Recently, the State Librarian met with the current Catalyst leadership development cohort. One question he asked that resonated with many of the cohort was – “What is the most important thing I can do right now?” Although this question appears to be simple, the reality is that we can’t do it all, but each of us individually can make a difference.
The most important thing for you is likely not the most important thing for your colleague, your family member, or your neighbor, but it’s still important. For those of us who have worked with the California Libraries Learn (CALL) grant, the most important thing right now considering the uncertainty of future federal funding is to raise awareness about everything the project has to offer.
“CALL has been an amazing resource for quality professional development, especially for libraries who don’t have any money allocated to that.” – CALL Participant
Over the next 3 months, we will continue to fulfill our mission to offer quality, vetted continuing education opportunities for the California library community. We will also continue to ask what you need and want, at this moment in time.
It is an established fact that well-prepared libraries equals resilient communities. With that in mind, the California State Library, the California Library Association, and the CALL team are working to preserve access to the training materials.
“CALL has been so valuable to me as a library worker. I have learned a lot from sessions for my professional tasks, but it also makes me feel like part of a community of people in the field and supports my mental wellbeing.” – CALL Participant
Going back to the original question – what is the most important thing you can do right now? When it comes to the future of continuing education for California Library workers, here are some ideas:
- First and foremost – keep learning! No matter what happens with funding, we still have over 3 months of learning on the CALL Calendar and 900 pieces of self-paced content in CALL Academy for your learning benefit.
- If you have not already done so, please complete the 2-minute CALL Future Training Priorities survey. This will help us focus our energy as we look at sustainability.
- If you are a California Library Director, please complete this short survey which contains more specific questions for your role.
- Feel free to share this 5-Year CALL Training Impact Infographic on your social platforms.
- Keep your eyes and ears open to CALL communications. Subscribe to the weekly CALL Letters and look for information on CLAtalk.
- Email us at call@cla-net.org with any ideas, questions or comments about CALL.
“I work in libraries in public schools in Southern California, where our libraries are severely understaffed, underfunded, and generally lack support. CALL has been a lifeline in offering accessible pathways to collaboration and professional learning.” – CALL Participant