📣 LibParlor Online Learning is live!

The wait is over! We are proud to launch LibParlor Online Learning (LPOL) this month. Whether you are looking to do a deep dive into the library and information scienceLibrary and Information Science An interdisciplinary field that examines how physical and digital information is organized, accessed, collected, managed, disseminated and used, particularly in library settings. research process, or just brush up on some specific research skills, LPOL is for you.

Our full curriculum contains six courses, filled with readings, activities, and reflections. Learners have the opportunity to engage with the curriculum at their own pace. For learners who complete the full curriculum, they will create a researcher identity statement, a research agendaResearch agenda An iterative document or statement that provides a roadmap to your short and long term topics and ideas you’d like to research., a support ecosystem, and a research proposal. We recognize that not everyone will need the full curriculum, so learners can pick and choose the courses and lessons that best fit their research motivations and needs.

We see this as a living curriculum, one that will be updated and refreshed. Throughout the curriculum, learners have the opportunity to provide feedback and help us identify opportunities for revisions and updates. LibParlor has always been a community-driven space and LPOL is no different!

If you’re ready to get started, please visit our curriculum homepage. Once there, we have three steps to get started:

1. Register for an account. While you don’t need an account to access the curriculum, we recommend creating one, as this allows you to track your progress and also helps us assess the curriculum’s impact and efficacy. 
2. Download our LPOL Workbook. This workbook contains all of the activities throughout the curriculum. Once you download the workbook, you can use it however it’s most useful to you.
3. Dive into the curriculum. Our curriculum home page has additional information on our courses and lessons and or you can explore our full curriculum to decide what you’ll do first!

This project has been a labor of care and a way for us to give back to our library communities. Whether you are a MLIS student or early-career librarian wanting to learn more, a department head charged with training junior faculty, or someone wanting to brush up on research skills to take on a new project, we hope LPOL can support your growth and encourage you to share it with others in your network!

LPOL has been a multi-year project, involving so many colleagues across the field. We are thankful to everyone who has helped create LPOL. We’d like to send our heartfelt thanks to the following folks:

• Those who participated in our needs assessment survey and focus groups, helping us create the foundation of the curriculum.
• Our 2022 in-person and virtual forum participants, who helped us envision how this curriculum could look.
• Our curriculum creators, who helped to bring the curriculum to life.
• Our pilot participants, who tried out the curriculum and provided feedback to help strengthen the curriculum. 
• Our Advisory Board and IMLS colleagues, who supported our project and provided meaningful feedback.
• Our many LibParlor supporters and champions, whose encouragement and support has meant so much to us. 

As you explore and learn more about LPOL, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at libparlor@gmail.com with questions or ideas for future curriculum content.