Library workers see the impact of public programming every day, but what characterizes a good public program? ALA and Knology, a social science research nonprofit, are working to answer this and other questions through the National Impact of Library Public Programs Assessment (NILPPA).
With COVID-19, many libraries were thrown into uncharted terrain when it came to programming. And so — as libraries do — they quickly innovated, coming up with a vast array of virtual programs in a short time. Some were twists on old favorites while others were brand new concepts.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Public Library Association (PLA) is coordinating with several ALA units and other library organizations to survey the library community to understand the current impacts the crisis is having on their operations, programs, services and finances. It is seeking input from all library types and is making the survey available until Monday, May 18, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. CDT.
"What skills or abilities do you think are necessary to successfully run public programs at libraries?”
More than 1,200 library professionals from all around the country and from all types of libraries weighed in on this question last fall as part of ALA's National Impact of Library Public Programs Assessment (NILPPA) research. As we read their responses, we found nine categories of skills that came up time and again.