Service Policy: Travel and Continuing Education

The purpose of continuing education (CE) is to provide a well-trained and qualified workforce so that we can best meet our customers’ needs. The Fargo Public Library believes strongly in the importance of CE including attendance at state and national conferences in order to have the best trained and qualified workforce possible. The main focus of this policy pertains to professional librarians attending library conferences. Employees in support functions such as, but not limited to, accounting or public relations, will also have the opportunity to participate in local or regional continuing education offerings, provided that such offerings directly relate to the employees’ job duties at the library.

Within budget limitations FPL will strive to provide a wide variety of CE options to its staff and to make attendance at state and national conferences available to full-time employees based on criteria to be outlined below. Priority will be given to full-time employees but part-time employees may be allowed to attend such events as funds permit. Other criteria to be used will include the following:

1. Staff members who are committee members or presenters at state and national conferences will be given priority in terms of attendance. In the event that sufficient funds are not available to allow all such individuals to receive direct financial support an effort will be made to allow them release time to attend the conference, keeping in mind the public service needs of the institution.

2. Employees who are not presenters or committee members will be given opportunities for conference attendance based on full-time status; attendance will be rotated among full-time staff members as funds permit.

3. Preference will be given to those employees who are members of the organization whose conference they wish to attend.

4. An effort will be made to allow individuals from all departments to attend state and national conferences as a matter of fundamental fairness.

5. The value of a particular CE opportunity will be based primarily on the benefit and usefulness to the institution.

6. Service to the public remains our primary responsibility. Under no circumstances will conference attendance be allowed to reduce or compromise our institutional goals.

7. All employees who attend state and national conferences will be expected to file a written report with the library director. In some cases they may also be asked to give an oral report at a staff meeting or to the library board.

8. Requests for funds for CE should be made as far in advance as possible. All such requests should be made in writing and are subject to approval by the director.

9. Employees will be encouraged to apply for grant funding or to seek non-library funds to pay for their attendance whenever possible.

10. Questions regarding this policy should be directed to the appropriate departmental supervisor or to the library director.

Approved 07-18-2006
Reviewed 02-18-2014
Revised 05-20-2014
Revised 08-21-2018
Reviewed 10-19-2021
Reviewed 03-19-2024