Library professionals interested in adding basic business knowledge and business reference skills to their resume are invited to participate in “Business Reference 101,” an online course, and “Mastering Business Acumen (MBA) in a Day,” a one-day workshop, both offered by RUSA.
The consistently sold out “Business Reference 101” course is appropriate for all types of librarians and library staff and covers the “how to” of business reference. In addition to demystifying such topics as SIC, NAICS codes, ROI and 10ks, including hands-on use of such proprietary business reference databases as Standard & Poor’s Net Advantage and Thomson/Gale’s Business & Company Resource Center.
To complement the online course, RUSA is also offering “Mastering Business Acumen (MBA) in a Day,” a one-day workshop at the upcoming ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. This preconference is perfect for public, academic and special librarians, as well as library school students new to business reference interested in building a solid foundation of basic business concepts to more effectively assist patrons with business reference questions. Those who have completed “Business Reference 101” will gain a more comprehensive understanding of topics touched upon in the online course, and will also have the opportunity to participate in small group networking lunches organized by RUSA’S Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS) member ambassadors.
The preconference features experts representing a variety of fundamental business topics, including Elisabeth Leonard, consultant, Library Solutions, and instructor for RUSA’s Marketing Basics for Libraries online course (Management); Chris LeBeau, business reference librarian, University of Missouri, Kansas City, and clinical instructor, School of Information Science and Learning Technologies (Finance); Susan Klopper, executive director, Goizueta Business Library, Emory University (Accounting); and Gary White, head, Schreyer Business Library, Penn State (Marketing).
The next session of “Business Reference 101” runs May 4-29 and is taught by Celia Ross, who has extensive business reference experience and is the chair-elect for BRASS. Registration for the course is open until Monday, April 27, and is available online or by fax using a printed registration form. Discounted registration is available for groups of two or more employees from the same institution, consortium or network—those interested should e-mail Liz Markel, RUSA marketing specialist, at lmarkel@ala.org.
The preconference will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, July 10, in Chicago. This is a ticketed event—you do not need to register for the conference in order to attend, but you do need to register (event code RU3). Check out our blog post on how to register for conference and related events. Advance registration rates, available until May 22, are $135 for RUSA members, $180 for ALA members, $255 for non-members and $80 for students and retirees. Lunch is not included in the registration fee.
