Join Agile in the Library on LJA March 2026!

Back again, literally by popular demand! New title, slightly improved content!

Agile and Lean in Library and Information Work

Agile, a framework for project management, has been described as “easy to use, difficult to master.” This course is offered as an introduction or refresher for library teams and individuals who are interested in improving their work processes and communication. We will begin by exploring the history and foundational principles that inspired Lean and Agile, and then move beyond these core ideas to learn and apply the tools that support teamwork and continuous process improvement, including scrum, kanban, stand-ups, and retrospectives. This course is especially unique for its focus on Agile in library environments, and the examples that Chelsea offers as to how Agile has been used to improve day-to-day operations, guide projects, and successfully navigate change and uncertainty in public libraries of varying sizes and structures. We will also apply Agile to our own day-to-day lives, for the ideal goal of delivering our best value to the people we serve, and conserving our efforts for the sake of a sustainable work-life balance.

We will deliver a thorough understanding of Agile and everything needed to implement Agile in any library workplace, without stress. We use a blend of videos made for this class, an opportunity to connect live, discussion forums and prompts, activity options, and plenty of reading materials, in order for participants to go as deep as they like with Agile and Lean in any library environment.