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April 2026 Workshops and Webinars
The Connecticut State Library Division of Library Development is sharing the following learning opportunities for April. There are LOTS
of topic areas to choose from. We hope you’ll join us for one or more!
Click on specific April training topics below or scroll through!
ACCESSIBILITY
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)
COLLECTIONS
COMMUNITY NEEDS
CONSTRUCTION GRANTS
INFORMATION LITERACY
LEADERSHIP
PUBLIC SPEAKING
READERS ADVISORY
SAFETY / SECURITY
YOUTH SERVICES
ACCESSIBILITY
TIAL: Creating Accessible Digital Documents – Office Hours
[DLD Workshop] Thursday, April 2 from 10-11 |
Register for Creating Accessible Digital Documents
Join Matt Geeza, director of the CT Library for Accessible Books (CT LAB), for a 60-minute open Office Hours session. Office Hours are an opportunity to ask questions
about digital document accessibility. Participants can also bring new or existing Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and PDF documents to Office Hours for an accessibility review with Matt.
TIAL: Hands Up!: Live ASL Practice for Library Staff (Beginner)
with Kathy MacMillan - Session 1
[DLD Workshop] Monday, April 27 from 1-2 |
Register for Live ASL Practice
Learn how to improve your service to deaf patrons in the first session of this interactive six-part series. We'll cover basic information about American Sign Language
and Deaf Culture, as well as specific vocabulary for the library setting. Each session will build on those before it to reinforce your knowledge and expand your ability to communicate with members of the Deaf community, and you’ll get plenty of interactive
signing practice!
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)
Truth and AI: Practical Strategies for Misinformation, Disinformation, and Hallucinations
[Library 2.0] Friday, April 3 from 2-3 | Note: Please contact
Gail.Hurley@ct.gov for registration information.
AI-generated misinformation is getting harder to spot, and that's not a failure of skill; it's a feature of the technology. Deepfakes, AI-written text, and manipulated
images are designed to be convincing, and even trained eyes get fooled. For library staff, the question isn't always "is this real?" It's "what do I do when I can't tell?" This one-hour webinar gives you practical, honest strategies for navigating misinformation
with patrons, responding confidently when you're uncertain, and building the kind of critical thinking habits that hold up even when the tools don't. Whether you're fielding questions at the desk or designing information literacy programming, you'll leave
with language, frameworks, and approaches you can use right away.
Perspectives on AI: Exploring Experiences with AI in Library Work
[Library 2.0 Mini-Conference] Thursday, April 9 from 1:30-4:30 | Register
for Perspectives on AI Mini-Conference
AI is reshaping libraries in ways that raise hard questions and real opportunities, and library workers are responding with everything from skepticism to excitement
to alarm. This three-hour mini-conference is designed to honor that complexity so attendees can form their own informed, values-grounded view. The mini-conference will explore AI from the angles that matter to library workers.
AI Tools in Depth: A Practical Masterclass for Library Staff
[Library 2.0] Friday, April 10 from 12 to 3:30 | Note: Please contact
Gail.Hurley@ct.gov for registration information.
AI tools are changing fast, and the gap between surface familiarity and genuine understanding matters. This in-depth masterclass is designed to help library staff
build a real foundation in how AI works, what it can and can't do, and how to apply it practically and responsibly in their work and services. Through hands-on learning and expert guidance, you'll move beyond the basics and develop the kind of grounded understanding
that helps you use these tools well, navigate the ethical questions they raise, and serve your community with confidence.
COLLECTIONS
Book Display Basics for Every Library Worker
[PCI Webinars] Wednesday, April 8
from 2-3 |
Register for Book Display Basics
Any library worker can be a hero and use book displays or online book lists to market their library's collection, revealing the hidden gems on their shelves and
introducing patrons to materials they may have missed. In addition, book displays, both in the library and online, can tie your programs, partnerships, and library services into your collection…
Water Management 101: Safeguarding Collections in Small and Mid-Sized Institutions
[FAIC Connecting to Collections Care] Thursday, April 16 from 1-2 | Register for Water
Management 101
Keeping water away from collections at small and mid-sized institutions is paramount to any collection caretaker’s job, but doing that isn’t always straightforward.
A little knowledge of water management in buildings can go a long way,whether your collection is held in a state-of-the-art facility or a historic house. In this webinar, we will cover how to: - Preempt moisture issues, large and small
- Detect leaks and identify their potential sources
- Understand your building’s waterproofing and water management systems
- Speak confidently with tradespeople, waterproofing specialists, and engineers about issues and repairs
Region 7 Presents: Funded Project Report Back on Indoor Air Quality Resources
[NNLM Webinar] Wednesday, April 29 from 2-3 | Register for Funded Project Report
Join partners from the Public Library of Brookline (MA), the Hamden Public Library (CT) and Yale University to hear how they introduced CO2 Monitoring Kits into
their circulating collection. Panelists will discuss why they pursued these programs, how they catalogued the kits and introduced them to their communities, as well as lessons learned and what other libraries should know if they’re interested in pursuing a
similar project.
COMMUNITY NEEDS
Leading From the Future: Mapping Community Needs with Foresight, Empathy and Data
[DLD in-person workshop at the Middletown Library Service Center] Thursday, April 16 from 10-11:30 |
Register for Mapping Community Needs
Join DLD staff in person at the Middletown Library Service Center, and participate in exercises designed for a powerful community needs assessment. Integrating foresight
into this process helps organizations and stakeholders better understand what resources, services, or programs are lacking, as well as what empathy-focused challenges and opportunities are most important to address. The session is designed to empower grant-seeking
library staff to effectively understand the specific community and target audience that they will work with to co-create programs, services, or projects. Participants will learn exercises built from EXCITE Transformation for Libraries workshops including how
to do empathy mapping and how to facilitate community conversations to reveal the true needs and wants of the group. The goal is for participants to leave better prepared to describe the community needs within a grant application. All library staff involved
in writing grant applications are encouraged to attend.
CONSTRUCTION GRANTS
Construction Grant Information Session
[DLD Workshop] Wednesday, April 8 from 10-11:30 |
Register for Construction Grant Information Session.
Through its Construction Grant Program, the CT State Library (CSL) empowers libraries to develop library projects for Probable, Plausible, and Possible futures. Libraries
are not just about collections; they are the fiber of communities. Libraries applying for Construction Grants through CSL are encouraged to pursue designs that are adaptable, resilient, and transformative to create user-centered experiences. If your library
is thinking of applying for a construction grant from the CT State Library, this webinar will walk you through the process. You'll learn what you need to do before applying as well as what's required after you receive the grant. Don't get tripped up -- just
plan ahead and be prepared. We'll cover funding categories, application process, grant application evaluation, timeline, grant contract, starting and managing the project, state requirements, and advice.
Additional Construction Grant Sessions:
Monday April 20 from 1-2:30 |
Register for Construction Grant April 20 Session
Wednesday, May 6 from 10-11:30 |
Register for Construction Grant May 6 Session
Monday, May 11 from 10-11:30 |
Register for Construction Grant May 11 Session
INFORMATION LITERACY
Day for an Informed Public @ CT State
Library [DLD
in-person Workshop] Friday, April 10 from 10-2 | Register for Day for an Informed Public.
For many, today’s information environment is characterized by bite-sized pieces of information from hundreds of content creators delivered through feeds designed
to engage and enrage. Navigating this is becoming increasingly complex. Luckily, there are many ways you can help your patrons – and yourself – build the knowledge and skills needed to be informed. Drawing on research from the Center for an Informed Public,
we’ll get insight into both our information ecosystem and the approaches that work to engage patrons around these issues. We know that one size does not fit all, so we’ll explore multiple options – from a media literacy-themed escape room game to passive programming
on AI-generated images to community events that spark discussion across generations – and more. You’ll leave with a better understanding of the information landscape and comprehensive resources co-created by librarians and researchers to try in your own library.
LEADERSHIP
Leading From the Middle
[PCI Webinars]
Wednesday, April 29 from 2-3 | Register for Leading from the Middle
Do you have more than one boss at your library? Do you have lots of responsibility, but little authority? Are you working between multiple departments? Are you looking
to improve your communication skills with your managers and your direct reports? If so, this webinar can help you communicate better and manage up, and down.
PUBLIC SPEAKING
Stand Out Every Time You Talk [DLD
in-person workshop at the Middletown Library Service Center]
Wednesday, April 15 from 1-3:30
Register for Stand Out Every Time You Talk
What happens when you have to make a presentation--whether to staff, the board or a room full of strangers? You get nervous and your message gets lost. In this two
and a half hour, interactive workshop, learn the fundamentals of effective presentation skills. Find out how solid eye contact is an anchor, learn about posture and why gestures are essential and make your content come alive. We'll also cover how to use your
voice effectively, tips on crowd control, and how to regain the attention of a distracted audience. We'll practice Q&A skills and why this part of your presentation is a great opportunity for you to shine. Interactive and fun, join us live at the CT State
Library for a session that will help you channel your nervousness so that you stand out every time you talk!
P.S. Introverted or shy presenters are often the most effective once they learn how to engage the audience.
READERS ADVISORY
Demystifying Genre [DLD Workshop] Monday, April 13 from 2-3:30 |
Register for Demystifying Genre
Nothing is scarier than trying to help a fan of a genre you yourself don’t enjoy. You want to help that, for example, Romance reader, find the perfect book, but you
are having trouble knowing where to begin because...eek!... you don’t read Romance. You are afraid they will find out you are a fraud. How can YOU possibly help THEM?!? Don’t fret. In this program, Readers’ Advisory expert, Becky Spratford, will teach you
the basic appeals of the major genres, give you the inside track on what a fan of that genre is most drawn to, and provide you with talking points to get your genres readers to tell you what they want. This program focuses on providing you with a diverse and
inclusive list of up-to-date authors; only living authors will be discussed. You will leave this session with the confidence and skill to help fans of every genre, regardless of whether or not you have ever read a book in that genre yourself. And that will
leave a trail of happy patrons in your wake.
SAFETY / SECURITY
C.P.T.E.D. for Libraries: Using "Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design" to Create
Safer, More Welcoming Library Spaces [Library 2.0] Thursday, April 30 from 2-3 | Note: Please contact
Gail.Hurley@ct.gov for registration information.
Libraries are among the most open, accessible, and inclusive public spaces in any community. But those same qualities can also make them vulnerable to safety and
security concerns. From poor sightlines and inadequate lighting to design choices that unintentionally create opportunities for disorder, many libraries face challenges that can be addressed not with more rules or restrictions, but with smarter design. Crime
Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) offers a practical, evidence-based framework for making libraries safer while preserving the welcoming character that defines them.
YOUTH SERVICES
Introduction to APHA’s Climate & Health Youth Education Toolkit for Programming, Engagement and Education
[NNLM Webinar] Tuesday, April 14 from 1-2 |
Register for Introduction to APHA’s Climate & Health Youth Education Toolkit
This webinar provides an overview of the climate and health education curriculum and resources developed by the American Public Health Association (APHA) Children’s
Environmental Health Committee. It can be used by public health practitioners, librarians, teachers, and other professionals for educational programming, youth engagement, and as an interactive activity. The presenters will share best practices for implementing
and adapting the toolkit.
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For other 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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