Thinking Outside the Box: Leveraging Non-Library Professional Development Opportunities to Improve Self-Care

Professional development is the continuous process of enhancing your skills, knowledge, and competencies in your career. Professional development is an opportunity to show our commitment to self-care, self-development, and professionalism which keeps our thinking fresh, our skills relevant, and improves motivation. This session will explore professional development opportunities outside the scope of traditional library trainings and the benefits of thinking “outside the box” when considering professional development activities. Non-library trainings are also an opportunity to build relationships with professionals in other industries. It’s a form of outreach, networking, and increasing the visibility of libraries and librarianship in other sectors of our communities. This presentation will include tips on how library staff can advocate for themselves to gain supervisor’s support, as well as how to find free or low-cost training opportunities. Learn from the presenters how they’ve applied what they’ve learned through non-library trainings and get inspired to explore new opportunities.