The Massachusetts Library System is pleased to announce that we have contracted with ALA to provide our members with access to their live webinars.  These webinars are free to MLS members who register through our calendar.  Please do not register directly with ALA. Members who register directly with ALA are responsible for paying their registration fee. 

Please help us keep MLS sponsored training free for all members. If you are unable to attend the live webinar, please cancel your registration. A cancellation link can be found in your confirmation email, or you may contact Sarah Donnelly at sdonnelly@masslibsystem.org to cancel. 

Description

Diversity is the key to a strong adult fiction collection. In this webinar, collection development expert Lila Denning will cover how you can grow and diversify your collection to make better readers advisory choices and offer stronger materials to your patrons. You’ll learn best practices for acquiring new materials and for drawing on the strengths of the material you already have. This webinar will not only demystify selecting and ordering diverse materials but will also help library staff confidently display, promote, and connect those materials to a variety of readers.

Learning Outcomes

After participating in this event, you will:

• Understand the foundational reasons for diversifying your collection and be able to reliably discover diverse materials 
• Understand strategies for recommending works either actively or passively that go beyond your lived experience or the perceived lived experience of your community 
• Recognize the importance of the book atmosphere and how libraries, publishers, reviewers, vendors, authors, bookstores and the public all work together

Presenter

Lila Denning is a librarian in Florida specializing in Passive Readers' Advisory for patrons of all ages. She is the Acquisitions Coordinator for the St Petersburg Library System and has worked in circulation, collection development, reference, and youth services. She serves the volunteer coordinator for the Horror Writers of America. You can find her on Twitter @Vantine and on BlueSky @Vantine.bsky.social. On her blog, bookdisplays.blogspot.com, she talks about ideas for book displays and other forms of Passive Readers Advisory and how to best use it to serve your patrons.

Accessibility Information

If you have questions or requests regarding accessibility, contact ce@ala.org or at 312-280-5100.