Edison Public Library is committed to offering educational opportunities to its employees through relevant conferences, workshops, virtual webinars and tutorials, and meetings. Each year the Library offers an in-service day for staff to review current issues in the library field, workplace safety measures, and best practices for working with the public. The Library’s Staff Development Plan was reviewed and approved by the Library Board of Trustees in April 2022. This plan recommends 12 hours of continuing education for each employee per year, to be broken down as:
Each staff member will have a minimum of three hours of training every year in each of the four areas of development: technology, customer service, team building, and public values and practices; as schedules
permit. As a staff member, you are entitled to a Edison Public Library card if you do not already have a library card from STELLA. This card will enable you to access specific resources, such as LinkedIn Learning, available through the Library. Prior to beginning your training, please take a few moments to create an account with your Edison Public Library card in LinkedIn Learning. You will also need to create accounts for LibraryLinkNJ (LLNJ) and WebJunction,a free training resource offered to libraries from OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) Research.
Below are some of the previous trainings made available to library staff. Please watch when you have time, fill out the continuing education form, and send it to me. If you find you don’t have time off desk, we can arrange with the branch manager.
Library Resources
Civility and Harassment Training (August 2022)
AI in Libraries: a practical guide for non-techies Presented by Nick Tanzi
DEI Training LibraryLinkNJ 2024
Gmail Essential Training (LinkedIn Learning)
Library Marketing Made Easy with Kathy Dempsey available through LLNJ Learning Space
Museum Key Patron Side | Museum Key Staff Side
Canva Pro Tutorial (LinkedIn Learning)
Note: The library has a Canva Pro account. We also have a logo folder that should be accessible to everyone. The pexels.com tip is handy also.
Please note that due to Canva Pro limitations, below are the logins for the account:
The password is the same for all of the accounts: EplStaff2!
adultservicesmain@edisonpubliclibrary.org
adultservicesnorth@edisonpubliclibrary.org
adultservicescb@edisonpubliclibrary.org
youthservicesmain@edisonpubliclibrary.org
youthservicesnorth@edisonpubliclibrary.org
youthservicescb@edisonpubliclibrary.org
imagination1@edisonpubliclibrary.org
imagination2@edisonpubliclibrary.org
Customer Service When Working with the Public
The Library Board approved a Customer Service Policy in April 2022.
Webjunction : What Would Walt Do? (May 2023)
Please take a moment to create a free account with Webjunction.org. Webjunction is a wonderful resource for continuing education courses provided by OCLC.
This recording is from December 2012, but the practice is still very popular and very much in line with the goals of the Edison Public Library.
Building Rapport with Customers (LinkedIn Learning)
Cross Cultural Communication Pellegrino Riccardi,TedxBergen
Customer Service: Managing Customers Expectations by LinkedIn Learning (20 minutes) – requires library card authentication (December 2023)
First Amendment Audits Presented by Dustin Smaby, Vernon Public Library “Mitigate, don’t escalate.”
Library Marketing Made Easy with Kathy Dempsey available through LLNJ Learning Space
Public Libraries and Social Work
Working in a public library can sometimes feel like it is venturing into social work territory. In recent years, public libraries have found pairing with social workers has greatly increased their ability to assist the community more effectively. Social workers are able to access more targeted information on topics such as housing and other resources provided local government.
The Edison Public Library has been collaborating with the Rutgers University School of Social Work and hosting social work interns for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years.
Social Work Students and Public Library Partnerships (WebJunction)
The History of Public Libraries
History of Edison Public Library | History of Edison Township
Free for All PBS Independent Lens Documentary (June 2025)
Library Safety
Fire Extinguisher Training and Safety
Edison Police Department’s Juvenile Unit Tips for dealing with youth and when to call the police (February 2023)
Active Shooter Training Resources:
Department of Homeland Security Active Shooter Booklet
Video: Surviving an Active Shooter – LA County Sheriff
Dealing with Patrons Under the Influence of Alcohol and Drugs Presented by Dr. Steve Albrecht (Library 2.0) and Security Training Expert Robert Smith