October 23, 2009
BCR and LITA Partner to Offer Continuing Education Opportunities
BCR and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), have agreed to develop a reciprocal continuing education program to complement and expand the training opportunities for the members of both organizations.
The partnership will combine those areas in which each organization is expert to meet the growing need for libraries to offer new and innovative online continuing education courses, while meeting the challenges of the rapidly changing library environment and shrinking budgets.
BCR brings a professional staff of trainers in traditional librarianship, with broad perspective and experience of both the library and cultural heritage environment, as well as experience in creating, implementing and delivering training courses for the online community. BCR will provide the technical infrastructure to support both online and self-paced learning.
LITA's membership base brings an array of expertise in library standards, emerging technologies and best practices that can be utilized to bring practitioners into the forefront for passing on their expertise to the rest of the community. Michelle Frisque, LITA President, said "I am excited by this new partnership with BCR which will allow LITA to provide a wider range of educational opportunities to our members."
Beyond the advantages of being able to learn where and when it is most practical, the membership of both organizations will benefit from receiving high-quality instruction immediately applicable to the operation of their libraries, as well as extending the variety of courses available through each organization. All members of the BCR/LITA community will have a unique opportunity for continuing education, from the basics to emerging technologies, taught by high-quality subject matter experts.
This new partnership is the first time a multistate consortium such as BCR and an ALA division have combined to undertake a broad-based continuing education program for their respective members.
Questions about the program can be directed to Regan Harper, BCR's director, Education & OutReach, or Mary Taylor, LITA executive director.
To submit a proposal for a continuing education program, visit www.lita.org/ala/mgrps/divs/lita/litaevents/education/proposalform.cfm.
For more information about BCR's continuing education and training programs, contact BCR at training@bcr.org.
