A while ago, as I searched the Internet in search of self improvement, I found a website that offers free training courses for librarians. As a part-time adjunct librarian and substitute public library reference librarian, I'm always looking for ways to become a better librarian, preferably by spending as little money as possible.
The website, WebJunction, is run by OCLC Research and has a long list of free self-paced courses and webinars designed to keep librarians current on trends and techniques. For anyone not familiar with library history, OCLC stands for "Online Computer Library Center" (they no longer refer to themselves this way), which is a nonprofit group that also maintains the Dewey Decimal System, helps libraries with cataloging services, and has many other important functions. Through WebJunction, they provided free training to librarians seeking to keep up to date with new trends and tools and learn what they missed in library school.
These courses are also a great alternative to the fee-based professional development courses offered by various professional librarian organizations and require less commitment than a four-week course with required assignments. And while they don't include instructor feedback, the courses have built in assessments so th
If you want to check out their course offerings, you can find them on the course catalog page: http://learn.webjunction.org/. In the meantime, I'll be reviewing the techniques for dealing with disgruntled patrons and also brushing up on my readers' advisory skills.
And if you're not a librarian, you can access free classes online provided by many local public libraries. Most libraries have these listed under a section called "Online Learning," and all you need is a library card to enroll in a class.
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