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PALNI Onboarding Manual: What's In It For Me?

Overview of the structure of the PALNI consortium, resources available to you, and how you can connect with support and colleagues

What’s in it for me?

PALNI offers many different opportunities and support resources for librarians to take advantage of. Please explore some of these using the tabs below. (Note: You can read in more detail about the organizational structure and groups on the "Participating In PALNI Tab" of this guide.)

PALNI offers an array of services to supported organization institutions and libraries.  Many of these services are a result of collaborative efforts by individuals across the consortium and some of the services are provided directly from consortium staff and coordinators.  The services are available as an opt-in for any institution and are provided at no additional cost to a supported organization institution or library.  It is through the deep collaboration model that PALNI is able to coordinate the number of services offered without additional costs.

For a complete listing of services, descriptions, and contact information to get started with a particular service please visit the "Our Services" page on the PALNI website.

Involvement: Group/Admin Teams/Experts Program/Task Forces

There are several options for voluntary participation in helping to move the PALNI consortium’s strategic plan forward to benefit each library and their stakeholders, as well as sharing insights, and assisting fellow PALNI librarians through the groups, admin teams, experts program, and task forces.  Some benefits of participating in these are:

  • Leading to put the strategic plan into action to benefit everyone in the consortium
  • Learning and sharing with colleagues
  • Providing direct input on the products and services used by yourself and others
  • Developing initiatives around products and services that also may impact libraries worldwide through our vendors and through partnerships with other consortia
  • Developing leadership skills and gaining experience that will assist you in your career goals
  • Planning for and keeping up to date on changes affecting your library and PALNI
  • Receiving in-person meeting travel mileage reimbursement
  • Receiving gratitude of the entire PALNI community!

Networking

  • Joining in the PALNI-wide discussions offers a voice in the decisions made for the consortium. Some examples include: best practices, vendor contracts, and policies.
  • Participating in PALNI Community discussions and forums, participating or serving on a group, or by attending in person meetings allows access to individuals from many institutions

 

Support/Training opportunities

PALNI provides several resources for support and training. See below sections for more detail.

  • Community  
  • Coordinators
  • Experts
  • Groups
  •  PALNI works with a number of external partners to provide support, management, and expertise

 

Leadership opportunities

Within the organizational structure there are many opportunities to take a leadership role within PALNI

  • Serving on a steering committee within a group
    • Steering committees receive $1500 stipend for professional development
  • Serving as a PALNI Expert, Admin Team, or Group member
  • Serving on a Task Force

Innovation Grant

  • The funding provided by PALNI Library Innovation Grants aims to encourage libraries to take risks and evaluate innovations to optimize or create new library resources and services that expand the support of teaching and learning at PALNI supported institutions.  Funded programs, projects, and initiatives must align with PALNI strategic priorities.
  • Any employee from a PALNI supported organization library may apply. Collaborations between PALNI libraries or between the library and other areas in the PALNI supported college, university, or seminary, are eligible and encouraged.