Developing the professional knowledge of librarians through a webinar series.

Area of Science:

• Library and Information Science
• Professional Development
• Health Sciences Librarianship

Background:

• The Early Career Librarians Initiative (ECLI) of the South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association offered a webinar series.
• Topics included networking, goal setting, and salary negotiation for early career librarians.
• Participant feedback was collected via a program evaluation survey.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness and participant satisfaction with the ECLI webinar series.
• To identify key areas of value in professional development for early career librarians.

Main Methods:

• ECLI partnered with the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM), Region 3, to deliver six webinars over two years.
• A survey was administered to attendees, with quantitative data analyzed and qualitative free-text responses thematically coded.
• 567 individuals attended the webinars, and 154 completed the survey.

Main Results:

• Four major themes emerged as highly useful: practical tips, encouragement, and real-life experiences.
• The webinar series was well-attended, indicating a strong interest in the topics covered.
• Positive evaluation feedback suggests the series met participant needs.

Conclusions:

• Early career librarians require guidance on career planning and soft skills.
• Accessible online professional development opportunities are valuable for early career and transitioning librarians.
• The ECLI webinar series successfully provided needed information and support.