'll be equipped with the awareness needed to foster a more welcoming library for everyone in your community.

Module 5: Customer Service and De-Escalation

Customer service is a core part of all library roles, and this module will provide you with the skills to handle interactions with both excellence and professionalism. You will learn best practices for courteous and empathetic communication to address user inquiries and resolve common issues. We'll also cover essential de-escalation techniques and the power of reflective listening to navigate challenging interactions and uphold library values. Finally, this module emphasizes self-care, providing you with the tools to manage stress and maintain your well-being after a difficult encounter.

Module 6: Information Assistance

One of the most common and important tasks you’ll do as a library employee is to help patrons find the information they need. This final module will cover the basics of how to conduct a "reference interview," a process to determine a library user’s information need. You will also learn how to determine appropriate sources to consult and identify when a referral to a co-worker is needed. After this module, you will be empowered to assist patrons with their information needs.

COURSE ADVISOR

Judah Hamer, Lead Consultant, Constructive Disruption & Human Resources Manager, Boston Public Library

Judah Hamer (he/him/his) has deep experience in public and school libraries, with a career spanning over three decades. His areas of expertise are organizational development, people operations, knowledge management, and interactional analysis.

Judah has taught extensively at the School of Communication & Information, Rutgers University, as an instructor for the MIS program. He won the school’s first recognition for its online instruction, from WISE. His personal research has been most heavily focused on the LGBTQ community.

COURSE INSTRUCTORS

Mary Grace Flaherty, Professor Emerita, School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Mary Grace Flaherty is Professor Emerita at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science where she taught in the graduate LIS program. She has over forty years of professional library experience working in a variety of settings and positions, from creating a library for a corporate health research center in Atlanta, GA, to assistant director in an academic medical library in Baltimore, MD to director of a rural public library in Upstate NY. Dr. Flaherty has her PhD from Syracuse University where she was an IMLS Fellow. She has an MS degree from Johns Hopkins University, and her MLS is from the University of Maryland. Dr. Flaherty has published extensively in the health and library literature. Her books include the Library Staff Development Handbook; Great Library Events; Disaster Planning Handbook for Libraries; and Promoting Individual and Community Health at the Library.

Christina Fuller-Gregory, Principal Consultant and Founder of Fuller Potential Consulting

Christina Fuller-Gregory is principal consultant and Founder of Fuller Potential Consulting, a consultancy at the forefront of preparing individuals and organizations to harness the power of authentic belonging. Growing up in the Upstate of South Carolina as the daughter of a Library Administrator, Christina Fuller-Gregory always knew two things: that she would never be a librarian like her mother, and that after attending countless library programs on the weekends, her least favorite place was the library. Luckily, an adult Christina discovered that she was wrong on both counts. She did, in fact, become a librarian like her mom, and libraries would ultimately become her Third Place.

Today, Fuller-Gregory uses her lifelong relationship with libraries to inform her work as a people-driven, community-centered library leader. Christina has been recognized as an American Library Association Emerging Leader, has acted as a committee member and chair for numerous library committees, and was recognized for her work in the equity space by Library Journal when she was named a Mover & Shaker. She is a highly sought-after speaker and consultant, and her writing has been featured in numerous publications. Her first book, A Library Worker’s Guide to Saying No to White Supremacy Work Culture, will be available in September 2025. Led by Fannie Lou Hamer’s belief that “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free,” Christina’s research and writing is driven by a desire to see libraries develop strategies for positively shifting their organizational purpose.

Cathay Keough, Professor Emerita, School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Cathay Keough began her library career in 1979 as an undergraduate work-study student at The Evergreen State College. She later pursued graduate coursework in education and special education at the University of Oregon, and earned her Master of Library and Information Science degree from Drexel University, graduating with Beta Phi Mu honors.

Her professional path has included work in public and community college libraries, as well as serving as Reference Services Coordinator for the Internet Public Library. Drawn to virtual reference services, Cathay contributed to Maryland AskUsNow! and served as the Statewide Coordinator for Reference Services with the Delaware Division of Libraries. Throughout her career, Cathay has been dedicated to training—providing instruction and support to library customers, staff, and graduate students alike. She retired in 2023 as the Information Services Coordinator for Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources in southwest Florida.

In retirement, Cathay serves as lead librarian for the private library of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Venice, volunteers as a hospice support worker and Death Doula, and continues to champion lifelong learning.

Kate Hall, Executive Director, Northbrook Public Library

Kate Hall is the Executive Director of the Northbrook Public Library, a Library Journal 5 Star Library located in northern Illinois. Prior to this role, she served as a teen librarian, youth services manager, and director at various Chicagoland libraries for over 20 years. She co-authored the Library Director’s Toolkit that has become a valuable resource for library leaders.

Erin Jones, Equitable Libraries Division Director, Alameda County Library

Erin Jones is the equitable libraries division director for Alameda County Library in California. She is a fierce advocate for intellectual freedom and privacy. Jones previously led the Privacy Subcommittee of the ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee and co-led the teams that developed Article VII of the Library Bill of Rights and the Core Values of Librarianship. She currently serves as a trustee for the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund. Her work has been honored with the California Library Association’s Zoia Horn Award in both 2016 and 2021. She is also a coeditor of the Ultimate Privacy Field Guide (2022).

Starting your first job in a public library can feel both exciting and overwhelming. There is a lot to learn, from policies and procedures to service expectations and community dynamics. This course provides the practical foundation new staff need to understand how public libraries function and how their individual role fits into the larger mission.

You will explore the history and purpose of public libraries, core professional values, and the principles that guide daily decision-making. You will examine common job roles and responsibilities, learn how libraries respond to evolving community needs, and gain clarity about expectations for public service work.

The course also addresses real-world challenges that public library staff encounter, including difficult patron interactions, intellectual freedom and book challenges, community crises, and the expanding role of libraries as essential civic institutions. Rather than offering abstract theory, each module connects directly to situations you are likely to encounter on the job.

Throughout the course, reflective worksheets and applied exercises encourage you to think critically about your own library’s mission, policies, and community context. The goal is not only to build knowledge, but to strengthen confidence, judgment, and professional awareness during your first year of public library work.

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 six modules. Each module includes video instruction, slides, readings, and reflective exercises designed to connect concepts directly to your daily work.

EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT

Each module is designed to take approximately four hours to complete, for a total of 24 professional development 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.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

Complete all modules to earn 24 professional development credit hours and a Library Journal certificate of completion. Certificates are emailed upon completion.

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 .