The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office and the NILPPA research team are pleased to share the results of our NILPPA: Phase 1 research.
“National Impact of Library Public Programs Assessment: Phase 1: A White Paper on the Dimensions of Library Programs and the Skills and Training for Library Program Professionals” highlights findings from an intensive research project conducted by ALA and a team of researchers from 2017 to 2019.
With funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), ALA conducted the first phase of a multi-year, multi-part research project to document the characteristics, outcomes, and value of public programs and to contribute information to help prepare future generations of library workers to excel in this work. This intensive research brought together a network of researchers, practitioner-researchers, and advisors to explore two foundational questions:
- How can we characterize and categorize public programs offered by libraries today?
- What competencies and training are required for professionals working with library programming today?
We invite you to read our findings and share your feedback:
You may also explore our findings through two free one-hour webinars, recorded on June 10 and June 14, 2019:
“What is a Program, Anyway? Findings from NILPPA, ALA’s National Study of Library Public Programs”
“The Nine Competencies of Programming Librarians: Findings from NILPPA, ALA’s National Study of Library Public Programs.”
Great job! I’ve read through the report and the one thing that keeps tripping me up is the competency labelled “Organizational skills,” which are defined as “In addition to basic administration and management skills, this competency includes diplomacy and management skills with outside organizations.”
So if I’m reading this text right, this competency is basically about working well with others in planning, administrating, and assessing programs. I wonder if something like “Community Engagement Skills,” “Partnership Skills,” or just plain “Inter-organizational skills” [to mirror Interpersonal Skills] would be more descriptive.