The LearningSpace, our on-demand professional development platform, has expanded support for library staff with a focus in marketing, customer service, mental health, and artificial intelligence.
To access these courses, sign in with your LearningSpace or Niche Academy credentials. Don’t have an account yet? No problem! Creating one is quick, easy, and free, and it unlocks interactive features like bookmarking courses and tracking your progress. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Jon Braun via email.
Let’s take a closer look at the latest additions:
Library Marketing Made Easy with Kathy Dempsey
Are you a librarian who’s suddenly found themselves juggling promotions without a marketing degree? You're not alone! Library Marketing Made Easy offers quick, practical tips to help you reach your community effectively, even if you’re an 'accidental marketer.'
LibraryLinkNJ is hosting two events in 2025 where you can join a discussion with Kathy Dempsey and other marketing staff that have taken the course. Register now for this free opportunity to network, expand your community, and speak directly with this fantastic presenter!
Email newsletters are a powerful tool for building relationships with customers, volunteers, or employees. When crafted effectively, they make it easy to share updates and keep your mission top of mind. However, a poorly executed newsletter risks being ignored or deleted. The good news? With the right approach, you can create one that truly engages your audience.
Setting Appropriate Boundaries
There is a lot of popular guidance about how to spot and avoid people who seem "difficult," "toxic," or "high conflict," but these people may be privately experiencing traumas or coping with mental health problems. It is often illegal under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to provide less communication or more screening to someone based on their seeming to have a mental impairment - yet people are pulling away from aberrant-seeming parties all of the time, in both their professional and personal lives.
Learn practical tools for establishing effective, accessible communication boundaries. This course will address common behavior challenges, such as monopolizing time, persisting on off-limits topics, making rude or offensive comments, and being disruptive.
Perfect is the Enemy of Good
In a world flooded with criticism and digital scrutiny, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the flaws in every profession, institution, and even information itself. How can we avoid cynicism or bias when evaluating information? This course explores how educators and librarians can guide learners to view information not as true or false, but as existing along a continuum of credibility. Learn strategies to help information seekers navigate complexity and make thoughtful decisions in an imperfect world.
Creating a Hiring Policy and Procedures
Hiring can be costly and time-consuming, especially if poor planning leads to the wrong candidate, high turnover, or even legal risks. A clear hiring policy and well-defined procedures can save time, reduce turnover, and ensure compliance. This course will help managers build a strong, efficient team with confidence.
ChatGPT: Engaging with Generative AI
This session explores how to use ChatGPT as a personalized assistant for planning, learning, and communication. You'll also compare it to traditional search engines, learn best prompting practices, and examine the challenges and opportunities it brings to education.
Take advantage of these exciting new courses to further your professional development. With so many diverse topics to explore, there’s something for everyone on LearningSpace!
Next Virtual Office Hours with the AI Ambassadors: Friday, December 20 at 10am
Don’t forget to mark your calendar! Our AI Ambassadors will be hosting virtual office hours, providing an excellent opportunity for you to ask questions and learn more about leveraging AI in your library work.