Catch-Up on YALSA’s Badge Project @ Midwinter

We’ve posted quite a bit about YALSA’s badges project on this blog and on Twitter. But, maybe you’ve been saying to yourself, “This all sounds great but I want to learn more face-to-face.” Here’s your opportunity, we’ll be talking badges at ALA Midwinter in Seattle on Sunday, January 27, at the Washington Convention Center Room 604, 8:30 to 10AM.

Now I know that might seem early to get up and out to learn about something new. I promise you it will be worth it. YALSA Board member Chris Shoemaker and I will take you through what we are working on for the YALSA project and give you a chance to give us feedback on our plans. It will be an interactive session with lots of time to ask questions and talk about badges in general and about the YALSA badging project specifically.

The badges support YALSA’s Competencies for Librarians Serving Youth. We are working on seven badges – one for each competency. Badge earners – who we see as any library staff member that works with teens – will gain skills and knowledge in areas such as marketing, professional learning networks, web-based curation and displays, mobile services, and more. Members of the YALSA community will be able to provide feedback to badge earners as a way to bring in peer mentoring and support.

Badges are a great way to take part in professional development and provide a visual representation of skills and knowledge to employers, potential employers, peers, colleagues, and more. Badge earners will be able to display their badges on websites, blogs, Facebook, resumes, and so on.

In case you want to learn more about YALSA’s project, before Midwinter, check out previous posts on this blog under the badges for lifelong learning tag.

P.S. this is also a great way to spend 90 minutes before the YALSA Coffee with the Candidates, an informal program that gives you a chance to meet those running for YALSA Governance positions. (The Coffee with the Candidates is Sunday, January 27, 10:30 – 11:30 AM, Room 620, Washington Convention Center.)