BCLA supports the ongoing acquisition of skills and knowledge for personal and professional development and for career advancement. Please review the Professional Development priority, which highlights the full range of opportunities that we support and follow the BCLA Professional Development Forum for workshop updates and news. Visit the BC Library Conference page for information about our annual in-person event, including scholarships.
Current and Upcoming
| Date | Time * | Title / Registration Link | Presenter | Series / Priority |
| Tues. April 14 | 10am-11am | The Co-op Gaming Experience: cross-generational inclusion | Christopher Knapp | Beyond Hope Reboot |
| Wed. May 20 | 10am-11am | Creating Accessible Library Services for Children with Disabilities | Jessica Desormeaux; Megan Sellmer | Accessibility |
| Tues. May 26 | 10am-11:30am | Developing AI Policies in Canadian Public Libraries Panel | Laural Raine; Patricia Lesku; Vicky Varga | AI Exploration Series |
| Tues. June 9 | 2pm-3pm | Personal Planning and Representation Agreements | Audrey Jun | Growth & Library Resources |
| Tues. June 16 | 2pm-3pm | Restorative Practice: Why should public libraries learn to use it? | Toby Mueller | Conference Virtual Reboot |
*These events are all Pacific Time hosted online via Zoom, which includes closed captioning. If you have any accessibility needs to attend these sessions, please contact Natalie Porter, BCLA Professional Development Coordinator in advance and BCLA will do our best to support you.
BCLA expects anyone attending to honour the Online Community Guidelines, to help create a positive environment that values accountability, respect, and a willingness to learn from each other.
AI Exploration Series
The AI Exploration Series aims to enable library workers to better understand, build confidence, and utilize Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, and ChatGPT in their daily work and in their support of library patrons. We will provide practical, hands-on tutorials as well as keynote speakers on a range of issues, and discussion-based workshops that openly consider the pros and cons of this constantly evolving technology. Our next event is Wed. April 8th at 10am with Mita Williams on Open Data and AI.
Conference Virtual Reboot
Every year, attendees from the BC Library Conference recommend their favourite sessions. In the “Conference Virtual Reboot” series, BCLA is inviting a selection of presenters to replicate or reimagine their conference session as a webinar, staggering these events throughout the coming year. Our next session is called “The Co-op Gaming Experience” with Christopher Knapp on Tuesday, April 14th at 10am.
Accessibility
Accessibility in libraries is a leading priority for BCLA, and we are looking forward to 2026 with more workshops to come featuring experts with lived experience and tools for making our libraries more accessible and welcoming to all. Our next workshop is Navigating Toward Better Accessibility in Audiobooks on Wednesday, March 25th at 10am – 11am PST on Zoom.
Growth & Leadership Series
The Growth & Leadership Series focuses on training opportunities with experts in the field who will present on topics related to management, leadership, team-building, library challenges, work-life balance, work culture, and personal development. All library staff are welcome to attend. Next session TBA
BCLA Annual Year-End Keynote
A Year-End Keynote speaker will present on a topic intended to inspire library workers in preparation of a new year. Thank you for attending our 2025 presentation featuring Nick Tanzi – the digital librarian. Presenters from previous years can be enjoyed on our Recordings page.
For past events, please visit the Recordings webpage or explore BCLA’s Vimeo account.