The BLC is collaborating with seven library consortia from across the United States to launch the Professional Development Alliance. This new initiative multiplies the number and variety of virtual professional development opportunities available to the member libraries of each consortial member of the Alliance. Participating consortia include ASERL, Atla, BLC, CARLI, LOUIS, NC LIVE, SCELC, and SEFLIN.
“We are delighted to expand the virtual professional development opportunities available to librarians and library staff across the BLC member libraries,” said Anne Langley, BLC President and Dean of the UConn Library. “The Professional Development Alliance offers a distinctive opportunity to enrich our awareness of the diversity of library professionals across the United States, bringing new perspectives and increasing our collective understanding of contexts beyond our own.”
In this pilot initiative, each participating consortium will open a select number of online professional development webinars and workshops to the member libraries of all Alliance members every month.
Eight webinars will be available to members of the eight participating library consortia in September 2020. The BLC’s contribution will be ‘Best Practices for Effective E-mail Outreach’ on September 3rd at 1 p.m. EDT, led by Khyle Hannan, Entrepreneurship Librarian at Northeastern University.
“This collaboration amplifies the visibility of the important work done by staff across our member libraries, highlights the expertise of the BLC, and cultivates deeper connections between library consortia,” added Mei Mendez, BLC’s Program Officer.