Librarian Course

Lesson 1 • Core Values and Professional Ethics

Examines intellectual freedom, privacy, equity of access, and professional codes of conduct. Grounds all subsequent practice in an ethical decision-making framework.

Lesson 2 • History and Evolution of Libraries

Traces libraries from ancient collections to modern digital institutions. Provides historical context that informs contemporary professional values and practices.

Lesson 3 • Professional Organizations and Standards

Introduces major library associations, accreditation bodies, and published professional standards. Connects students to the broader professional community and continuing education pathways.

Lesson 1 • Bibliographic Description Fundamentals

Covers the elements of bibliographic description, including title, authorship, edition, and publication data. Forms the basis for creating consistent, interoperable catalog records.

Lesson 2 • Subject Analysis and Controlled Vocabularies

Teaches subject heading assignment and thesaurus use to enable topical retrieval. Directly supports catalog usability and patron search success.

Lesson 3 • Authority Control and Record Maintenance

Explains authority files, name disambiguation, and ongoing record updates. Ensures catalog integrity and long-term retrieval reliability.

Lesson 4 • Classification Systems

Compares Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress classification for physical arrangement. Students assign call numbers and understand the logic behind each system.

Lesson 1 • Writing a Collection Development Policy

Guides students through drafting a formal policy covering scope, selection criteria, and budget allocation. Provides the governance framework for all collection decisions.

Lesson 2 • Acquisitions and Vendor Relations

Explains ordering workflows, vendor negotiation, and license review for purchased and leased materials. Connects selection decisions to procurement and budget management.

Lesson 3 • Collection Assessment and Weeding

Introduces quantitative and qualitative methods for evaluating collection strength and currency. Students apply weeding criteria to identify materials for withdrawal or replacement.

Lesson 4 • Selecting Materials Across Formats

Covers selection of print, electronic, audiovisual, and special format materials. Teaches evaluation of vendor offers, reviews, and community demand data.

Lesson 1 • The Reference Interview

Teaches active listening, open-ended questioning, and query clarification techniques. Enables librarians to accurately identify patron information needs before searching.

Lesson 2 • Reference Sources and Search Strategies

Surveys print and digital reference sources and teaches systematic search strategy construction. Builds the research toolkit used in every reference transaction.

Lesson 3 • Designing Instructional Sessions

Covers lesson planning, learning objectives, active learning strategies, and assessment for library instruction. Prepares students to teach research skills to diverse audiences.

Lesson 4 • Information Literacy Frameworks

Introduces established frameworks for information literacy and their instructional implications. Provides the theoretical basis for designing patron education programs.

Lesson 1 • Discovery Layers and OPAC Design

Covers public-facing catalog interfaces, faceted search, and relevance ranking configuration. Teaches librarians to optimize discovery for diverse patron search behaviors.

Lesson 2 • Digital Repository and Institutional Repository Systems

Introduces platforms for hosting institutional research outputs and digital collections. Connects repository management to open access and scholarly communication goals.

Lesson 3 • Evaluating and Migrating Library Systems

Teaches needs assessment, vendor comparison, and data migration planning for system transitions. Prepares librarians to lead or participate in technology change projects.

Lesson 4 • Data Security and Privacy in Library Systems

Addresses patron data protection, system access controls, and compliance with privacy obligations. Reinforces the ethical commitment to patron confidentiality introduced in Chapter 1.

Lesson 1 • Policy Development and Governance

Guides students through drafting, approving, and communicating library policies. Establishes consistent, defensible rules for service delivery and resource use.

Lesson 2 • Facilities Planning and Space Management

Covers space assessment, furniture layout, signage, and accessibility compliance for library facilities. Ensures physical environments support diverse patron needs and service models.

Lesson 3 • Budgeting and Financial Management

Covers budget types, line-item planning, expenditure tracking, and reporting to stakeholders. Equips librarians to manage fiscal resources responsibly and transparently.

Lesson 4 • Human Resources and Personnel Management

Addresses hiring, onboarding, performance evaluation, and staff development for library teams. Builds supervisory skills applicable to both professional and paraprofessional staff.

Lesson 1 • Grant Writing and External Funding

Covers identifying funding opportunities, writing compelling narratives, and managing awarded grants. Enables librarians to secure resources beyond the operating budget.

Lesson 2 • Marketing and Promoting Library Services

Introduces branding, social media, press releases, and event promotion for library outreach. Ensures programs reach intended audiences and build institutional visibility.

Lesson 3 • Programming for Diverse Populations

Covers program design for children, teens, seniors, English language learners, and underserved groups. Applies inclusive design principles to maximize participation and impact.

Lesson 4 • Community Needs Assessment

Teaches survey design, focus groups, demographic analysis, and data interpretation for community profiling. Grounds program planning in evidence rather than assumption.

Lesson 1 • Open Access Models and Policies

Explains gold, green, and diamond open access routes and funder mandates for public access. Equips librarians to advise authors on compliant and cost-effective publishing choices.

Lesson 2 • Scholarly Metrics and Research Impact

Introduces citation metrics, altmetrics, author identifiers, and responsible use of impact measures. Helps librarians support faculty in demonstrating and improving research visibility.

Lesson 3 • Copyright, Fair Use, and Licensing

Addresses copyright principles, fair use analysis, Creative Commons licensing, and interlibrary loan compliance. Enables librarians to provide accurate guidance without practicing law.

Lesson 4 • Advanced Database and Literature Searching

Builds on basic search skills with systematic review methodology, citation chaining, and grey literature searching. Supports high-stakes research in academic and special library contexts.