Small, rural libraries often struggle with limited staff development opportunities and geographic isolation from peer institutions. This presentation proposes an innovative, low-cost solution: organizing field trips to visit other libraries. Our library closed on a local festival day and visited three diverse institutions—Cumberland County Library, Midlothian Public Library, and the Library of Virginia. Staff toured facilities, observed operations, and engaged directly with peers about programming, procedures, and space utilization. Post-visit discussions sparked conversations about possibilities for our own library. This session will provide a framework for planning library field trips, strategies for maximizing learning outcomes, and examples of changes implemented after our visits. Attendees will leave with practical tools to create meaningful professional development experiences without significant budget expenditures—perfect for resource-constrained libraries seeking creative solutions.

 

For more information and to register, visit: https://nlc.nebraska.gov/scripts/calendar/eventlist.asp?Mode=ALL

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