Niche Academy site will be changing

Starting this month, the MD State Library Agency will be reviewing the contents of the Maryland Libraries Training Academy on Niche Academy site.  Current content will be evaluated and weeded based on age, usage, and accessibility, and the site will be reorganized once these changes are complete.

Please finish any tutorials/webinars that interest you by March 27, in preparation for changes to the site.  The MSLA will start removing content on March 30, and review the site every 6 months in the future.

Staff Training grant renewed for FY 2026

We are happy to share that the Maryland State Library Agency's federal award, through the Library Services and Technology Act, has been level-funded and certified by the Institute for Museum and Library Services for fiscal year 2026.

SD&T will receive the same funding as last year, which will help with program and conference registration for all staff.  As always, we'll use the funding for a variety of activities and events as outlined in the grant regulations.  

Thanks to MSLA and the IMLS for this assistance.  

Online learning from MLSA continues for another year!

Grant funding for the Maryland Statewide Webinars Project has been renewed with no interruption to service. Thanks to support from both the Maryland State Library Agency (MSLA) and Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds administered by IMLS, we will be continuing our partnerships and expanding our offerings.

• PCI Webinars will remain available to all library staff across the state.
• Dr. Steve Albrecht’s Safety Series from Library 2.0 will also continue uninterrupted. We’re excited to share that Dr. Albrecht plans to broaden his focus with additional sessions on organizational development and leadership in the coming months.
• We are adding statewide access to the Library 2.0 Wellness Series and the AI Series. These will be available both as live sessions and on-demand recordings.
• Once these new series are active and integrated into the Niche Academy archive, we will send out another update with registration and access details.

As always, we encourage you to take full advantage of these professional development opportunities—and to advocate for IMLS support. These resources are made possible through ongoing federal and state investment in library development and staff learning. Your voices matter in helping to preserve and grow this support.