The American Library Association- Reference and User Services Division (RUSA), offers an outstanding combination of repeat and new courses/webinars. Check out our list of upcoming programming below:
The Accidental Law Librarian: Legal Reference for Public Service Librarian
Four-week asynchronous course with weekly live sessions start April 14, 2025
Where can I find child support guidelines? What are the laws in Nevada on gun ownership? Can you help me apply for a business license? How do I copyright my name? Legal questions are not unique to law librarians are apt to receive legal questions. Yet few MLS programs offer more than a single course on law librarianship. Some offer none at all.
This course steps into that breach. It will cover the basics of legal publishing, how to understand and respond to legal questions, and which information sources are the go-to sources for any type of legal question. More broadly, the courses will delve into the overwhelming need for free public law libraries.
The instructor, Anthony Aycock, Legislative Librarian with the North Carolina General Assembly has 20+ years experience in public, private, and academic law libraries.
Six-week asynchronous course starting on April 28, 2025
A comprehensive six-week asynchronous course tailored for support staff, library technicians, newly hired reference librarians and those librarians who want to brush up on their interview skills. This course will focus on the methods of evaluating reference service, behavioral aspects of reference service, and the different types of questions that can be used to help patrons identify what they need. Introductory in nature, using images and text, this in-depth educational approach lead by instructor David Tyckoson, covers everything from the approachability of the librarians to how to follow up with a patrons.
Don’t see a topic that interest you, check out our full listings here or submit a proposal form here.
The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association, represents librarians and library staff in the fields of reference, specialized reference, collection development, readers’ advisory and resource sharing. RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. Learn more at www.rusaupdate.org.