December 2025 Workshops and Webinars

 

ACCESSIBILITY

AI (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE)

BUILDING PROJECTS

CHILDREN’S SERVICES

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

DLD MINI TRAININGS

FUTURES

POLICIES

SELF-ASSESSMENT

SMALL BUSINESS

 

ACCESSIBILITY

 

TIAL: The Basics of Web Accessibility and Basic Testing of Accessibility [DLD Workshop with Geoff Freed] Tuesday, December 2 from 1-2:30 | Register

 

Join Geoff Freed of onfocusAccess as we kick off a series of three workshops on web accessibility and the Department of Justice's ruling on Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)…

 

Community First: Making the Library Accessible to Neurodivergent Youth [PCI Webinars] Wednesday, December 3 from 2-3 | Register

 

Neurodivergent children have needs that can make coming to the library a challenge. To bridge this barrier and embrace and celebrate this community, we created programming and a designated physical space that is inclusive and provides an enriching library experience. This program will walk participants through how we developed and implemented an adaptive storytime and a sensory wall so that they can apply aspects of these strategies that work for their libraries and communities…

 

Planning for Digital Accessibility and Literacy in 2026 [ALA Editions] Wednesday, December 3 from 12-1 | Online in 2 parts | Register

 

Part 1 presented by Carli Spina and Rebecca Albrecht Oling, authors of The Digital Accessibility Handbook for Libraries – With the new rules under Title II of the ADA starting to take effect in April 2026, now is the time for libraries to think critically about the accessibility of their own online presence…

 

Part 2 presented by Jenna Kammer and Lauren Hays, authors of Digital Literacy in Public Libraries – In this session they will describe ways in which libraries of all types can plan for digital literacy…

 

TIAL: Understanding the Department of Justice’s Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability Regulation [DLD Workshop with Geoff Freed] Tuesday, December 9 from 1-2 | Register

 

Join Geoff Freed of onfocusAccess for the second of three workshops on web accessibility and the Department of Justice's ruling on Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)…

 

TIAL: The Basics of Web Accessibility Office Hours [DLD Workshop with Geoff Freed] Tuesday, December 16 from 1-2 | Register

 

AI

 

AI’s Environmental Impact: Understanding the Data and Acting Sustainably [Library 2.0 AI Series]
Friday, December 5, 2-3:15 p.m. | Email Gail.Hurley@ct.gov for registration information

 

As teachers and librarians, you're on the front lines of introducing AI to students. But with headlines warning about AI's massive energy demands, how do you balance the need for AI literacy with decisions about acting sustainably?...

 

AI in Libraries: Getting Prepared for 2026 [PCI Webinars]
Wednesday, December 10, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.| Register

 

Artificial intelligence isn’t just a tech trend — it’s becoming a powerful partner in how libraries connect people, ideas, and information. From smarter search results and on-the-fly translations to creative tools that spark learning and storytelling, AI is opening exciting new possibilities for library services…

 

AI Literacy for Library Leaders: Navigating Change with Confidence [Library 2.0 AI Series]
Friday, December 12, 2-4 p.m. | Email Gail.Hurley@ct.gov for registration information

 

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how information is created, shared, and trusted, and libraries are already feeling the effects. This interactive session offers a practical foundation in AI and generative AI, designed for anyone who leads in libraries: directors, managers, supervisors, coordinators, project leads, and others who guide teams or shape decisions about when, where, and how to implement these tools responsibly…

 

BUILDING PROJECTS

 

Navigating new building projects [WebJunction] Tuesday, December 9 from 3-4 | Register

 

Public library building and renovation projects are often once-in-a-generation events. Staff and leaders may never have done a similar project and may never do one again, making it imperative for libraries to learn from one another. Come learn from one library’s successful experience.

 

CHILDREN’S SERVICES

 

Community First: Making the Library Accessible to Neurodivergent Youth [PCI Webinars] Wednesday, December 3 from 2-3 | Register

 

Neurodivergent children have needs that can make coming to the library a challenge. To bridge this barrier and embrace and celebrate this community, we created programming and a designated physical space that is inclusive and provides an enriching library experience. This program will walk participants through how we developed and implemented an adaptive storytime and a sensory wall so that they can apply aspects of these strategies that work for their libraries and communities…

 

Learning Together: How CT Libraries Can Use Sparkler to Support Families With 0-5 Year Olds [DLD Workshop] Thursday, December 4 from 1-2 | Register

 

The CT Office of Early Childhood is making Sparkler's mobile app available for free to all families in Connecticut with children 0-5 years old. It's a fun app that parents and caregivers can use to spark healthy early childhood development…

 

Deep Dive: Talking [DLD Workshop with Cathy Potter] Friday, December 12 from 2 - 3:30 | Register

 

It’s been almost 15 years since the release of Every Child Ready to Read 2nd Edition. This edition included the introduction of the five practices: talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing. These practices have become the foundation for early literacy programming in libraries. Join me to take a deeper look at the science behind each concept. Participants will learn more about the concept of talking, establish associations to current initiatives, and discover ways to incorporate or expand upon activities for more meaningful learning and connection through library spaces, programming, and outreach… 

 

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

 

Nontraditional Lending to Aid Your Community's Environmental & Safety Efforts [DLD Workshop with Megan Schadlich] Friday, December 5 from 1-2:30 | Register

 

The increasing damage and length of our severe weather events is concerning for all of us. How do we begin helping our communities to be sure they’re ready before disaster strikes? One way is with a new free kit created for the Maine State Library (MSL) by The Healing Library (THL)...

 

DLD MINIS

 

DLD Minis | eGO CT [DLD Workshop with Brad Bullis]
Thursday, December 4, 10-10:30 a.m.| Online | Register

 

The eGO CT program provides a collection of over 50,000 items from the Connecticut State Library's ebook collection. College and Public Libraries can access the collection through the Palace app and K12 schools can connect with the collection through their Destiny catalog or through the Boundless App.

 

DLD Minis | Public Library Statistical Charts and Visualizations [DLD Workshop with Barbara Ghilardi] Monday, December 15 from 10-10:30 | Register

 

Each year, CT Public Libraries submit an annual report that reflects the accomplishments they have achieved over the past fiscal year. Charts and other visualizations of this data serve as a tool for libraries to be able to tell a story to their communities. Come learn about the different ways your library's story can be visualized with tools supported by DLD.

 

FUTURES

 

Transformation for Libraries: The Future of Learning Participants [DLD Workshop with Nicole Baker-Rosa and Dawn La Valle] Wednesday, December 10 from 11:30-3 | Register

 

Building on the national Foundations in Natural Foresight for libraries, the CT State Library Division of Library Development (DLD) and TFSX will host a half day gathering of Transformation for Libraries: The Future of Learning Participants. With Futures School alumni and key stakeholders , TFSX will facilitate the session to generate dialogue and synthesize alignments, strategic opportunities, and innovative ideas to continue momentum of the Future of Libraries and allocate ownership for maximum impact…

 

POLICIES

 

Libraries, Social Media, CIPA, and the Internet [Niche Academy webinar] Wednesday, December 10 from 2-3 | Register

 

Understand policy relating to social media, the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), and the internet…

 

SELF ASSESSMENT

 

Deepening Your Strength’s-Based Practice [DLD Workshop with Megan Schadlich]

Thursday, December 11 from 1-3 | Register

 

In this session, Megan will share an updated tool she designed for the DC Public Library system to find the blind spots in your strengths-based practice as they relate to your personal practice of librarianship, specifically, through the lens of the HOPE Framework from Tufts. You'll leave with clear knowledge of where your strengths lie and what to focus on next. Participants will gain the most from this session if they have basic understanding of the following areas of focus: intersectional identities, trauma informed care, wellness-centered engagement, restorative justice, ACEs & PACEs.

 

SMALL BUSINESS

 

Libraries supporting small business skills for formerly incarcerated individuals [WebJunction] Tuesday, December 2 from 3-4 | Register

 

Learn how two innovative libraries have become supportive environments to build entrepreneurial skills…

 

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For other 2025, and upcoming 2026 events, please Visit: https://cslib.libcal.com/

 

For any questions, please contact Gail Hurley at Gail.Hurley@ct.gov or 

860-704-2223 

 

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