Public library staff in Ireland have been participating in a very popular programme of online training workshops and skills-share events since early 2020.
The topics for these online workshops and events are based on areas which emerged from a skills’ audit with library staff across all library services.
Interactive training workshops are provided on a broad range of topics relating to the delivery of public library services and including library support to non-formal adult learners. The workshops focus on topics such as online communications, social media, online service delivery, promotion, partnership development, library cataloguing and collections management, innovative leadership and delivering change.
The skills-share sessions are based on presentations from library staff across all Irish library services. Library staff share their expertise and experiences on specific topics with colleagues across the country. A key focus of the sessions is on the sharing of ideas, experiences of delivering various projects and programmes, and broadening access to library services and collections, including digital initiatives that relate to the non-formal learning sector.
Approximately twenty-five workshops and six skills-share sessions are offered annually through the online training programme.
After each workshop and skills-share session, training videos, presentations and support materials are available on an online skills development platform which all public library staff in Ireland can access.
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