Events and Programs

Welcome to the new Metronet Events page. Here you will find information about the different types of events we offer, as well as specific details for upcoming events and programs. Check back again to see what’s new! To see a shorter listing of events and how to register, visit our Registration page here.

The MetroNetwork A Celebration of Twin Cities Library Connections 
Tuesday May 12th, 2026 | 5:30-7:30pm
825 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55104 (825 Arts)

Click to RSVP by May 1, 2026

Click here for more information/an FAQ

Join fellow library professionals from across the metro for an evening of connection, conversation, and community. This event is for library staff, students, and emerging professionals who want to expand their professional network. This event will include heavy appetizers, guided activities to make networking less intimidating, a chance to connect with some of Minnesota’s library leaders, and a prize raffle! This is a great opportunity to meet others who are passionate about libraries and the communities they serve.  

Check in when you arrive to be entered to win a one-hour consultation with HR professional Kelsie Bohm. She will review your resume, LinkedIn profile, and answer your questions about the job search process and how to put your best foot forward. Two one-hour consultations will be given away and you must be present to win. Prize entry closes at 7:00pm on May 12, 2026. No purchase necessary. 

Metronet Webinar Series

Next Chapter: Career Literacy for Library Staff

Upcoming Sessions: 

  • April 23 | 2-3:30pm | Mini Job Club – Actionable Advice to Improve Your Job Search 
     
    Join our interactive, virtual job club! HR professional Kelsie Bohm will review and provide brief, constructive feedback on resumes, LinkedIn profiles, or give actionable advice on the challenges you’re currently facing in the job search. Participants should email their resumes, LinkedIn links, or questions to hr@metronet.lib.mn.us by Monday April 20th. To encourage participation and respect privacy, this session will not be recorded. While we will do our best to get through as many resumes and questions as possible, we may not be able to review every single one. Even if we don’t get to yours, it is helpful to see other resumes, profiles, and job search challenges receive actionable advice from a professional to get a better idea of how to improve your own!
     

Previous Sessions:

Session 1 | Oct 30, 2-3:30pm | Recording on Our YouTube Channel | Slides 

Cataloging Yourself: Discovering Your Strengths and Characteristics for Career Success

Finding the right job starts with understanding yourself. You will learn practical strategies for identifying your strengths, weaknesses, personality traits, and unique characteristics. 

Session 2 | Nov 6 | 2-3:30pm | Recording on Our YouTube Channel | Slides 

Circulating Connections: LinkedIn and Public Presence

Build your resume with networking, volunteering, and reaching beyond your system for opportunities. To stand out, combine networking, volunteering, and exploration of opportunities beyond your comfort zone. Networking builds relationships and uncovers job leads, while volunteering develops skills and demonstrates commitment.

Session 3 | Nov 13 | 2-3:30pm | Recording on Our YouTube Channel | Slides 

Write on Track – Résumés & Cover Letters

Looking for the next step in your career or just trying to keep your resume current? A well-crafted resume and cover letter will help you stand out. Learn how to tailor your application to specific jobs and showcase your qualifications in an impactful way. Whether you’re entering the job market, looking to advance your career, or just wanting to see what’s out there this session will provide you with the tools to create polished, targeted application documents that get noticed.

Session 4 | Nov 20 | 2-3:30pm | Recording on Our YouTube Channel | Slides 

On the Record – Interview Dos & Don’ts

Interviews can be daunting but they don’t have to be! This session will explore what to do and what not to do during the interview process. From answering common questions to navigating in-person versus remote interviews, you’ll gain insight into what interviewers are looking for and how to present yourself clearly and confidently.

Session 5 | Jan 15 | 10-11:30am | Recording on Our YouTube Channel | Slides 

Bookending the Interview – Decoding What Comes Next 

You’ve made it through the interview, now what? Whether you’ve just made it past the interview step or have received an offer, this webinar will offer practical tips on how to follow up, how to evaluate and negotiate offers, and insight about common mistakes and how to avoid them. 

Session 6 | Jan 29 | 2-3:30pm | Recording on Our YouTube Channel | Slides 

Researching your options – Explore careers for librarians Join labor market and career experts as they highlight Minnesota’s job market for librarians and spotlight tools to help you identify transferable skills, job prospects and career options. Presenters are from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) and include Oriane Casale from the Labor Market Information Office and Kelly Tenner from CareerOneStop. Session moderator is DEED librarian Dru Frykberg. 

Session 7 | Feb 12 | 2-3:30pm | Recording on Our YouTube Channel | Slides 

Bookmarked for Success Description: Effective networking can open doors for your career growth but where do you start? This webinar will offer approachable networking strategies, including tips on building meaningful connections and suggestions on how to begin.

Session 8 | Feb 26 | 2-3:30pm Slides only, no recording

How to write job ads Description: The first step in attracting the right candidates is crafting a clear and compelling job ad. This webinar will guide you through what it takes to write a job ad that stands out, clearly conveys the job duties, and reaches qualified candidates.

Session 9 | March 12 | 2-3:30pm | Recording on Our YouTube Channel | Slides 

Beyond the Stacks – Career transitions outside of libraries Description: Library work helps you hone highly transferable skills like research, instruction, project management, community engagement, and technology support that are valuable far beyond traditional library roles. Whether you’re ready to make a change or just looking, we will explore how skills can translate and learn about common library adjacent career paths.

Library Leadership Forum

About LLF: Join your library colleagues across MN to connect and engage in discussions of library work, values, librarianship, and leadership. Library Leadership Forum (LLF) is a professional development book club/discussion group sponsored by Metronet. Members of LLF will discuss books, articles, podcasts, and/or webinars and attend meetings held online. This discussion group is facilitated by Stacey Hendren and Carol Jackson.

All Minnesota library staff, including job seekers, are welcome with no commitment to attend regularly. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations and connect with your library colleagues across the state.

Topics and Registration:

Thursday, April 16 – Enhancing or Advancing Your Leadership
 
All MN library staff are welcome to join us at this month’s Library Leadership Forum on Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 3:00 pm for a conversation on Enhancing and Advancing Your Leadership Skills. Register here: April 2026 Registration for LLF.
 
We’ll chat about ways to keep growing your leadership and other professional skills outside of traditional career advancement. We’ll discuss the importance of goal setting and the ways to keep invested and engaged in your professional development even in professionally challenging times. 
 
Wednesday, May 20 – Leading Through Imposter Syndrome
Registration Form: TBA
Suggested Reading: TBA

Future 2026 dates include:

Thursday, June 18
Wednesday, July 22
Thursday, August 27
Wednesday, September 23
October meeting will be at MLA
Wednesday, November 18
Thursday, December 17

Find past and future resources from LLF at http://tinyurl.com/MetronetLLF
Questions about Library Leadership Forum? Email co-LLF Facilitators Carol Jackson at cljackson46@gmail.com or Stacey Hendren at staceyrhendren@gmail.com

Learnabouts

Join us for the Learnabout series, where we do a brief, one hour or less, informational webinar on various topics.

View past recordings of this series and more on our YouTube channel!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Learnabouts:

These upcoming events will be held on Monday afternoons at 4pm. 
Please check back to see registration information for upcoming Learnabouts.

Talkabout Books Events

We invite you to come and talk books with us! Come to share or come to get some new book recommendations. Registrants will receive a book list the day after the event, and we will post a link to the book list below as well. Click here to view previous book lists! 

Talkabout Books
These upcoming events will be held on Thursday afternoons at 4pm. 

Please check back to see registration information for upcoming Talkabouts.

Talkabout Conversations

Library Conversations are a chance to talk about issues and ideas for all types of libraries & their staff. Whether you’re a library media specialist, an academic librarian, a public librarian, or just curious, come chat with us and other librarians and share your thoughts. Or just come and listen, all are welcome here.

Talkabout Conversation #1: Back-to-School Talkabout Click here for the notes from this event!

Talkabout Conversation #2: Holiday Library Ideas Click here for the notes from this event!

Talkabout Conversation #3 – Social Media In Libraries Click here for the notes from this event!

Building Connections Library Group

Elementary Media Specialist Meetups

View notes from the previous meetups here:
2021-2022 School Year
Sharing Jamboard
Bookfairs and Library Funding
E-Resources
 
2022-23 School Year
Back-to-School Edition
Advocacy
State Library Services for Advocacy 
 
Charter School Media Meetups
Our next meeting will be November 3 at 7:30pm
 
 

Professional Development Opportunities

Level Up is managed by the Library Professional Development Network (LPDN), which is an ad hoc group of organizations in Minnesota that offers various types of professional development (PD) to library staff at all levels in all types of libraries. Please visit our Statewide CE calendar here

Minnesota Library Professional Development Network

We are excited to announce the launch of a year-long campaign to support libraries as they grapple with today’s fractured and challenging media landscape.

This campaign will help Minnesota library staff:

  • Understand how people navigate the media and information landscape, and how forces within that landscape influence their navigation.
  • Learn how to build reflection and intentionality into their information consumption.
  • Gain strategies for working with their communities on intentional approaches to information consumption.

Click Here to view Media Landscapes Events

 

Media Landscapes 23 Things Mini-Courses

This new series of mini-courses, created by the seven Minnesota Multitype Library Systems (Multitypes), meets the needs of Minnesota library staff by helping them understand how their users navigate the present media and information landscape, and how forces within that landscape influence their navigation.

It is designed to help library staff engage more deeply with the issues and concepts addressed in the Media Landscapes Campaign. By working together through these Things, we will all have a greater understanding of disinformation, information/digital literacy, and how to address these issues in various ways and in various library settings.

You can find more information, registration, and the mini-courses here: Media Landscapes: 23 Things

 

Youtube Channel

Did you know that we now have a YouTube channel?  Click here to see all of our archived videos!