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The “Can’t Miss” Event—

From Curating Courses to Creating a Conference for Teacher-Librarians

LEAP INTO THE FUTURE OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES, NO. 2

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

OCTOBER 15, 2025

TABLE TALK SESSION 2

TIEN TRIGGS

TABLE 1

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Vision statement:

Connecting Washington through the power of libraries.

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Mission Statement:

The Washington State Library builds prosperous and informed communities by providing technology, access to information, resources, and professional support.

THE WASHINGTON STATE LIBRARY

The Washington State Library LSTA Five-Year Plan 2023-2027

February 28, 2025

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Develop broadly representative professional library staff and build capacity among all libraries to serve all constituents.

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    • Training that increases the effectiveness of library staff at all library types and Professional Development grants to support that training.

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    • Facilitating the development of curriculum and training programs for teacher-librarians and other K-12 library staff around the state.

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    • Promoting learning, interaction, and sharing of best practices for library staff in early learning and youth services.

GOAL 5

The Washington State Library LSTA Five-Year Plan 2023-2027

February 28, 2025

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    • The Washington State Library regularly provided trainings in Niche Academy to library staff of all library types throughout Washington state.

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    • One-time sessions and series have been offered, such as First Tuesdays.

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    • Most of the trainings were not for school libraries or eligible for clock hours.

FROM HOSTING

CURATED COURSES ...

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    • Sara White, the Youth Services Consultant since 2021, implemented a needs assessment survey for teacher-librarians.

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    • Along with the Continuing Education Coordinator, Tami Masenhimer, she applied for the State Library to become a clock hours provider for the first Training Day in 2022.

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    • WSL Clock Hours Academy was created in Niche Academy to archive the sessions after the event.

... TO HOSTING

A CONFERENCE

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    • What are the professional development needs of teacher-librarians in our state?

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    • How can these needs be addressed equitably?

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    • What supports are already in place and what will need to be added?

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    • Who are the existing partners who can support this?

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    • How to measure success?

GUIDING QUESTIONS

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    • Centered on teacher-librarians and school libraries.

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    • Offer a wide range of topics that support the work of teacher-librarians and emphasize the importance of the profession.

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    • Responsive to current trends, technology, and pedagogy.

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    • Guided by state and national standards, RCWs and WACs.

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    • Led by national library leaders, respected education experts, and fellow teacher-librarians.

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PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPMENT NEEDS

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    • Must serve all Washington school libraries.

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    • Must be recorded to offer asynchronous sessions for those who are unable to attend the live sessions.

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    • Must be provided at no cost to Washington teacher-librarians.

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    • Must consider scale and resources.

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MEETING THESE NEEDS

EQUITABLY

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    • Main site for school library trainings: Niche Academy

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    • Clock hours provider: pdEnroller

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    • Feedback tools: SurveyMonkey

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    • Training and events platform: Zoom

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    • Information hub: Youth Services page and LibGuides

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    • Newsletter: School Libraries listserv

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TECHNICAL SUPPORT

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    • Office of the Superintendent of Instruction (OSPI)

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    • Washington Library Association School Library Division (WLA, ScLD)

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    • Teacher-librarians

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    • National conferences (ALA, AASL)

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    • School librarian graduate and endorsement programs

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RESOURCES AND

PARTNERSHIPS

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    • Registrations compared to live attendance

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    • Asynchronous enrollments post-event

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    • Attendee engagement based on feedback:

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MEASURING SUCCESS

“This was a great session FULL of info and free resources ... I really enjoyed the student presentations.”

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“My biggest challenge is time. The curriculum that the teachers use is very time consuming and leaves little time for collaboration.”

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MEASURING SUCCESS (CONT.)

“I will be thinking about how I could incorporate the Strawbees with the current WCCPBA nominees, to create a challenge for the students.”

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“I'm excited to give my Library Leaders more responsibility and ownership!”

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“Getting the community involved in the library is powerful!”

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“I'd like to identify books 5th graders could listen to, then create a way for them to complete a 3-2-1 reflection.”

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    • Start locally and work with your state’s teacher-librarians

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    • Use a survey to get data on needs and interest

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    • Budget for clock hours and presenter fees

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    • Be patient, build up, and consider growth potential

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    • Attend trainings and conferences for ideas and speakers

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    • Plan your event to maximize attendance and promote it

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KEYS TO SUCCESS

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ALWAYS INSPIRING

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Please feel free to contact me with questions or comments.

THANK YOU!

Tien Triggs, BS, MS-ILS

CONTACT:

Washington State Library

School and Digital Support Librarian

Email: tien.triggs@sos.wa.gov