Stephanie has valuable experience and proven results in library grant work, measuring impact, assessing training needs, evaluation of library programs and services, and promoting library advocacy.

Experienced Library Consultant:

Expert Trainer

Professional Evaluator

Skilled Project Manager

Library and Nonprofit Advisor

Advocacy Specialist

Grants Guru

Advocacy and Partnerships Specialist

Skilled Communicator

Published Author and Editor

Strategic Planner​

Owner Consultant

​​​​​​​Stephanie Gerding


Stephanie supports libraries and nonprofits by providing online training, professional development, and evaluation and needs assessments for clients around the world through her consultancy business. Recent projects include grant evaluations, webinars, and teaching grant writing for the University of Washington's Information School and San Jose State University's Information School. She is a certified parent coach through the Jai Institute for Parenting. Stephanie hosts online classes and webinars on grant writing, sharing learning, and other topics at https://4libraries.thinkific.com. 


Former projects include sole creation and facilitation of the Public Library Association's strategic planning initiative, Dynamic Planning Institute (focused on small libraries), instructor for Infopeople's online courses including Building a Culture of Learning initiative, Getting Started with Community Needs Assessments, Library Grants 101 (annually), and trainer for PLA's Project Outcome. She was a founding project manager for the Continuing Education Connector project for the Chief Officers of State Libraries (COSLA), evaluator of the Infopeople Leadership program, managed training needs assessments for state and national organizations, conducted online training for the Public Library Association's national advocacy project, Turning the Page 2.0, and consulted and trained for TechSoup, PLA, and the Urban Libraries Council. For seven years she has been a finalist judge for the WILLA Literary Award. 


Stephanie has written four books including the ALA Editions best selling Winning Grants, Second Edition: a How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians, and The Accidental Library Technology Trainer. She is under contract for a new edition of Winning Grants. She is a former Executive Director for the Act of Giving Foundation and lives in beautiful Seattle, WA with her husband and dynamic fifteen-year-old daughter.

Contact Stephanie for training, writing, or consulting opportunities at stephaniegerding@ gmail.com. Her most popular training topics are: library grants, sharing learning, strategic planning for small libraries, presentation techniques, library advocacy, and needs assessments.

Read about her current and upcoming projects and presentations.

Stephanie is an author of four books, including:
She has published over 40 articles and authors the Library Grants Blog, which lists grant announcements for libraries.

Experience

Having done a variety of training during her library career for all types of libraries and nonprofits, Stephanie has presented at national conferences and conducted training across the world. She has trained librarians, systems administrators, homeless children, university students and faculty, teachers in rural South Africa, and senior citizens. Her online training reaches international audiences, including Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, and Australia. 

Formerly a trainer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s U.S. Library Program, Stephanie worked with many public libraries, either traveling to their site or conducting week-long train-the-trainer programs. She is a certified trainer for the Public Library Association in strategic planning, facilitation, staffing, and advocacy.

Stephanie has managed statewide library training programs at New Mexico and Arizona State Libraries, including administration of numerous Technology Institutes, Library Institutes, and customized on-site training programs for public libraries. She designed outcome-based needs assessment and evaluation, core competencies, and training plans including coordinating and marketing over 100 continuing education events a year. She designed and implemented training initiatives such as Advocacy for Rural Libraries, Train-the-Trainer, Grants and Fundraising, and a Basic Library Skills Institute for frontline staff (under the IMLS Outcome Based Evaluation Task Force on Library Continuing Education). She has facilitated annual Leadership Institutes in three states and conducted grants workshops around the country.

Stephanie managed a corporate library as a systems administrator; worked for SIRSI as a traveling trainer; worked as a library cataloger; and taught web-based distance education technology courses on information literacy and online learning for advanced degree university students. 

Education

Stephanie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with a concentration in technical writing, and a Master of Science degree in Library and Information Science with a concentration in Corporate Information.