2025 Continuing Education

These are webinars to demonstrate the many features of HomeworkLA and anyone (educators, librarians, parents, councilors, etc.) may attend. The sessions will be recorded and a link to the recording will be emailed to anyone who registers. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Trainer: Ashlenn Wellbrock, Tutor.com

Cost: Free of charge

Dates/Times:

Session A: Tuesday, August 5, 2025, 9:00 - 10:30 am

Session B: Tuesday, August 5, 2025, 2:00 - 3:00 pm

This course introduces the basics of interpersonal relations, communication, and teamwork. Emphasis is on providing excellence in customer service and effective communication in real life library situations. The course will consist of 9 weekly webinars with homework assignments, readings, a team project, and a final exam on week 10. All activities will be online. This meets the requirements for LSSCP certification and is a core course.

Trainer: Michele Jones and Brittany Whitfield, Library Development

Maximum class size: 15

Cost: $200.00 per participant for Louisiana public library staff | $300.00 for others 

Learn all the ins and outs of the Louisiana Readers’ Choice Awards Program and how you can get free promotional materials to best implement this program at your library or school.

Trainer: Jamie Hebert, Center for the Book

Cost: Free of charge

Date/Times:

Session A: Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 9:00 - 10:30 am

Session B: Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 2:00 – 3:00 pm

Session C: Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 6:00 – 7:00 pm

This introductory session is for new users or those who want a basic refresher. It will cover discovery, logging in, and placing requests as a patron and as staff on behalf of a patron. Then we’ll look at the staff experience, including the Staff Dashboard, focusing on the ILL Admin module including the Request Manager and processing requests as a borrower and lender.

Trainer: Debbie Hensler, Auto-Graphics

Cost: Free of charge

Dates/Times:

Session A: Monday, August 18, 2025, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Session B: Monday, August 18, 2025, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

This session will delve into managing ILL requests, including the lender list build function plus UX Admin and Participant Record settings that allow libraries to customize how requests are handled for their library. Permissions needed for different functions and how NCIP affects ILL management will be addressed.

Trainer: Debbie Hensler, Auto-Graphics

Cost: Free of charge

Dates/Times:

Session A: Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Session B: Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

New Directors’ Boot Camp

The New Directors Boot Camp will be an intense, two-day workshop valuable to new directors and those needing a refresher course. Topics include library laws and governance, policies and procedures, planning, media basics, human resources and staffing, and facilities/building maintenance.

Maximum class size: 25

Cost: $75.00 per participant (breakfast/lunch provided)

Date/Time: Thursday, August 21, and Friday, August 22, 2025, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Location:

State Library of Louisiana

701 N 4th St

Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Join library staff for a roundtable focused on youth summer reading programs. Whether you’re new to summer reading or a seasoned coordinator, this is a great opportunity for practical insights and peer support. For this meeting, we’re excited to welcome special guests from iREAD, who will be available during part of the session to answer your questions and share their expertise as we transition to a new summer reading program.

Trainer: Katelin Lebleu, Library Development

Cost: Free of charge

Dates/Times: Wednesday, August 27, 2025, 9:00 - 10:30 am

Join us for an in-depth training on Gale LegalForms, tailored for the State Library of Louisiana. Learn how to access, navigate, and utilize thousands of customizable legal documents, from wills to landlord-tenant forms, specific to Louisiana law. This session will cover key features, search tips, and practical examples to help library staff assist patrons with common legal needs confidently and efficiently.

The 21st century library is innovative, loud, and… messy? In this session, explore the benefits of incorporating hands-on sensory activities and imaginative play into your public library’s program offerings. We will discuss the importance of sensory play, how sensory play advances literacy initiatives, the different types of sensory play, and the skills that these activities develop. Several examples of successful hands-on, sensory-based programs will be discussed, including how to make this programming work for any budget or space.

Trainer: Aimee Ardonne, Guest Presenter, Librarian

Cost: Free of charge

Dates/Times: Tuesday, September 2, 2025, 9:00 - 10:30 am

This course will focus on supervision and management themes, including personnel employment laws, staff development planning, policies and procedures, short and long-range planning, managing interpersonal relationships, staff evaluation, basic marketing concepts, budgeting, and team building. There will be assignments and opportunities for interaction. This is part of the ALA-APA Library Support Staff Certification Program, but participants need not be enrolled in the LSSC program to attend.

Trainer: Michele Jones, Library Development, and Giovanni Tairov, Deputy State Librarian

Maximum class size: 15

Cost: $200.00 per participant for Louisiana public library staff | $300.00 for others 

This class offers an introduction to Microsoft 365 by providing an understanding to services currently offered by the vendor's hosted productivity suite. Whether you are the user or helping patrons naviigate, this class helps you understand how to utilize the many tools and services that are available to you through Microsoft 365. Enhance your professional tool set and gain a better understanding as we provide answers to questions like “What IS Office 365?”, “What are the pros and cons”, or “What are the real world applications and business use scenarios?”

Trainer:  Dusty Lizana, IT Support Analyst

Cost: $15.00

Dates/Times: Wednesday, September 3, 2025, 9:00 - 10:30 am

Connect with fellow library staff at this informal roundtable focused on children’s services. Held every other month, this is a space to share ideas, ask questions, and talk through challenges related to programs, outreach, collections, and more. Whether you're new to the field or have years of experience, all are welcome to join the conversation.

Trainer: Katelin Lebleu, Library Development

Cost: Free of charge

Dates/Times:

Session A: Thursday, September 11, 2025, 9:00 - 10:30 am

Session B: Thursday, November 20, 2025, 9:00 - 10:30 am.