Online Learning for Library Staff
We are in a state of transition with our learning management system. As a temporary measure, we’re providing access to recordings from a limited number of courses below, along with a fillable completion certificate. Please check back periodically for new content and updates about our continuing education offerings.
Online Learning by Topic
Children and Youth Services | Community Engagement and Outreach | Grants and Funding |
Library Management | Reader's Advisory | Reference | Technology and E-rate
Children and Youth Services
Course Summary
Join TSLAC's Youth Services Consultant Katelyn Patterson at this event to learn about free resources made available to your library through a partnership with the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) thanks to funding from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Information will be shared about how frontline staff can access these resources and participate in important decisions around summer resources for Texas public libraries.
Original air date: November 6, 2025
1 CE Hour (CPE 
eligible for Texas educators)
Course Materials
Watch recorded webinar
View webinar slides (.pdf.)
View resource links (.pdf.)
Download fillable certificate (.pdf)
Course Summary
This presentation will examine how robots can be used alongside read alouds to increase student engagement, literary connections, and comprehension skills. We’ll look at ways to use robots to represent character traits; enact dramas; demonstrate the sequence of story elements; and allow students to create their own stories and characters. Attendees will experience activities they can take and adapt for their library programs and receive a resource toolbox with ideas, guiding questions, and premade activities utilizing robots.
Presenter: Melanie Sowa-Li, Technology Teacher, Conroe ISD
Original air date: May 7, 2024
1 CE Hour (CPE eligible for Texas educators)
Course Materials
Watch recorded webinar
View webinar slides (.pptx)
Download fillable certificate (.pdf)
Community Engagement and Outreach
Course Summary
Sometimes, the act of curling up with a good book or magazine can be difficult or impossible. But thanks to the Talking Book Program (TBP), the National Library Service (NLS), the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC), and new technology, there are many options available to help Texans of all ages maintain the ability to read with access to books and magazines 24/7. Join Jaclyn Owusu, Public Awareness Coordinator with the Talking Book Program, to learn who is eligible and how to sign up, along with updates about the program.
Original air date: March 9, 2023
1 CE Hour (CPE eligible for Texas educators)
Course Materials
Watch recorded webinar
View webinar slides (.pdf)
Download fillable certificate (.pdf)
Course Summary
This webinar will introduce librarians to a step-by-step process to lead their communities in resiliency planning and local emergency preparedness. Researchers from the Translational Health Research Center (THRC) at Texas State University will share results from a pilot project that positioned librarians in two rural Texas communities as leaders to convene local stakeholders for community collaborations by adapting COPEWELL (Composite of Post-Event Wellbeing), an evidence-based model for resiliency planning developed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Dr. Elizabeth K. Eger and Rex Long from THRC and Library Directors Dianne Connery and Brandy Winn will share their experiences and present a roadmap for other librarians to engage in similar community resiliency collaborations.
Original air date: May 15, 2024
1.5 CE Hours (CPE eligible for Texas educators)
Course Materials
Watch recorded webinar
View webinar slides (.pdf)
Download fillable certificate (.pdf)
Grants and Funding
Course Summary
Presented by TSLAC Grants staff as part of a series for new public library directors, this webinar reviews best practices for applying for grants in general, and provides information about TSLAC grants in particular.
1 CE Hour (CPE eligible for Texas educators)
Course Materials
Watch recorded webinar
View webinar slides (.pptx)
Download fillable certificate (.pdf)
Library Management
Course Summary
Join the TSLAC accreditation team for an insightful webinar that will provide context and meaning to this fundamental report. We’ll discuss question definitions, and where to find resources for necessary information and answer any questions. Since parts of this report require research, preparing near the end of the library’s fiscal year can reduce stress during the reporting window that begins in January. This webinar may be valuable to you whether you are new to this report or need a refresher on all that it entails.
Original air date: October 28, 2025
1 CE Hour (CPE eligible for Texas educators)
Course Materials
Watch recorded webinar
View webinar slides (.pdf)
View handout (.pdf)
Download fillable certificate (.pdf)
Course Summary
Presented by State Librarian Gloria Meraz as part of a series for new public library directors, this webinar provides recommendations and tips for leaders, and suggestions from attendees for cultivating resilience.
1 CE Hour (CPE eligible for Texas educators)
Course Materials
Watch recorded webinar
View webinar slides (.pdf)
Download fillable certificate (.pdf)
Course Summary
Join TSLAC staff for an overview of using the SHAREit ILL system to place and respond to ILL requests. This webinar is a very high-level overview geared specifically to library staff that are new to statewide ILL or have had limited use of the SHAREit ILL system to date.
Original air date: May 20, 2025
1 CE Hour (CPE eligible for Texas educators)
Course Materials
Watch recorded webinar
View webinar slides (.pdf)
View webinar handout (.docx)
View NCIP vs. Non-NCIP Borrowing and Lending Workflow Document(.pdf)
View Participant Record Workbook(.xlsx)
View SHAREit Quick Guide - ILL Workflow(.pdf)
View Quick Reference Guide for Searching(.pdf)
Download fillable certificate (.pdf)
Reader's Advisory
Course Summary
There have been some recent changes in the Western genre and Laura Jean Norris from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s Talking Book Program is here to tell you all about it. She will provide Reader’s Advisory tips, strategies, trends, and resources for ensuring that your Western fans are getting the gunslinging action your patrons are hankering for.
Original air date: March 26, 2024
1 CE Hour (CPE eligible for Texas educators)
Course Materials
Watch recorded webinar
View webinar slides (.pdf)
Download fillable certificate (.pdf)
Course Summary
"What should I read next?” Have you ever struggled to answer that question? The Reader's Advisory team at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission's Talking Book Program are here to help! Saidah Ochoa, John Berkeland and Laura Jean Norris will provide Reader's Advisory (RA) tips, new ways of approaching genres, and general RA resources. Explore different ways to keep your patrons' book appetites satisfied with the Texas Talking Book readers advisory librarians.
Original air date: March 8, 2016
Last reviewed: September 2, 2022
1 CE Hour (CPE eligible for Texas educators)
Course Materials
Watch recorded webinar
View webinar slides (.pptx)
Download fillable certificate (.pdf)
Reference
Course Summary
There’s no place like home! The Library of Congress has many online collections related to Texas local history as well as national history. This session will help participants understand how to help patrons trace a family’s or town’s historic trail by introducing several collections—including panoramic photographs and maps, the Historic American Building Survey/Engineering Record/Landscapes Survey collection (HABS/HAER/HALS), and historic newspapers.
Original air date: December 9, 2025
1 CE Hour (CPE eligible for Texas Educators)
Course Materials
Watch recorded webinar
View webinar slides (.pdf)
View webinar handout (.pdf)
Download fillable certificate (.pdf)
Course Summary
Public librarians are often a trusted source of information on subjects that have a huge impact on patrons’ lives. This can include aspects of everyday life that intersect with the law, like landlord disputes, child custody issues, gun ownership, end-of-life planning, and more. If you are a public librarian with little experience researching what the law says, you may feel nervous about how to answer patrons’ questions about the law without veering into legal advice. This presentation from the State Law Library about the many free resources they offer will help build your confidence in providing legal information to patrons and help you know when to refer them to another entity that can provide the help they need.
Presented by Texas State Law Library Assistant Director Amy Small and Web Content and Reference Librarian Laura Gienger
Original air date: January 13, 2022
1 CE Hour
Course Materials
Watch recorded webinar
View webinar slides (.pptx)
Download fillable certificate (.pdf)
Technology and E-rate
Course Summary
TSLAC’s Data and Project Coordinator, Promise Madu, presents a hands-on webinar that teaches data cleaning, organizing, and basic visualization. Attendees will apply data concepts to real library programs and services. During this webinar, attendees will:
- Identify messy or incomplete data
- Practice step-by-step data cleanup using Excel or Google Sheets
- Create a quick chart that tells a story
Original air date: September 24, 2025
1 CE Hour (CPE eligible for Texas educators)
Course Materials
Watch recorded webinar
View webinar slides (.pptx)
Download fillable certificate (.pdf)
Course Summary
Data is a powerful tool for improving library services, making informed decisions, and understanding patron needs. In this webinar, TSLAC’s Data and Project Coordinator Promise Madu will introduce the basics of library data—what it is, how it’s collected, and why it matters. You’ll learn how data can help libraries manage resources, plan programs, and enhance patron experiences. We’ll also cover simple data analysis techniques, useful tools for organizing information, and real-world examples of how libraries use data effectively. No prior experience is needed—just curiosity and a passion for learning. Whether you're a librarian, library staff member, or simply interested in data-driven decision-making, this session will give you a good foundation to get started.
Original air date: April 17, 2025
1 CE Hour (CPE eligible for Texas educators)
Course Materials
Watch recorded webinar
View webinar slides (.pptx)
Download fillable certificate (.pdf)
Course Summary
In this webinar, explore the power of AI within library settings and discover practical applications of AI through real-world examples and implementations that can benefit library staff at all levels. Our presenter Dianne Connery of Pottsboro Library, a small rural public library in North Texas (pop. 3,945), has already begun using AI to make her life as a librarian easier. Among many other things, it helps her quickly write grants, create slide decks for presentations, draft important letters - and even assisted with coming up with a title and description for this webinar. Dianne is also pioneering practical applications as well. Just this month, she launched a front desk AI librarian, custom-made for her library, to serve her community by answering frequently asked questions and directing them to local services. She’s also working on programming to teach patrons how to use the technology to help them write cover letters and build resumes.
Original air date: January 30, 2024
1 CE Hour (CPE eligible for Texas educators)
Course Materials
Watch recorded webinar
View webinar slides (.pdf)
Access Google Folder with Videos Shown During Webinar in MP4 format
Download fillable certificate (.pdf)
Course Summary
Attendees will learn simple, affordable, actionable ways to make their library a more welcoming and usable space for patrons with visual disabilities. Presented by Kayleigh Matheson, Reader's Advisory Librarian for the Talking Book Program of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Original air date: September 12, 2023
1 CE Hour (CPE eligible for Texas educators)
Course Materials
Watch recorded webinar
View webinar slides (.pptx)
Download fillable certificate (.pdf)