Public Library Management

Public libraries are becoming dynamic hubs for learning, civic engagement, and community.

This course will discuss strategies for gathering statistical and descriptive data about public library communities. Learners will identify local partners in education, social services, government agencies, and more.

While conducting real-world investigations, learners will gain deeper insight into the wants and needs of community organizations. This will empower learners to make better management decisions to address those needs, even in libraries with limited budgets.

Learn management skills to support workplace diversity and inclusion in a public library setting.

You will learn about theories and frameworks that explain the underlying mechanisms of the impacts of diversity and learn how to understand and address the needs of women and underrepresented minorities (e.g. race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, marital status, age, sexual orientation, and citizenship).

You will learn how employment practices such as recruitment, selection, promotion, salary, training and development impact an organization’s ability to attract, retain, and manage a diverse workforce.

Lastly, you will recognize what organizational changes can be made to help organizations maximize the potential of all workers.

This course, part of the Public Library Management Professional Certificate program, will explore skills needed for hiring and evaluating personnel to reflect your library's mission through an organizational culture that will thrive in your community.

Learners will understand the legal considerations when managing a diverse workforce.

Money isn’t generally the first topic that comes to mind when thinking about libraries, however it is a critical resource that touches every aspect of the organization. Whether you are an aspiring manager or a library director, it is important that your organization’s finances are aligned with your service goals and priorities.

This course, part of the Public Library Management Professional Certificate program, will help you understand how to build a budget, read financial reports, and plan for the long-term sustainability of your library.

In this course, part of the Public Library Management Professional Certificate program, we’ll explore the ongoing infrastructure support that library leaders must facilitate, including:

• maintenance
• insurance
• contract services
• patron privacy
• technology
• budgets
• policies

You’ll learn how these decisions are made to ensure long-term sustainability.

In this course, part of the Public Library Management Professional Certificate program, we’ll explore the nuts and bolts of creating a strategic plan by reviewing and reflecting on the strategic plans of a variety of library types.

Strategic planning is a strategy for setting an organization’s goals, vision, and desired future. You’ll learn how library leaders, in partnership with trustees, library boards, and/or municipal leadership, use strategic planning to set long-term goals as well as identify the necessary funding priorities, staffing needs, and other elements needed for success.

You’ll also learn how an effective strategic plan is more than mere paperwork: it is an ongoing planning, action, and reflection process that can engage all stakeholders in a common set of expectations and action steps for the future.

This course, part of the Public Library Management Professional Certificate program, explores strategies for developing effective grant proposals and for engaging the community in crowdfunding campaigns.

In this course, you will mock up a crowdfunding campaign and create a grant proposal for a local or state-level funding source.