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Online Learning

Conferences, Online Learning, Staff Training
Practical Approaches for Online Learning — IFLA Presentation
August 13th, 2010 | Permalink | Comment?

First slide of today's IFLA presentation

Many thanks to everyone who attended the WebJunction presentation today at IFLA. This presentation was part of a joint session of the Knowledge Management, Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning, and Information Technology sections.

Visit the IFLA site to read all of the papers that were presented in Session 107 — it was wonderful to be part of a session that included examples of knowledge management and staff training projects from around the world.
Library Management, Online Learning, Staff Training
Practical Approaches for Adding Online Learning to Your Training Program
August 9th, 2010 | Permalink | Comment?
A few years ago, I had the privilege of contributing to Trends in E-Learning for Library Staff, a snapshot of how library staff in the U.S. viewed, and used, e-learning in 2005.

This spring and summer, Jennifer Peterson and I interviewed libraries to develop a new snapshot of how U.S. library organizations are utilizing online training tools in their staff development initiatives. Our resulting report is less about how online learning is viewed … in fact, we started with the assumption that online learning is an accepted, even expected, component of training programs today. From there, we examined why online learning was incorporated into the training program, which tools were used, how learner collaboration and ownership were encouraged, what successes were realized, and asked the program coordinators/trainers to offer any advice for other library organizations pursuing similar programs.

The paper we wrote was accepted for inclusion in this year’s IFLA program, and I’ll be presenting our findings this coming Friday, after immersing myself in the international library community for a few days.

I’ve also posted the paper, with practical approaches for adding online learning to your training program, and case studies about the training programs profiled on WebJunction, in our Training Program Management section.

Read the entire paper, or check out the case studies for each of the training programs profiled:
And on a related note, be sure to join us on September 1 for a free webinar with the folks from Baltimore County Public Library on Creating A Virtual Orientation for New Staff.
Online Collaboration, Online Learning, WJ Online Conference, Webinar, groups
Webinar: Expanding Your World Through Web Conferencing
June 22nd, 2010 | Permalink | Comment?

WebJunction’s Calendar is filling up with webinars! Join us in the coming months to explore everything from the Federal Workforce System to digitization & preservation, and from trustees to orienting new staff virtually.

Next Thursday’s webinar, Expanding Your World Through Web Conferencing, will showcase success stories of library staff who are using web conferencing tools to host virtual conferences, produce e-learning activities, collaborate with remote staff, and host virtual meetings. As budgets tighten and as technologies improve, more and more staff are gathering together both online and blended with face2face settings to learn from each other and to get work done. Come hear about the benefits of meeting virtually and learn how a variety of web conferencing tools are being integrated with other technologies and in other settings to overcome both cost and distance. Join panelists Karen Burns, Cindi Hickey and Jennifer Peterson on Thursday, July 1 at 1:00 pm Eastern, for a session filled with experience and expertise in online engagement!

And speaking of online conferencing, mark your calendars for WebJunction’s second online conference coming December 1 & 2 focused on Serving the 21st Century Patron. See you online!

Register Now for July 1 Webinar»
All Upcoming Events »
ALA 2010, Online Learning
ALA Learning RT Showcase
June 21st, 2010 | Permalink | 1 Comment

WebJunction is honored to be a sponsor of the 7th Annual Learning Round Table Showcase on Sunday, June 27, 1:30-3:30pm in the WCC-Ballroom. You won’t want to miss this event! It provides an efficient and informal way to connect with and learn from all the brightest and best trainers in Libraryland, showcasing innovative continuing education, staff development, and training initiatives in all types of libraries and library organizations.

For more Learning RT events at ALA, check out this handy one-pager with all the details. It’s not too late to attend Friday’s preconference, Beyond Face to Face:
New Methods for Staff Training; registration will be taken at the door, complete with member discounts. WebJunction’s own Competencies expert, Betha Gutsche will be presenting on Saturday and you won’t want to miss Monday evening’s ALA Battledecks session featuring WebJunction’s Michael Porter, defending his title. Battledecks is the best in powerpoint improv: Each participant is given 4 minutes to present (unrehearsed) a 12-slide presentation created by someone else. Based on the list of defenders, contenders, judges and all the rest, this event is guaranteed to entertain!

We’re providing additional details for other WebJunction related events at ALA here on BlogJunction. Safe travels to those heading to DC!
Online Collaboration, Online Learning, Open Source, Staff Training
A Trifecta for Learning and Collaboration
June 7th, 2010 | Permalink | 1 Comment

You have to look at bit behind the scene to appreciate the triple winning lineup of this Thursday’s webinar Building An Online Learning Community In Your State. It is a production of the dynamic Group N of ALA Emerging Leaders in collaboration with the ALA Learning Round Table and WebJunction.

Sponsored by LearnRT, the Emerging Leader Group N is summiting the learning curve of planning and producing a series of webinars of interest to the training community. Since January, they have surveyed the field for topics of interest, identified a few key topics, selected presenters, received production and technical training on webEx, and are ready to roll it out to you—the library learning audience. Show your support for the efforts of Angela, Jennifer, Natalie and Sonnet by attending this Thursday.

Or just come to find out how the combined creative forces of Maurice Coleman and Nini Beegan created a collaborative, online space where Maryland library staff can participate and contribute ideas, information, and content.

It’s not too late to register at:
http://evanced.info/webjunction/evanced/eventsignup.asp?ID=1651
Online Collaboration, Online Learning, Spanish Outreach, groups
The Story of a WebJunction Course
May 7th, 2010 | Permalink | Comment?
WebJunction’s Spanish Language Outreach Course has returned to the course catalog after an extensive makeover. This self-paced course contains a wealth of information, techniques and tools you can use to jump start your library’s outreach efforts to your local Spanish-speaking community. In celebration of the relaunch, we are offering the course for half price through the end of May. Once registered, you will have access to the course for a full year. And if you are a member of one of our State Library Partner communities, remember to enroll via your community’s catalog as the course may be free or reduced. (And be sure to thank them!)

As part of the team that refreshed and relaunched the course (kudos especially to Dale and Sharon), I spent some time reflecting on the story behind the course. All of the courses in WebJunction’s catalog have a story behind them, but this one especially illustrates the effort and collaboration that goes into the creation of a course.

Course Creation
The course was initially developed with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of WebJunction’s Spanish Language Outreach Program, a nationwide program that partnered with state libraries to provide on-the-ground outreach workshops in 40 states and has cultivated WebJunction’s online community of library staff committed to serving the needs of Spanish speakers. Yolanda Cuesta, author and expert on outreach to multicultural communities, developed a stellar curriculum for the workshops and, along with Laura Staley, SLO’s project manager, adapted the curriculum for the online version. The technical side of course development is not to be overlooked but let’s just say that somewhere in there the magic happened and in March of 2006 the initial course was launched. And since I’m reminiscing, I’d like to be sure to recognize too, the 158 trainers and coordinators who’s fine work enhanced the content throughout all 3 rounds of the program (440 workshops!) as well as the online course. The recent refresh and revamp was completed to update links and handouts and in order to migrate the course to an elearning standard format so the system tracks your progress as you work through the course (doesn’t have to be in one sitting!) and so you can receive a certificate.

Course Outline
The course description provides a complete set of learning goals, but here’s a quick outline of what’s covered in the course:
- Overview of the current landscape of Hispanic/Latino populations, their access to technology and existing library services.
- Understanding cultural differences and the dimensions of diversity.
- Developing an outreach action plan including needs assessment, building community partnerships, planning, programming and marketing.
- Implementing computer classes for Spanish speakers.
- Evaluating the impacts of outreach efforts.
Taking the course with others
But today the most exciting part about the story is that we’ve created a new course group for folks enrolled or interested in the course. The WebJunction groups feature is being used by members to gather, often as co-learners, and as a member of this group, you can augment your self-paced learning by connecting with others taking the course, asking questions of one another, and sharing your experiences with outreach at your library. I’ve posted a handful of resources to the group, including one of the course’s most valued tools, Serving Spanish Speaking Communities Success Checklist, which helps you to assess how well your library understands and serves your Spanish-speaking patrons. There are a few other resources posted related to learning with a cohort, but I hope to see others join in and share their own templates, tools and examples related to their learning. All are welcome to join and take part in the group, including those who have already taken the course or those who would simply like to share ideas about enhancing services with other library staff. I know that there are at least 15 people out there who have enrolled since the course relaunched, so I’ll be looking to you to join the group and model cohort learning. The story of this course continues with you and with what you do to improve or enhance services to Spanish speakers in your community. Thank you to all WebJunction learners for all you do for libraries!

There’s a second WebJunction course discounted this month on Updating and Upgrading Library Computer Software and I’m sure there’s a story behind that one too, but as Joe Janes always says, “that’s another story.”

Go to course »
Go to group »
Online Collaboration, Online Learning, PLA 2010, groups
New WebJunction Group: Online Conferencing
March 23rd, 2010 | Permalink | Comment?

A group was created to complement an upcoming PLA session, Expanding your world through Web Conferencing: Connecting small libraries in big ways. Please join presenters Karen Burns, Cindi Hickey and Jennifer Peterson on Friday, March 26, 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM, at the Oregon Convention Center – E141-14. Or if you can’t be there in person, join the Group: Online Conferencing.

Cindi, Karen and I created the group to share handouts, reference additional resources and invite participation from anyone who uses or is interested in using web conferencing tools to get work done when you can’t meet f2f with colleagues. We define web or online conferencing broadly, but we’ll focus our session on web meeting and collaboration tools and ways to use them including best practices from participating to production. And we’re so excited to share some of the success stories from libraryland as more and more library staff are meeting together to get work done, online. We’ll be asking folks to contribute top tips and tools either via twitter (#webconf) or on trusty index cards. However you contribute, please be sure to come to the new group to stay connected and informed in these exciting times for online conferencing.
Online Collaboration, Online Learning, WJ Online Conference
Participants: Key to success of online conference
February 19th, 2010 | Permalink | Comment?

Thank you to all who attended last week’s Technology Essentials 2010, WebJunction’s first ever online conference. All session archives of the 10 presentations are now posted and include the contributions of ideas, links and resources posted to chat throughout the conference by the over 700 participants! If you haven’t attended one of WebJunction’s online events, you’ve yet to experience the active real-time brainstorming and community building that goes on in the chat feature. Participants are invited to post questions, comments, suggestions and links to help generate learning for all in attendance and for all who review the archives. These contributions demonstrate the sustained influence that online events can have on our library learning. For those who were unable to attend or for those who could only attend one or two sessions, these resources will remain accessible indefinitely!

Two participant generated documents from the conference deserve special recognition:

The Participant Marketing Ideas compiled from the presentation by Cindi Hickey and Janie Rutherford, M&M: Maximum Marketing/Minimum Investment is filled with suggestions and examples on everything from calendar tools to ways of marketing your databases and from partnerships in marketing to leveraging social media tools in marketing efforts. Kudos to Cindi and Janie for putting participant engagement at the core of their presentation!

And longtime WebJunction member, SLO trainer, and Utah State Library’s Library Consultant/State Data Coordinator, Juan Tomás Lee has graciously shared his document collecting Participant Notes, a thorough and thoughtful compilation from all 10 sessions!

We have heard from many of you that you attended the conference along with a group of colleagues and are excited to hear that you are sharing your learning with others via staff meetings and wikis. Please let us know how that experience worked for you or how you are applying new skills, tips or tricks on the job.

And thank you again for your participation. We are thrilled to see that the online conference model sustains WebJunction’s commitment to collaboration and learning and it doesn’t happen without you!

View complete conference archives »
Online Learning, Web development, Webinar
Webinar on Website Accessibility
January 12th, 2010 | Permalink | Comment?

Our friends over at TechSoup are offering a free webinar on website accessibility this week. Here are the details:

An Overview of Website Accessibility
Thursday, January 14, 11 am PST/ 2 pm EST
http://techsoupforlibraries.org/blog/webinar-coming-up-website-accessibility

If you’ve heard of “accessibility” and want your site to be usable for all people, but aren’t sure where to start, this webinar is for you. Mark your calendars!
Conferences, Online Learning, WJ Online Conference, Webinar
WebJunction Online Conference February 9 & 10
January 7th, 2010 | Permalink | Comment?
Welcome to 2010 and what’s sure to be the year of online conferencing! WebJunction has been providing online programming in the form of monthly webinars for the past few years and we’re thrilled to be piloting our first-ever online conference filled with presenters from our partner communities and beyond! Join us on February 9–10 for this free online conference, Technology Essentials 2010, focused on practical and timely strategies for leveraging technology in sustaining your library. Conference sessions and presenters include:
- Sandra Nelson with The Planning Puzzle: Integrating your Strategic Plan and your Technology Plan
- Stephanie Gerding with Library Grants 101
- Joshua Dodson and Laura Slavin with WordPress for Library 2.0 and Beyond
- Pat Carterette with Learning When There’s No Time (or Money) to Learn
- Karen McCoy with Implementing Reliable Instant Messaging at Your Library.
You won’t want to miss this valuable learning opportunity for you and your staff. Full program and speaker information is now available and registration is free and open to all.
Online Collaboration, Online Learning, Staff Training, Sustainability
Don’t cut out Learning in hard times: 16 minutes with George and Joan
November 9th, 2009 | Permalink | Comment?
Thanks to Lori Reed for pointing out this excellent podcast from Joan Frye Williams and George Needham from their Thinking Out Loud series. I just listened to it for the second time and took some notes:
- What is the social contract…our obligation to keep our skills current.
- Training budgets are seen as an easy mark in cuts to save money (they keep staff, but cut training)
- What does it cost to keep skills current?
- Investment necessary if we’re going to keep up-to-date.
- How can you stay vital and active in your community? If the resources you work with are getting trimmed back, you may need more in your bag of tricks.
- Who’s responsibility is “learning”? The individual’s? The organization’s?
- Your organization may help you keep your skills up to date, but you need to take the responsibility to act upon the knowledge you’ve acquired and apply them to the goals of the organization.
- How can we move toward a state where learning is something we all agreed to do? …to see learning as an opportunity to help each other be more successful, instead of staying in our own little silos.
- Ask yourself: What can I learn or contribute to help others learn to do their job?
- And be willing to go to others with your suggestions AND for them to not take it as a criticism of their work or inability to do the work. Acronym to remember: Q-TIP (quit taking it personally)
- Learn how to transpose what you’re learning in other spaces to your work in the library (eg. customer service you receive when shopping)
- One of the ways to tell if you’re doing a library job right is if you’re learning something.
- Learning has intrinsic awards.
- Learning is not penance.
- Management: your support for learning helps your staff feel engaged.
Bravo, George and Joan!
News, Online Learning
Newly Updated: Our Updating Software Course
September 21st, 2009 | Permalink | Comment?

Just like the library computer software this course talks about, our online courses often need updating too. All of our learning providers work hard to keep their courses up to date. And so in our spare minutes here (We probably have about as many of those as you do), we have also been updating some of our own WebJunction courses that have been on extended vacation over the past several months because they were beginning to show their age.

This week, we are re-releasing a really useful one for those of you out there who have been thrust into a technology support and planning role for your library. The course: Updating and Upgrading Library Computer Software, walks you through the process of evaluating patron or staff needs with costs, time and hidden drawbacks involved in updating a given piece of software on a public or staff computer. It provides a framework for coming to the right decision for your specific situation, whether you are working with free plugins, paid-for applications, or even operating systems.

You’ll take away some valuable tools that should immediately help with your library’s technology planning and PAC software maintenance efforts, including some handy checklists of questions to ask for different software situations.

IMPORTANT NOTE: As always, if you are a member of one of our WebJunction Partners, chances are you have free or discounted access to this course through their catalog. In that case, instead of using the links above, go first to the Partner site, then to the Courses tab and will find this course listed under Technology (general) > Public Access Computing.
Online Learning, Staff Training, groups
Twelve-year Study Confirms Online Learning Works
September 2nd, 2009 | Permalink | Comment?

It’s one thing to experience the effectiveness of learning online with others, but quite another to have a Department of Education study confirm that experience. What foresight (bless ‘em) to start the study back in 1996 and what an exciting time to benefit from the research! As the New York Times post quotes:

“We are at an inflection point in online education,” said Philip R. Regier, the dean of Arizona State University’s Online and Extended Campus program.

The Department of Education’s meta-analysis of studies (see full report) between 1996 and 2008 compare online with in-person learning looking at the tested performance of students. The studies showed that “blended” instruction (combining elements of online and face-to-face instruction) was better than both face to face instruction or instruction conducted wholly online, but additionally that instruction conducted wholly on line was more effective than face to face instruction only.

As a parent of elementary school-aged kids, I’m of course hopeful that this research will impact some of the decisions made by funders and policy makers, especially in light of all the work going into broadband and technology stimulus work. And too, I hope that we can do a better job training our teachers, parents and of course librarians to support the learning needs and methods of all.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how proud I am to see the study confirms some of the findings in research published way back in March 2007 by my WebJunction colleagues in the Blended Learning Guide. And also worthy of WJ gold stars is the forward thinking revealed in the resources posted in the new Group: Social Learning for Staff Development. Here’s to the days ahead, beyond the “inflection point” of online learning!
Online Learning, Staff Training
… Now with Instructor-Led Courses!
August 18th, 2009 | Permalink | Comment?

We all know that self-paced, anytime, anyplace learning has many advantages, and because they are the best cost effective way to get the most learning to the most people, those courses will always make up the bulk of WebJunction’s course catalog. But we also know that self-paced courses are not the only way to learn, and many of us really miss the social interaction of an instructor and classmates. So we are trying out some new, instructor-led, live-online courses that we hope you will really like.

We are pleased to announce we have just added five such new courses to our catalog. These courses are exclusively offered for WebJunction members by Amigos Library Services – the largest library consortia in the southwest, and one of the top providers of quality continuing education for library staff in the country. They are all on library-specific topics, and our initial focus this fall is on Technical Services.

The first classes start just after labor day, so now is a good time to take a look and sign up. You can see all the course listings together, read the full descriptions and enroll in the Amigos category of our Course Catalog. But as always – if you are a member of any of our State or Provincial Partners, make sure you go to the catalog on that Partner’s site instead to take advantage of some steep discounts.

Here are titles, dates and short descriptions of the courses. You can find more info in the catalog.

MARC 101 – September 8 & 9
A beginner level introduction to MARC format; this course is intended for participants who are new to MARC. Topics covered include a brief history of MARC, organization and structure of a MARC record, definition of common MARC terminology, MARC formats and use of OCLC’s Bibliographic Formats and Standards for help with understanding MARC code.

Tools for the Reference Desk – September 17 & 24
Do you want to learn how to implement Web technologies in your reference desk? This course explores a variety of online tools, from blogs, wikis, to free chat software and web-based platforms from which you can engage your users at the reference desk. Come learn how to utilize several free online tools in your reference activities.

Tech Topics: Library 2.0 – September 28
For some, Library 2.0 is new and uncharted territory. For others, it’s the same thing we’ve been doing for years. Find out where the term originated, what it actually means, and how it intertwines with Web 2.0. You’ll see live demonstrations of Library 2.0-type implementations, discuss its ramifications for your library and the profession.

FRBR – What it is and how it can help you prepare for RDA - October 13 & 15
FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records) was created in 1998 and is the basis for the new RDA (Resource Description and Access). RDA is slated to replace AACR2 and be released in early 2010. Come and explore the new vocabulary and the bones of FRBR. By identifying FRBR, you are ready to recognize RDA when it is completed. Lively discussion is encouraged.

Basic Digitization: Everyday Imaging – November 11 & 12
This online workshop provides a solid introduction to library staff who want to start using digital imaging technology for ILL, web pages and other basic applications.
ALA2009, Online Collaboration, Online Learning, Staff Training, groups
Tweeting the way to staff learning
July 14th, 2009 | Permalink | 1 Comment

Michael Porter and I gave a presentation on Social Learning for Staff Development where we explored the concepts of serendipitous, targeted serendipity and designed learning using social networking tools.

Humans are social animals and are most engaged in learning when there is social interaction. So how could we present on a topic like this without expanding the presentation environment to allow for social learning about social learning? Even though we had the constraints of a linear lecture-type setup, we asked the participants to break up into groups, take up pen and post-it and start brainstorming challenges and ideas about how they could integrate social networking tools into their staff development programs.

I had intended to bring the groups back together to share what they had each come up with, but the room was so abuzz with social learning energy that I didn’t want to interrupt. So, I started a group on WebJunction to keep the ideas flowing. The notes from the ALA brainstorm are incorporated there as a launch pad for carrying on the conversation.