Golden Libraries received information today on the second cohort of Catalyst, the library leadership program in California. Applications open on July 8. For more information, see below.

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Dear California Library Community,

Applications for the second year of Catalyst, California’s statewide library leadership program, will open on Monday, July 8 at 9:00 AM. Catalyst is designed to equip and support California library workers with development opportunities that allow them to lead from anywhere.

If you are currently working in a California library, we invite you to apply for the 2024-2025 Catalyst cohort. Whether you are already in a leadership position, a front-line library worker, or someone who works behind-the-scenes, this program is open to you. Leadership potential exists in individuals from all roles within the library, and an MLIS degree is not required. We encourage you to consider applying or recommending potential candidates who have an interest in leadership, regardless of their current role. The goal is to create a strong learning cohort of 25 individuals, bringing together library workers with diverse perspectives, strengths, roles, locations, and lived experiences.

The program is projected to last for a total of 18 months. During the first 12 months, participants will be part of a cohort that meets both online and in-person to learn, reflect, and work on projects that apply their new skills and ideas. After the first year (and grant funds permitting), the cohort will continue to meet on a monthly basis for an additional six months to deepen their learning, network, and reflect on their experiences.

Catalyst participants will be required to attend two in-person sessions: Tuesday, Nov. 12– Friday, Nov. 15, 2024 at the Asilomar conference center near Monterey and Monday-Wednesday, March 3-5, 2025 in Southern California. Travel costs for these in-person events will be covered by the project.

Two Information Sessions will be held via Zoom for those interested in learning more about the Catalyst leadership development opportunity. Click the links below to register for a session.

Thursday, July 11 at 12:00 PM
Tuesday, July 16 at 11:00 AM

Office Hours will also be available July 8 to August 7 for those interested to ask questions and receive one-on-one application support from a friendly Catalyst team member.
Sign up for office hours

The Catalyst application will be available on the CALL website on Monday, July 8, 2024. Applications will be due by Wednesday, August 7 at 11:59 PM.

This program is brought at no cost to you by California Libraries Learn (CALL), which is a joint project of the California Library Association and California State Library.

For more information, please contact Maddy Walton-Hadlock at mwaltonhadlock@cla-net.org or Akiliah Manuel at amanuel@cla-net.org. 

Warm Regards,

The Catalyst Team

Madeline Walton-Hadlock (she/her)
Catalyst Leadership Development Team
An initiative of California Libraries Learn (CALL)
mwaltonhadlock@cla-net.org

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California Library & Reading Calendar was updated on May 28, 2024. If you have an event occurring in California or that might be of interest to California librarians and reading teachers, please send information to info(at)GoldenLibraries.com.

June 2024

September 2024

October 2024

January 2025

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Greg Lucas, California State Librarian, speaks in support of libraries and resources. He explained the role of the modern library and the ways in which they serve California. A good example are the checkout passes now available for the State Parks.