The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) recently awarded OCLC two 2013 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grants aimed at strengthening and sustaining continuing education programs for libraries nationally.
A grant award of $289,387 will aid the formation of the "Coalition for National Learning," a widely representative group of organisations that holds the potential to support and advance continuing education on a national scale. The coalition's purpose will be to find new approaches for the coordination of national continuing education investments and activities, and explore and advance new sustainable funding and support models. This 18-month initiative will culminate in community-built strategies for approaching continuing education in libraries and cultural institutions across the nation.
A second grant award of $248,982 will produce new online learning content for public libraries. In partnership with Infopeople, OCLC will provide training and guidance for continuing education providers to create effective learning content that can reach larger audiences of library staff. Participants will receive comprehensive formal training focused on how to design and deliver engaging, high-quality e-learning, and then will collaboratively produce up to six new online course modules on topics identified as highest priority for public libraries. The content will be designed for publication on any platform and distributed nationally through WebJunction.org.
