As we welcome all members to the new Amigos, strengthened by the merger of MLNC and Amigos, we take this opportunity to provide a refresher on the services offered by Amigos' education programs.

From basic to advanced, from reference to technical services, from imaging to web design, Amigos offers an array of courses designed with your learning in mind.  The Amigos website provides information about currently scheduled Amigos classes as well as the full catalog of courses, conferences, and special events. 

CE Class Schedule

The Amigos Continuing Education Class Schedule lists all educational events currently available, including classes open for individual registration.  The schedule links to a complete description of each event and to the registration form listing fees.  Many Amigos classes are presented live online, providing you learning opportunities with colleagues across the membership.  Courses vary in length depending on the subject matter.  They are presented in two-hour sessions over several days, with learning activities in between, allowing you to easily assimilate new concepts.  

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The Amigos Learning Passport, a pre-payment plan for training, is now available for FY2013. For Amigos members only*, the Learning Passport plans are effective July 1 through June 30. The Passport continues to be packed with value, and this year's prices are even more affordable.

Purchase your plan by July 30 and receive two extra hours of regional registration credit.

Two plans are offered. Once your library purchases a plan, the benefits are available to any staff member. With pre-payment your library gains benefits at no additional charge, including attendance at one or more online conferences. Amigos will help you keep track of Passport hours that have been used.

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The Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program announced in June that it is offering $200 subsidies for 75 candidates who complete LSSC-approved courses. LSSC is a national, voluntary certification program administered by the  American Library Association-Allied Profession Association (ALA-APA).

All LSSC candidates are eligible to receive the subsidy by completing an application form available at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FYRXSR8. ALA-APA will give first preference to those candidates who have not received a previous subsidy. To apply for a subsidy, applicants must enroll in the LSSC program by July 30, 2012. LSSC enrollment information is available at http://ala-apa.org/lssc. Subsidy recipients will be chosen using a random selection process and announced by ALA-APA August 6, 2012.

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Amigos is offering two informative Know & Go sessions in the coming weeks: All About Amigos Imaging & Preservation Service and What to Do Now That Meebo Is No More? Free Chat Widgets for Virtual Librarians.

All About Amigos Imaging & Preservation Service is scheduled for August 6 from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. CDT. Join Gina Minks, Amigos' Imaging & Preservation Service Manager, for this informative hour and learn all about the services available, including classes, consultations, and free grant proposal writing assistance. Come and find out how Amigos' Imaging & Preservation Service (IPS) can help you. Register on the Amigos website.

What to Do Now That Meebo Is No More? Free Chat Widgets for Virtual Librarians is scheduled for August 27 from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. CDT. Join Arta Kabashi, Amigos' Continuing Education Librarian, for this online session discussing alternative chat options available now that Meebo is no more. Register on the Amigos website.