We've crawled the web for some of the most useful library learning opportunities, most of them free and all of them curated for the librarians of Illinois.

Here's where you can expand your skills in August 2025...

All learning is online unless noted otherwise.

Library Issues & Book News 

• Aug. 5, 1 p.m.
  Adult Faves (Booklist)
• Aug. 5, 1 p.m.
  Fall Audiobook Preview (Library Journal)
• Aug. 6, Noon
  From US Copyright Office: The Plot Thickens: Copyright Essentials for Writers (ASERL)
• Aug. 7, 1 p.m.
  Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adventure & Horror (Booklist)
• Aug. 7, 1 p.m.
  Summer Book Bash: Book Buzz with Disney, Lee & Low, & Sourcebooks (LibraryLinkNJ)
• Aug. 12, 1 p.m.
  YA Announcements (Booklist)
• Aug. 12, 2 p.m.
  Building Community Through Craft Programs (WebJunction)
• Aug. 13, 1 p.m.
  Keep Turning, Keep Learning — Exciting Nonfiction Awaits (Booklist)
• Aug. 14, 1 p.m.
  Summer Book Bash: Book Buzz with Abrams, Harlequin, & Hachette (LibraryLinkNJ)
• Aug. 19, 1 p.m.
  Picture Book Party (Booklist)
• Aug. 21, 1 p.m.
  Summer Book Bash: Book Buzz with Chronicle, Levine Querido & W. W. Norton (LibraryLinkNJ)
• Aug. 26, 1 p.m.
  Comics to the Core: Graphic Novels & Manga Essentials (Booklist)
• Aug. 27, 2 p.m.
  Summer Book Bash: Summer Romance with Ronni Davis, Kaitlyn Hill, and Jackie Khalilieh (LibraryLinkNJ)
• Aug. 28, 2 p.m.
  Introduction to the United States Reports Collection on GovInfo (Federal Depository Library Program)

Cataloging

• Aug. 5, 1 p.m.
  OCLC Connexion Client 1: Foundations of Connexion Client (OCLC)
• Aug. 12, 9 a.m.
  AskQC: From title source to AI-generated metadata: Why data provenance matters (OCLC)
• Aug. 19, 1 p.m.
  OCLC Connexion Client 2: Bibliographic Searching (OCLC)
• Aug. 20, 9 a.m.
  Advanced Cataloging (Vermont Dept. of Libraries)
• Aug. 21, 3 p.m.
  AskQC: From title source to AI-generated metadata: Why data provenance matters (OCLC)

Advocacy Webinars

• Aug. 22, 2 p.m.
  Librarians, Legislation, and Media Training: Successfully advocate for libraries in legislature and your local community (School Library Journal)

Grants & Fundraising

• Aug. 6, 1 p.m.
  Foundations of Philanthropic Partnership (Niche Academy)
• Aug. 7, 1 p.m.
  Late Summer Strategies for Fall Fundraising Success (Bloomerang)
• Aug. 11, 11 a.m.
  Maximizing Donor Surveys for Impactful Year-End Fundraising (Nonprofit Learning Lab)
• Aug. 12, 1 p.m.
  Introduction to Proposal Writing (Candid. Learning)
• Aug. 13, 1 p.m.
  Raise more money from your community through peer-to-peer and digital-first fundraising (Candid. Learning)
• Aug. 14, 11 a.m.
  What Your Parents Didn't Tell You About Budgeting (Nonprofit Learning Lab)
• Aug. 14, 1 p.m.
  Leading with Gratitude: Donor Connection in Uncertain Times (Bloomerang)
• Aug. 18, 10 a.m.
  How to Increase Money for Programs and Services Without Relying on a Grant, Event, or Campaign (Nonprofit Learning Lab)
• Aug. 19, 1 p.m.
  Introduction to Project Budgets (Candid. Learning)
• Aug. 25, 10 a.m.
  Bottleneck Breakers: How to Break Past Fundraising Barriers (Nonprofit Learning Lab)
• Aug. 28, 1 p.m.
  Storytelling Tools to Boost Nonprofit Fundraising Success (Bloomerang)

Leadership and Communication 

• Aug. 5, 1 p.m.
  Cultivating a Grief Sensitive Community through Library and Community-Based Partnerships (NNLM)
• Aug. 6, 1 p.m.
  Keeping It Real: Building Reading Integrity and Accountability in Schools (School Library Journal)
• Aug. 12, 1 p.m.
  Project Outcome 101 for Academic Libraries (ACRL)
• Aug. 12, 2 p.m.
  Building community through craft programs (WebJunction)
• Aug. 13, 10 a.m.
  Ditching 1000 Books: A New Initiative (Nebraska Library Commission)
• Aug. 13, 1 p.m.
  Social Media Roundup for Librarians (Niche Academy)
• Aug. 19, 4 p.m.
  News Literacy in Action: Getting Students to Think and Write Like Journalists (Edweb.net)
• Aug. 20, 1 p.m.
  News Literacy Practices and Partnerships (Niche Academy)
• Aug. 21, 10 a.m.
  Research Impact Beyond Academia: Utilizing Policy Citations and Researcher/Librarian Partnerships (Choice360.org)
• Aug. 25, 3 p.m.
  Engaging an Unengaged Team (GovLoop)
• Aug. 26, 2 p.m.
  Teen services that matter: Designing supportive library experiences (WebJunction)

Technology 

• Aug. 5, 1 p.m.
  AI-Hallucinated Citations in Libraries: A Discussion (ASERL)
• Aug. 5, 2 p.m.
  Empowering Your Library Program with AI (Follett)
• Aug. 6, multiple sessions
  What’s New in Canva Education (Canva)
• Aug. 7, multiple sessions
  Setting up Canva for your school system (Canva)
• Aug. 20, 1 p.m.
  Introduction to the American Community Survey (US Census Bureau)
• Aug. 26, Noon
  Empowering research with GenAI and Agentic AI: From synthesis and understanding to insights and innovation (Choice360.org)

Wellness

• Aug. 6, 2 p.m.
  Balancing the Books: Addressing Economic Insecurity Among Library Workers (Colorado State Library)
• Aug. 26, 1 p.m.
  How to Put a Career Plan in Place (GovLoop)

Want more learning opportunities? Visit the Training Calendar from the Maine State Library.

Upcoming Conferences 

Grab your tickets! These conferences are coming up in the next few months. 

• Oct. 5–7, 2025, in Champaign, Ill.
  AISLE Annual Conference 2025

• Oct. 14–16, 2025, in Rosemont, Ill.
  ILA Annual Conference 2025

• Nov. 11–13, 2025, Online, & Nov. 14, 2025, in Champaign, Ill.
  Health Science Librarians of Illinois 2025 Annual Conference

• Nov. 12–13, 2025, in St. Louis, Mo.
  Library Marketing Communications Conference 2025

• Feb. 19, 2026, Online
  IHLS Member Day 2026

Other Events by IHLS

Illinois Heartland Library System has an expanding variety of learning opportunities, too. View them all on our Events page.

Have suggestions, ideas, or questions about Continuing Education? Contact our Continuing Education Coordinator at 618.474.9948. 

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