Realistic Professional Development

Now that spring semester has concluded at my institution, we are gearing up for summer projects. These are often noisy, disruptive tasks that happen around facilities work, staff vacations, year-round obligations, and student orientations. Before we know it, summer is over, and some of our well-intended plans — including professional development — have fallen by the wayside.

After being on an academic work schedule for a while, I have learned that free skill-building opportunities, with flexibility to attend or watch as time allows, are often the most realistic. If you’re interested in taking a little time here and there to recharge your practice and learn from other librarians, keep reading for some options.

First, several opportunities from PaLA have been shared on this blog, including Connect & Communicate webinars and the Virtual Journal Club. These are great ways to connect with colleagues at other libraries, even if you can’t attend every session. If you’re interested in participating in the summer journal club, this post has more info.

Invitation: Virtual Journal Club, Summer Series 2025

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More opportunities are listed below. These might not apply to your area of interest, but could give you ideas about places to look for your ideal topics:

ALA and ACRL: ACRL’s website has a listing of free online sessions and recordings. I have found the online discussion forums to be very informative.

Different ALA and ACRL sections often post upcoming events on ALA Connect. You do not need to be an ALA member to view some Connect content. Free account creation is explained under General Questions on the ALA Connect FAQs page.

Committees within ALA and ACRL also produce publications from time to time, such as Five Things: Learning About… compiled by the ACRL Instruction Section’s Research and Scholarship Committee. Other sections also have resources freely available on their websites.

WebJunction: In addition to the catalog of free courses, WebJunction posts a monthly roundup of upcoming free webinars for all types of libraries and library workers.

LibParlor: LibParlor Online Learning (LPOL) is a free and openly-available curriculum to support library and information science professionals in developing research skills.

Resources such as MERLOT, Coursera, and LinkedIn Learning (if your institution subscribes) may also cover skills or topics you’d like to learn more about.

Please also consider this a reminder to recharge and reconnect outside of work. This is often mentioned as a way to avoid burnout, but it’s also important in light of current events that affect us all. Reconnect with your community, use vacation time, pause and reflect, pause and create, pause and zone out completely. Rest in a way that is meaningful for you this summer.