Drive greater impact in your community, and realize greater efficiency and confidence in your work, by becoming proficient in project management skills. 

Course Description 

Drive greater impact in your community, and realize greater efficiency and confidence in your work, by becoming proficient in project management skills. Entrenching a project management mindset in an organization’s culture and learning to master project management techniques together as a team are crucial elements in achieving and maintaining strategic goals set forth by your organization.

Project management skills and strategies are useful in all kinds of situations, not just formal projects! It’s a way of thinking and approaching all kinds of problems or challenges, and is a  crucial skill for more than just library leaders! Support staff, service librarians, and anyone who helps develop and implement programs for their communities will benefit from learning how to create and follow through with a project scope and sequence. 

In this course, you will learn the foundations of project management in the library to ensure that your future programs are set up for success. Join us and get targeted support in learning the ins and outs of project management. The course will demystify the tools and processes essential to successful project management and offer advice on managing the interpersonal dynamics and organizational culture that influences the effectiveness of these methods. 

Speakers

Check out the program tab for the full speaker roster.

At the close of this course, participants will have acquired various techniques for planning and executing projects in general and targeted to their home institution. They will leave with an increased understanding of the tools and applications that can assist them throughout the project lifecycle. Together, they will have gained a baseline of project management knowledge that will improve budget and schedule estimates, increase quality and productivity, and reduce project failures–and make their work easier. 

You’ll complete workshop assignments over 3+ weeks in an interactive online classroom environment with personal coaching from an expert in the field. In addition, you’ll have access to our foundational bonus content—rich supporting materials you can explore at your own pace, including a series of webinars from Library Journal and School Library Journal contributors, readings, activities, and videos.

Our transformational online courses have given thousands of librarians the tools and vision for meaningful change. The live sessions run on Wednesdays, November 2, 9, and 16, 2022 from approximately 2:00-4:30 pm ET (recorded for on-demand viewing) with an ongoing facilitator-led workshop over 3 weeks. Don’t miss this opportunity!
 

Learning Outcomes

After you attend this interactive online course and workshop, you’ll be able to:

• Understand the intersections of project management and librarianship

• Use project management skills to further your EDI initiatives

• Create and follow a realistic work plan

• Manage personnel and team dynamics

• Track budgets and deliverables clearly and efficiently

• Work within institutional constraints and guidelines

• Report on project progress with confidence and clear metrics

Who should take this course

Any librarian whose role involves planning and completing midsize to large-scale projects, including program development, community outreach, children’s and adult services, and more. Whether you work in a school, public, academic library or elsewhere, if you would benefit from streamlined and methodical help planning, tracking, and evaluating any project or program’s progress and success, this course is for you!

Live sessions are also available on demand 

Can’t make a live session? All guest speaker sessions are recorded and available on demand following the initial broadcast. Asynchronous workshops allow you to complete assignments and receive feedback from experts.

Certificate of completion provided 

15 professional development credits are available

For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co

Group Rates

Have a team attend and increase your impact!

Discounted registration fees are available for groups of 3 or more. When you register your team for our online courses, they will be placed in the same small workshop group, where discussions and project-based assignments receive feedback from an experienced librarian.

Send us a request for a quote.

If your group prefers to work separately, just let us know.

Curriculum Advisor

Margot Note
Margot Note has over 20 years of experience in information work in the national and international sectors. She is a Certified Archivist, a Certified Records Manager, an Information Governance Professional, and a Project Management Professional.

She has authored seven books, including Creating Family Archives: A Step‐by‐Step Guide for Saving Your Memories for Future Generations, Project Management for Information Professionals, and Managing Image Collections: A Practical Guide.

Margot Note Consulting, LLC offers archives, records management, and research services. 

By registering for this event you confirm that you have read and agree to our Code of Conduct.

For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co.

Week 1: Understanding how project management applies to librarianship and how to get started 

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET

Why Librarians Need Project Management

Increasingly, librarians  are embracing project management to guide their work. Projects require collaboration and traverse boundaries: professional, organizational, geographical, or technological. This session will teach you the ways that leading projects can offer librarians personal and career development and the prospect of achieving lasting impact. You will learn the ins and outs of the intersections between project management and librarianship, including: how to define projects and project management, tenets of change management, organizational and personal benefits of project management, and how to maximize your success. 

Speaker: 

Kirsten Clark, (she, her, hers) Director, Library Enterprise Systems at University of Minnesota

Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET

Where Do I Begin? How to Initiate Projects

Initiating a project encompasses the processes that outline a new project or a new phase of a current project by obtaining authorization to begin work. Learn how to begin a project in a sustainable way through this session that will teach you first how to understand business cases and feasibility studies, how to develop goals and objectives, and how to identify risks and reveal assumptions. From there, you will learn how to determine your deliverables and clearly outline the scope of your project.  

Speaker:

Fola Alabi, (she, her, hers) Business and Transformational Leadership Expert

Optional Session 3 | 3:45-4:30 pm ET

Apply Your Learning: Live, Interactive, Expert-Led Workshop

This live working session will give you an immediate opportunity to apply the skills you’ve learned in the previous sessions. You will be put into small, peer groups and given relevant assignments and activities to work through together. Expert facilitators will also be available for live Q&A and feedback. 

Facilitator:

Week 2: Preparing for success: Planning your project and leading your team

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET

Set Yourself Up for Success: How to Plan Your Projects 

Planning a project includes outlining the processes related to figuring out what you will do and how you will do it. This phase establishes the scope of the project, refines goals and objectives, and defines the course of action for the project. The time devoted to project planning pays major dividends later as you are executing and monitoring time, cost, and quality. This session will teach you how to: kick off your project, develop a structure to break down your work, define your work sequence, schedule your project realistically, and determine and secure your needed resources.

Speaker:

Dr. Emad Rahim, (he, him) PMP, CSP-CM, A-CSM, Kotouc Family Endowed Professor and Chair at Bellevue University

Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET

Engaging Your Team to Execute Projects

Executing projects includes performing the work necessary to achieve the stated objectives of the project, as defined by the project management plan. A large part of project management includes supporting and working with all the people involved on your team. This session will teach you practical tips for how to manage and lead teams and stakeholders, how to conduct efficient and effective meetings, how to handle problems that arise, and best practices for clear and compassionate communication. 

Speaker:

Dr. Terrence D. Duncan, (he, him) PMP, Author, Visionary, Consultant, Leader, Influencer J.I. Enterprises

 

Optional Session 3 | 3:45-4:30 pm ET

Apply Your Learning: Live, Interactive, Expert-Led Workshop

This live working session will give you an immediate opportunity to apply the skills you’ve learned in the previous sessions. You will be put into small, peer groups and given relevant assignments and activities to work through together. Expert facilitators will also be available for live Q&A and feedback. 

Facilitator:

Dr. Terrence D. Duncan, (he, him) PMP, Author, Visionary, Consultant, Leader, Influencer J.I. Enterprises

 

Week 3: Tools and strategies for monitoring, controlling, and closing your projects

Wednesday,November 16, 2022

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET

Maintaining Progress: Monitoring and Controlling Projects 

This phase is involved with monitoring project progress, managing change and risk, and communicating project status. Project managers will ensure a project is performing well by using appropriate tools and techniques; managing changes to the project scope, schedule, and costs; and communicating project status to stakeholders. You’ll leave this session knowing how to establish a communication plan, document a project and track its progress, manage quality control and changes, and control the project to meet your goals. 

Speaker:

Kelly Sattler, Project Manager for the Libraries’ Strategic Projects and Associate Director for MESH

 

Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an overview of what to expect from the online workshop in this course

 

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET

Now What? Project Reflection and Closure

Ensuring you have a process in place to complete your project is just as important as your process for starting. Typical closing actions include finishing all project activities, archiving documents, obtaining acceptance for deliverables, and communicating project closure. This session will teach you how to close your contracts, conduct performance reviews, and manage transitions. You will learn how to reflect on the lessons you learned alongside your team to build and maintain relationships and establish your desired processes for future projects. 

Speaker:

Crystal Trice, CSM, CSM@Scale, LIbrary Consultant, Scissors & Glue, LLC

 

Optional Session 3 | 3:45-4:30 pm ET

Apply Your Learning: Live, Interactive, Expert-Led Workshop

This live working session will give you an immediate opportunity to apply the skills you’ve learned in the previous sessions. You will be put into small, peer groups and given relevant assignments and activities to work through together. Expert facilitators will also be available for live Q&A and feedback. 

Facilitator:

Crystal Trice, CSM, CSM@Scale, LIbrary Consultant, Scissors & Glue, LLC

Online Course Preview

A preview of how we build your library skills and bring inspiration to your projects with our online learning experience.

Course Format

One-Week Timeline (Course Runs 3+ Weeks)

DAYS 1-2 On Demand	DAY 3 2.5 hours	DAYS 4-7 1-2 hours (optional)
PRE-LIVE SESSION - Resources - Discussions - Bonus Content	LIVE SESSIONS - Guest speakers via webcast - Q&A via chat - Recordings available on demand	ASYNCHRONOUS WORKSHOP - Project-based homework, applied to your job - Personalized feedback from a facilitator - Group discussion in an asynchronous workshop setting via discussion forum	3-WEEK WORKSHOP - Facilitator-led feedback WEEK 1 Gather data and set goals WEEK 2 Identify gaps and priorities WEEK 3 Synthesize your action plan

Inspiring Live Guest Speakers + Facilitated Group Workshop for Project-Based Learning

Live session with Andrea Blackman and Tasneem Ansariyah Grace	Live Guest Speakers Each Week Engage with presenters via live video stream, visual presentations, and chats Map out your own initiatives with guidance from an expert advisor Leave with refined, robust strategies designed to make a lasting impact on your community Workshop tangible approaches to your work with input from peer groups

Online Course Features

Recordings of guest speakers

Recordings Available After The Live Session Real-time guest speakers and conversation via live video stream (with recordings available afterward) Instructor-led online course features personalized interaction over 3+ weeks

Facilitator-led workshop

Online Classroom Organizes All Materials Workshop assignments to help you make progress on your goals Individualized attention from course facilitators who work with you in a coaching environment in the workshop to help sort out challenges Ongoing group conversation via discussion forums

Early Access On Demand Resources

Resources To Support Learning Supporting resources (articles, videos, worksheets) in the online classroom to provide a foundation for your work Access all course content for six months after the course ends Bonus: Register early and get immediate access to archival video recordings from related courses and other bonus content