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PUBLIC LIBRARY TRAINING
Public Library Training
Practical online reader development training for public library staff, from the library welcome to displays, promotions and themed collections. Ten courses at three levels cover frontline staff, library assistants and librarians, and managers, with a personal mentor on every Advanced course.
- 10 courses
- 3 staff levels
- 4,100+ staff trained
- From £25 per place
Playing your part in the library welcome
A fast, practical and enjoyable course in active customer-care skills, specific to libraries.
Talking with readers made easy
What do you say when someone asks you if the library has got any good books?
Putting readers first
Understanding what readers need is the basis for a fresh approach to connecting with your customers.
Merchandising the bookshelves
Adapt retail techniques to boost performance and help readers make new discoveries.
Creating powerful promotions
This course will give your library displays some new bite!
Managing first impressions
Learn to see through your customers’ eyes and take practical steps to improve your most important spaces.
Engaging reading audiences
Explore a wide range of ideas to broaden the reach and appeal of your library to your reading community.
Observation research
Use these techniques to get beyond a familiar workspace to what your customers actually see and do.
Reading for wellbeing: library-based
This course is designed for library staff who want to use reading to support people facing life's challenges.
Creating themed collections
A versatile toolkit for digital promotions, engaging library displays and confident reader recommendations.
Training you apply in your own library
Tasks in your own branch
Every course sets practical tasks you carry out in your own library, with the chance to compare before and after.
Written by public library people
In the words of one learner: "The course has obviously been created by people who have public library knowledge, which really helps."
Works for brand-new starts
Cork County builds the courses into induction, so new library assistants develop the confidence to talk with readers from day one.
Mentoring at Advanced level
Every Advanced course pairs you with a personal mentor who gives individual feedback on your tasks as you complete them.
A path for the whole team
What library services say
We wanted to give our frontline staff the tools and confidence to engage effectively with our readers, and Opening the Book’s training courses did exactly that. Not only have these courses empowered our staff to reflect upon their own skills and practices, but they have also served as a statement of intent - that frontline staff are at the heart of everything we do, and that their skills, experience, and development are of absolutely incalculable value to us as a service.
Library staff are at the heart of our service, engaging directly with and providing services directly to our citizens. In an environment where recruitment and retention are challenging, access to training for staff, and in particular new starts, is crucial. Providing training that is appropriate and accessible becomes a key part of the offer for incoming recruits.
The library staff love the courses, and I can see how inspired and motivated they are following their completion.
Questions services ask
How do library services usually roll the training out?
Every service does it differently. North Lanarkshire trained frontline staff across its 19 libraries, Cork County builds the courses into induction for new starts, and Gwella spread places from Entry level up through Intermediate. The case studies show each rollout with places, courses and named feedback.
Our new starts have no library experience - will it suit them?
Yes. Cork County prioritised entry-level library assistants, many with no previous library experience. New staff can arrive with customer service experience, but speaking to library users about books, and building the confidence to do it, is a new skill the courses teach.
With ten courses, where do we start?
The courses run at three levels. Entry courses suit everyone in a customer-facing role, Intermediate courses are written for library assistants and librarians, and the Advanced courses for managers all include a personal mentor. The role map above pairs each course with the role it was designed for.
Do staff get a certificate, and is the training recognised?
Learners who successfully complete a course receive a Certificate of Achievement. Opening the Book's courses are seen as a benchmark of quality in the UK, Ireland and Australia. We are officially recognised as a training provider by CILIP, the UK Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.
See how real services rolled the training out - Lambton County, Gwella and Cork County, with places, courses and feedback from managers and staff.
Read the case studies →Training the whole service?
Give staff across your branches the same practical grounding in reader- centred approaches.