Thank you for taking part in the Washington State Library Continuing Education Needs Assessment for Public Libraries. Your insights are invaluable in helping us identify and prioritize the most relevant training topics for our Washington public library community.

Please complete the survey by December 15, 2024. Fill out the survey for the part of the library community that you serve (e.g., whole system, a particular branch, etc.) and feel free to share it with your public library colleagues. It should take about 10 minutes to complete.

We are eager to hear from public library staff at all levels, so please let us know what matters most to you.

Thank you for your time and contribution!

For questions, contact Brianna Hoffman at brianna.hoffman@sos.wa.gov

The State Library will use the responses from this survey to develop training and professional development content. Responses will not be shared outside State Library staff.
Tell us a little about YOU! We aim to design responsive training for all kinds of library staff, all over the state. Please tell us a little bit about you and your library.

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* 1. My library or library branch's service population is:

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* 2. My library type is:

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* 3. My library or library branch is located in this region of Washington state (please see Washington state region map for reference):

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Washington State Region Map

Washington State Region Map

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* 4. If your library system has multiple branches, how many branches does your library system have?

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* 5. How long have you worked in the library profession?

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* 6. What best describes your role at your library?

(Positions listed are examples and not intended as an exhaustive list.)

Exploring Your Training Journey! This section invites you to reflect on your past training experiences, current projects, and future learning desires. We want to understand what has shaped your professional development and how we can create engaging and effective training opportunities tailored to your needs.

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* 7. Library Support for Training

What types of support does your library provide for attending training, and how does it impact your participation?

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* 8. Impactful Training Experience

Describe a training or professional development experience that had a big impact on you/stuck with you.

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* 9. When you reflect on the training or professional development experience above:
  • What changed for you?
  • Who provided it (if you can remember)?
  • Was this kind of training/experience something that typically works for you? Why or why not?

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* 10. Future Learning Adventures

Imagine you have the next few Friday afternoons free to spend on learning something new for work. (You can't use it for anything else.) What will you do?

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* 11. Recent Projects and Future Plans

What have been one or two big recent projects for your area? What's coming down the pike in the next year?

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* 12. Training Preferences: Length of Training Sessions

What is your ideal length for a training/professional development session?

Short Session (e.g. "quick bite," micro-learning) 90 Minutes Multi-Day Conference
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i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.

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* 13. Training Preferences: Training Delivery

How do you prefer to receive training, and what factors influence your choice of delivery method?

(For example do you prefer to receiving training through panel discussion, lecture, interactive workshop, self-paced course, etc.)

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* 14. Training Hurdles

What hurdles do you encounter when trying to participate in training - either in-person or online?

Identifying Priority Issues in Libraries and Communities Help us identify the pressing challenges and trends affecting libraries and their communities. Please select up to five key issues you believe are a priority, and share any additional concerns not listed. Your insights are vital for shaping our approach to these topics.

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* 15. What do you see as the priority issues in your library or community? Please select up to five.

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* 16. Please share any priority issues in your library or community that were not included in the above list.

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* 17. What else would you like the Washington State Library to know about your training and continuing education needs?

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* 18. Thank you for participating in the survey! Would you like to be entered into a raffle for a prize? Please provide your email address.

Your email will only be used for raffle purposes. Your email will not be associated with your survey responses.

Supported by funding provided by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.

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