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With tech gadgets all the rage, WebJunction has an upcoming webinar and a fresh gadget overview to share with you.
“Wow, That’s Cool! What is it?”
Thursday, November 10, 2011 ♦ 2 pm Eastern / 11 am Pacific ♦ 60 min
The Library of Virginia spent part of the last 12 months touring the Commonwealth with a van full of technology toys: e-readers, iPads, pocket video cameras and more, thanks to a grant from IMLS. This webinar, presented by Cindy Church of LVA and her Wow That’s Cool trainer Lisa R. Varga, will describe how the project evolved, the response of library staff who had never seen or touched the technology patrons were asking about, things they’d do exactly the same next time, and things they’d never do again. Join us and learn about the program from several perspectives: the administrator, the trainer, and the conference attendee. Presented by: Cindy S. Church, Continuing Education Consultant, Library of Virginia and Lisa R. Varga, Trainer and Executive Director of the Virginia Library Association.
And thank you to Betha Gutche for the new compilation, The Gadget Ecosystem, filled with information on smartphones, tablets, ereaders, and apps, and how they enhance the library landscape.
One more week until the Library 2.011 worldwide virtual conference on November 2 – 4, 2011. The conference will be held *around the clock* online, in multiple time zones over the course of two days and it’s free! Thank you to the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) at San José State University, the conference founding sponsor, and to conference co-chairs Sandy Hirsh and Steve Hargadon for hosting this amazing opportunity!
The Library 2.011 conference is a unique chance to participate in a global conversation on the current and future state of libraries. Subject strands include the changing roles of libraries and librarians, the increasing impact of digital media and the e-book revolution, open educational resources, digital literacy, shifts from information consumption to production (Web 2.0), multimedia and gaming spaces, libraries as community centers, the growth of individualized and self-paced learning, the library as the center of new learning models, understanding users in the digital age, assessing service delivery, and defining leadership and information professional careers in a networked and changing world.
The conference schedule is now online, with all 160+ sessions, and an individual hour-by-hour schedule calendar for all 36 time zones. Start on the Sessions and Schedule page, scroll down and click on your time zone, and browse the amazing line-up. The festivities start on Wednesday morning and last into the wee hours of the night on Thursday. Links to the live virtual rooms will be available when the conference starts. Session proposals are available to browse to help you decide which time of the day or night to join in. Hope to see you there!
Join OCLC, host Chrystie Hill, WebJunction’s Director of Community Services, and guest speakers for a series of four free webinars designed to inspire and engage public libraries on topics of vital interest. Each program in the series will offer practical advice on issues that are top-of-mind in public libraries.
Building Bridges #1: Principles of Advocacy
Wednesday, November 2, 2011 2:00 pm Eastern/11:00 am Pacific
Public library professionals know the importance of demonstrating their value to their local communities. Are you looking for inspiration to jump-start your own advocacy efforts? Join us to better understand how ongoing community advocacy supports the vital role your library plays in the community.
Speakers include:
Mary Hirsch, Project Coordinator for PLA and Lynn Slawsky, Program Officer, Turning the Page 2.0, who will discuss PLA’s Turning the Page program
Janet Sawaya, Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, who will discuss the foundation’s role in funding public library advocacy programs
Jennifer Pearson, Senior Manager of Advocacy Programs, OCLC, who will discuss the Geek the Library community awareness program
Building Bridges #2: Community Outreach
Learn more about building successful community partnerships that really work.
Building Bridges #3: Communicating Your Value
Without sufficient funding, your service to your community can suffer. But you can effectively communicate your value to those who fund your library—learn how.
Building Bridges #4: Your Library’s Future
This look ahead will focus on (1) the critical services libraries should provide; (2) services that only the public library provides; and (3) communicating the library’s future plans to the community.
“Imagine, I thought, the impact I could have on a person who is discouraged and disheartened about their employment prospects or financial situation. They come to the library and experience a kind of oasis, and see new possibilities, rather than feeling stigmatized about their situation. In the process, they also discover the many other things their library offers.”
Project Compass has spent the last year leading workshops around the country about how libraries contribute to workforce recovery and local economic health. We’ve heard from so many workshop participants about the high level of energy and enthusiasm for taking the next steps to keep their libraries vital and central in the community. We’re excited about the impact of the project and we’d like to share our excitement with you through this webinar.
The project has reached nearly 2000 front-line library staff all around the country, stimulating conversations and actions to take those next steps. We have lots of stories and strategies to share from the amazing library staff we’ve worked with. The reflections from participants in the workshop preceding the ARSL conference—Jamie, Pamela, Hope and Joan—are a representative sample of how rural libraries have taken the Project Compass curriculum ideas and run with them.
This webinar is for anyone who is interested in how libraries are supporting their communities through these turbulent times. Whether you work in a large or small library, whether or not you attended a workshop, join us as we review the highlights of the project and look ahead to a thriving future.
[The following excerpts from the reports of three more participants in the Project Compass workshop before the ARSL conference affirm the power of the curriculum and the collaborative exchange of knowledge among rural library representatives.]
From Pamela Thompson, Director, Mason County Library System (WV):
As I attended the Project Compass workshop, I had mixed feelings about what our small library system could do in helping unemployed and small business entrepreneurship. With limited budgets I thought we were doing all we could to help our community. Unemployment rate is high in our county. After a half day in the Project Compass workshop I was wondering why we haven’t done more!! The ideas I brought back to Mason County were affordable and helpful to our community. I have already implemented various ideas at the libraries. I also realized that we are not alone in this “Not enough funding, what more can we do.” As I participated and listened to all the people we met, I realized that we all in rural libraries face the same problems, whether it be West Virginia, Texas, Kentucky, Arizona, or wherever a rural library is located. By the time the day was over, I was more excited about returning to work to start sharing ideas and implementing programs in our system. After talking to the other WV libraries in our group, they felt the same way.
On returning to Mason County, I immediately came up with a game plan and talked to staff about what we intended to accomplish. In a week’s time we have two libraries with couponing stations, a couponing group in two libraries. Also will be attending County and Town meetings more often, allowing patrons to fax resumes free of charge, allowing patrons to print resumes free of charge and we will be starting a Computers 101 class twice a month at each library to help patrons get an email address, learn how to print resumes, or whatever the need is.
Thank you for the scholarship to allow us to attend an awesome workshop!!
From Hope Wilson, Fremont Public Library (IN):
The pre-conference workshop was inspiring and refreshingly well-organized. I had visited the Project Compass website before attending (before I was even aware of the conference) and had downloaded the Project Compass workbook for myself and the other two librarians on staff. The workbook is so resourceful that it can be a bit overwhelming. We were unsure as to where, when, how to begin.
Attending the workshop gave me the big picture. I now see that the resources are there when/if needed; for example, I don’t have to visit all the links in the manual before proceeding, because proceeding today is the important thing. I was able to return to my library and put some small things in practice immediately. Now, we offer free resume faxes and have purchased a new bulletin board just for local entrepreneurs. We can revisit the resources as we progress.
This workshop came at a great time for me as an administrator. We just added an online, self-paced computer training program and are asking the staff to improve their computer skills. Project Compass reiterated the need for them, as employees, to keep enhancing their own job skills.
I appreciated the positive, encouraging approach of the PC workshop. During my brief staff meeting I found that my employees felt good about what they are already offering and felt validated that their work is indeed a service in ways not considered before. For example, I don’t think that they thought of gardening programs as a help to the un/underemployed. Yet they well might be. This is not to say that the staff does not realize how much more we can do. They are looking forward to seeing the library meet the goals they suggested at our staff meeting.
The PC workshop was so beautifully organized and offered such great discussion ideas that I found it easy to pull out an hour’s worth for my staff. Next month I’ll be attending a six-county consortium where I’ll present a short summary to other directors. And next month we’ll have another staff meeting to measure our progress on Project Compass goals.
From Joan Pellikka, Outreach Services Coordinator, North Country Library System (NY):
We are a cooperative library system of 65 member libraries, all separate entities governed by their own boards of trustees. The largest library in our system serves a community of roughly 27,000; the smallest, 121. More than half of our libraries have annual operating budgets of less than $50,000; fifteen have budgets of less than $25,000. We have some of the poorest libraries in the State and everyone works very hard with limited resources. The ARSL conference offers programs tailored to meet the specific needs of the smaller, rural library presented by people who clearly understand that work environment.
My first day in Frisco, I attended the Project Compass workshop, which left me with a more focused direction for collecting and presenting workforce development resources on the NCLS web site. From there, my goal is to offer training for member library staff, who in turn will share these resources with the public. More importantly, I gleaned bits of information that will stay with me for a long time. The following quote was probably the most important thing I saw and heard at the conference:
Lifelong learning is not an option anymore; it’s a necessity. SMART is the new RICH.
~Bernie Trilling, 21st Century Skills
One librarian pointed out that this statement clearly illustrates the value of libraries at all times, not just in times of recession. Her comment, along with the quote, struck me very powerfully. Also during Project Compass, we viewed the video, Did You Know 3.0, which provided statistics that were, for me, eye opening. I am working on integrating both the quote and the video into advocacy efforts for our member libraries.
In the same session, we were reminded that it is so important to not make assumptions about job seekers. Highly skilled professionals such as physicians and pilots are finding themselves in situations where they must learn to assess their abilities and market them in another industry. We must be flexible and prepared to assist everyone with varying levels of expertise.
You may say I’m a biased ARSL board member, but after attending my third Annual Association for Rural and Small Libraries Conference, I stand by my word that this is the best library conference around. Every moment I was awake, I was inspired, motivated and entertained by 300+ of the most amazing librarians in the country. The conference program was packed with sessions filled with practical and actionable ideas for staff working in rural and small libraries. Our WebJunction table in the exhibits area provided us with an opportunity to connect with folks excited about WebJunction. And the many meals and hallway conversations let me reconnect with some of my favorite people in libraryland. As others have said, the conference feels like a small town, with potential conversations, or certainly warm hello, around every corner. [Picture above: So pleased to spend time with my fellow JP, Jennifer Pearson of Geek the Library fame!]
But don’t take my word for it! Guest bloggers have been posting to BlogJunction this week with their ARSL experiences and with reflections on attending the Project Compass workshop held just before the conference. Nearly 50 librarians from around the country gathered for the workshop that Betha and I had the pleasure of facilitating. As we worked through the Project Compass curriculum, attendees worked together to create a new list, Ideas for Workforce Recovery from Small but Mighty Libraries. Jami Carter, from the Tooele City Public Library in Utah, shares how the workshop provided her with terms, ideas, and collaborations to affirm and expand the work their library does to serve the community:
And be sure to explore all the other great conference coverage out there:
Thank you to conference planners, presenters, and participants for yet another fantastic ARSL conference. I hope to see some of you again next year in Raleigh, North Carolina!
[Susie Sharp from the New Rockford Public Library, ND, alsoparticipated in the Project Compass Workforce Recovery workshop before the ARSL conference. She shares how much the experience connected her with others serving small and rural communities who share the same challenges and provided an opportunity to exchange solutions.]
I had the honor to receive a scholarship from WebJunction to attend the Association for Rural and Small Libraries Conference in Frisco, Texas, and what I found was a wonderful community of rural and small librarians facing the same challenges we do, no matter where in the country they’re located. One of my favorite quotes from the conference was by Pat Tuohy of the Central Texas Library System who acknowledged and applauded rural librarians’ ability to “run a small, underfunded, shoestring operation that can take a dime and squeeze it to a dollar because they know how important library services are to a community and how powerful they are in changing lives.”
The Project Compass workshop put on by WebJunction was so enlightening and gave me some great ideas of how better to help my job-seeking patrons. I have already contacted some other organizations in my community to create a comprehensive community resources guide to help job seekers and new members of our community. It was such a great opportunity to discuss these challenges with other librarians and to hear new ideas and solutions to similar challenges we all face.
The conference itself was a great one! Gene & Bill from Unshelved put on a great program and Gene gave me some great ideas on how to start a graphic novel collection at my library and took the time to email me a selection of his favorite graphic novels [see list shared on ARSL along with other conference handouts]. Also all the program ideas I was able to come away from this conference with were invaluable. I am ready to start planning some of these no and low cost programs right away! The Reel Reads program was very helpful because it dealt with having an event about books to movies even when you can’t afford to buy the movie license but can still have a program celebrating books to movies. Joe Bob Briggs put on a really fun program too!
What I came away with from this conference was a great sense of community. ARSL is an association that immediately made me feel at home and able to network with other small & rural librarians from around the country. It is a great opportunity and I am proud to spread the word about it. [See also a short video of Susie's presentation about ARSL and her experience at the recent North Dakota Library Association Confernece.]
Susie Sharp
New Rockford Public Library, North Dakota
[Jamie Matczak, from the Nicolet Federated Library System, Green Bay, WI, participated in the Project Compass Workforce Recovery workshop before the ARSL conference. The patron story that Jamie relates took place shortly after the conference and reflected a key message of the workshop training—to help patrons uncover their skills and learn new ones.]
I work for a library system, so I don’t get a lot of interaction with patrons. I do volunteer (when I can) for my neighborhood library, usually helping patrons with using the internet or laptop basics.
On Tuesday, I helped a woman named Rita. She is a retired widow, age 75. She had never used a computer or the internet before, but she wanted some part-time work at the local Kwik Trip. When she went to the job fair at Kwik Trip, they gave her a newspaper clipping with a web address and told her to apply online. She told them she didn’t know how to use a computer, and the Kwik Trip folks told her to “go to the library. They will help you.”
She was very nervous and quiet. Because of a medical condition, her hands shake. She kept apologizing for this, and I said, “no problem, let’s work on your application.” She did not have an email address, so I set up a gmail account for her. Her work experience prior to retiring was working for our Norbertine Center in town, which we also call The Abbey. She was a cook for 20 years. Most days she would cook and clean for 40 priests/fathers, two meals a day. On weekends, she would cook for up to 100 of them, and sometimes she only had one other person helping her.
We started working on her application. I had never worked with someone who had zero computer experience, so this was new for me, too. Because she had never used a computer and did not have familiarity with the keyboard, I did all the typing. We probably would’ve been there for hours if I had let her, so in the interest of time, she dictated and I typed. I told her that we could set up separate sessions for going over email, the mouse, computer basics, etc. We worked through the application. Rita was never late for work in the 20 years she worked at the center. She had a clean record and was willing to work any hours.
When we got to the section of “other skills,” she said she didn’t have any. Then she said, “Well, my husband and I did own a restaurant, but that was 20 years ago.”
I said, “how long did you own this restaurant.”
“About 30 years,” she said.
“Rita!” I said. “You owned your own business? Did you supervise? Manage? Do payroll? Those are all great, valid skills!” She confirmed that she did all of that, without a computer of course, but she still knows those things.
It took us close to an hour to finish, which is how long my sessions usually run. We we finished, she started getting out her wallet and asked what I charge. I told her nothing. This was something I do as a volunteer, and it’s what libraries are all about. Then she asked if she could give me a tip! I laughed and said “no.” She had tears in her eyes and said “thank you” about 20 times. I told her she could let the staff know when she wanted to meet again, and I would help her with other things.
I started tearing up on my walk home. It was definitely one of those “ah ha!” moments for me. It made me grateful for the skills I had and happy that I could help someone else.
I really hope I can help her more, and it would be awesome if she got this job. :)
[BlogJunction will be host to a number of guest posts in the coming weeks by scholarship recipients who attended the Project Compass Workshop and ARSL conference in Frisco, Texas. Thank you to Anita Simpson, Library Assistant at the Mohave County Library, Lake Havasu City Branch, AZ for her guest blog post!]
I attended my first ARSL Conference 2011 in Frisco, Texas. I was extremely excited with the energy of the entire conference. Everyone that attended was happy to be there, openly friendly, and helpful. The Project Compass Workshop was very rewarding and I came away form the workshop excited, ready to get started planning for the future. The knowledge and resources provided are going to be instrumental in setting up our One Stop at our library. All three days of the conference were exciting and informational. The opening keynote put on by the Unshelved guys Gene and Bill, was a personal favorite [see video of the Unshelved Library Simulator!]. Our staff are big fans, so it was special to meet them personally. All the programs I attended were informational and interesting. It was fun to exchange ideas and learn about all the online resources available for staff and patrons. I want to thank WebJunction and IMLS for their generosity. I truly enjoyed myself and have made several new friends.
Anita Simpson
Library Assistant
Mohave County Library, Lake Havasu City Branch, AZ
Thank you again to all who joined us in early August for Trends in Library Training and Learning Online Conference brought to you in collaboration with the ALA Learning Round Table. We’re excited to bring you this information about the library staff who registered or attended the event and to remind you that all recordings of presentations and associated resources are now available on WebJunction.
A total of 1965 people registered or attended the event and 1082 logged in for at least one of the sessions. Many of those who logged in were doing so in order for staff in their library to join a Viewing Party. See the long list of Viewing Parties!. A special thank you to you viewing party hosts, and sorry if we didn’t get you on the list.
Also a special thanks to our sponsoring WebJunction Partner States who brought over 889 registrants and 500 attendees to the conference and who continue to support the networking and collaboration critical to the success of WebJunction’s online learning!
Many others are represented in the list of top 20 participating states:
Florida
106
Illinois
87
Texas
86
Virginia
83
California
77
Pennsylvania
76
North Carolina
76
Minnesota
71
Washington
69
New York
64
Georgia
56
Colorado
51
Maryland
49
Ohio
48
Tennessee
45
Indiana
42
Arizona
41
Kentucky
40
Kansas
37
Wisconsin
35
And 90 participants represent these cities and countries around the globe:
Aberdeenshire
Monterrey
Alexandria
Namibia
Amsterdam
New South Wales
Argyrioy
New Zealand
Asachi
Pacific Islands
Auckland
Poland
Australia
Poornima
Bremen
Puerto Rico
Bulgaria
Reykjavik
Cambridge
Rio Grande do Sul
Dublin
Singapore
Ethiopian
South Pacific
Frankfurt
Southern Queensland
Hong Kong
Surrey
India
Tasmania
Indonesia
Thammasat
Istanbul
Trieste
Korea
Sydney
Lahore
Victoria
Makaia
Wetaskiwin
Manila
Here’s the breakdown of the many library types represented:
As you can see from the broad representation across the globe and across the types of libraries you work in, the topics presented are indeed universal. From brain development to instructional design, from creating videos to creating community, the presentations were top-notch and inspirational. Betha provides an excellent summary of the 2 days in her post, Two-day online conference was a brain booster on the Learning Round Table Blog and you can view all the live-blogging we did here on BlogJunction. And be sure to check out the tweet archive for #learntrends!
I’d like to personally thank all of the planners (especially Sharon and Mary Beth from the LearningRT!), presenters, emcees, producers, viewing party hosts and all other participants, for joining the conference and for contributing to the success of WebJunction’s third online conference! I look forward to connecting with all of you in future online events.
Buffy is intent on shifting the perception of the library, to bring back the human element and help people find themselves in the story of library. It’s about keeping the best of what we have always done, no matter what type of library, and amplifying the aspect of the library as learning space and a communal space. She explored a variety of ways to weave in the talents and passions of patrons to create a more interesting concept of what the library means—as a place for “self-excavation” and discovery.
Buffy channels the thought leadership of Dr. David Lankes and Dr. Henry Jenkins, both of whom have promoted the concept of “participatory librarianship” and identified the conditions to make a learning space participatory. Jenkins believes that “relationships are the cornerstone of libraries and participation.”
Buffy is her own verb as she demonstrated the range of items in her participatory toolbox that she has deployed to achieve maximum participation with her students and to “ignite the conversation”:
Google forms: to invite a conversation through survey and assessment and collect data to adjust direction and programs.
Poll Everywhere: to allow learners to use mobile devices to participate by voting in real time and text polling to brainstorm ideas.
Polldaddy: embed polls in a website to collect ongoing input on what’s working (or not); get user input on design and selection of learning resources and strategies.
Blogging platforms and videos: to celebrate student voices and talents and to bring in the larger (global) community with the library as the funnel.
Digital storytelling: to tell multi-generational stories and build essential social connections as patrons explore stories from the community.
Information dashboards: to help people become curators of knowledge and build collections of digital resources and share original content. (tools like Netvibes and Symbaloo)
There’s a lot more practical and inspiring detail in the archive. Watch for it to be posted Friday.
So let’s start the “Get libraried!” campaign. (thanks Zola for that bit of brilliance.)
What will you do to invite participation, to foster shared ownership, to make your library the place that both creates the conversation and thrives at the center of the conversation?
A few years ago, the South Dakota state library offered self-paced “23 Things” training based on Helene Blowers now well-known model that helped library staff become familiar with a host of online tools.
Jane and Julie thought, why not use a similar model, but for training staff on state library subscription databases? This would take a rather dry, often intimidating subject (databases) and blend it with an interactive training approach that also encourages staff to make use of Web 2.0 tools. They also were excited that this training could reach out to many different types of learners, in different types of libraries and staff roles and with different ability levels. Their proposal was accepted, and they have done three rounds of the training.
They gave us lots of tips about how they put the program together. A key point they noted up front: they used free tools for the whole things, including:
Blogger
Google Docs
SurveyMonkey
online handouts
vendor tutorials
They stressed that these are not the only free tools available, and other examples were shared by the audience in Chat, such as WordPress, Jing, WikiSpaces, and more.
Their steps for launching the program included:
- Publicity. They used listservs, in-person announcements, andtargeted emails to people who had taken live e-resources training before, and previous challengees.
- Registration. They used a form on Google Docs, created a pretest and post-challenge survey on Survey Monkey
- Lessons. They created 10 lessons, which were released each week for 11 weeks. Each lesson contained a brief intro to provide context, info about the e-resource, and a discovery exercise
- Blogs. Participants created blogs, which added to the trainers’ RSS feed readers and the state library blogroll. These posts included answers to participants’ discovery exercises and comments about the challenge.
- Completion. Post-challenge surveys, analysis, and tweaking of the program based on feedback and results.
The costs associated with the program were really associated with staff time. Time to set up, promote, manage and monitor the program. Because they incorporated into their workday, so it is hard for them to say how much total time it took.
Setup took the most time, to decide structure, but this effort has decreased with each new round.
Advice and Caveats:
Don’t go it alone–have a team of 2 or 3 people.
Setting up the blogs was a difficult step for many participants
Technical issues could create hiccups, such as authentication issues that prevented access to databases.
Results?
Participants reported new knowledge and especially their confidence with e-resources. This led to increased enthusiasm and advocacy about the program went talking with stakeholders in the community. They showed some graphed results from their pre and post surveys that dramatically demonstrated the shift in comfort level.
They’ve opened up the program to school teachers in the summer, who gave additional perspective about the training and considered how they wanted to incorporate into the classroom. The audience asked, why not adapt it for patron and student training as well? We’ll be curious to see if anyone takes that ball and runs with it–let us know your results!
In the Chat and on Twitter, the audience pushed back on the time thing: those who had tried to participate in 23 Things programs found they couldn’t keep up with the challenge under competing priorities. The presenters said that how much the libraries support the program, if they deliberately permit staff to set aside time for it. CE credit is also a motivator. Individual staff’s intrinsic motivation for continuous learning can also be a factor.
The stumpiest question asked during the Q&A section at the end was “Why 23?” The answer, provided by someone in the audience, was “It was based on Stephen Abrams 43 Folders”…I am surprised there wasn’t a follow-up question, “Why 43?”
The audience was asked, What immediate next step can you take based on the information you learned in this session? Lots of responses: we suggest you look at the Chat to get inspired to action for your library!
With 631 people in the room (and many others viewing as a group under one name), we all were asked to answer a poll on the whiteboard about roles in the library: Did we primarily assist public, train staff, or supervise staff? It quickly turned into a crazy quilt of color, as shown here:
The focus is on tech training because of libraries key role in providing internet. 73% of rural libraries are the ONLY provider of free internet. Two thirds have received 1:1 help from library staff, and 14% attended computer training at the library.
Attendees shared in Chat about how they help people with technology, and the responses showed the huge range in depth and breadth of experience library staff have with technology, from hardware, to software, to the web and email, to databases, and more. Basically, librarians must be prepared to be skilled in both IT and teaching competencies.
The bulk of the presentation then answered the following questions:
What are competencies?
Why are they valuable for library tech trainers?
what are the competencies for library tech trainers?
On Twitter, Ohio Public Library core competencies were also shared: http://t.co/LZLuIPl
After the main presentation by the three, there was ample time for Q&A. As I was wrestling with Twitter and Facebook lags during that time, I missed a lot of the great questions, but here are some:
Q: How do you keep up with users on the forefront without neglecting those who are lagging behind?
Assist the laggers with their immediate needs but give them encouragement and orientation to more current technology, perhaps as a follow-up one-on-one. Other suggestions were posted to chat.
Q: How do you deal with situations when people come with technology that you are not familiar with?
If you don’t know about it, think of it with other reference questions: You might not have the answer, but you should understand where to find the answer. Also, it might alleviate the anxiety of the person asking if you admit that you don’t know the answer but “let’s learn together”.
Q: How did you go about developing the competencies?
They did a literature review of what competency sets were already published. Created drafts and circulated for review and feedback.
Q: How do you train reluctant or time-stretched staff?
Kieran mentioned that in a small, rural library, training while doing frontline patron services is a necessity. Have to keep an eye on how it will help in the long run, allow for on-the-job training (not sequestered in a classroom), make it short bites of training, and use immediate incentives like treats.
Then the presenters turned it around and asked a couple questions of the audience to reflect on:
How can you support the learning needs of technology training in your organization?
How has your role in the library change because of technology? What training do you need to support your new technology-related duties?
Check out the chat log when the archive is posted later today, to see some of the responses, as well as the lively conversation on Twitter at #learntrends.
Char invited all the participants (>600) to go hogwild in the Chat, to keep it as interactive as possible–and everyone took to that idea like ducks to water. Twitter was also very busy (#learntrends).
Char started with a suggestion that we take a positive and persevering attitude toward training, even though we may be challenged by difficult economic and budgetary conditions.
She then introduced the idea of “the Library Educator”–specifically, that no matter your job description, you are involved in learning. But this concept is not widely recognized: we tend to get trained on what to teach but not how to teach. Char shared a poll she did that showed that a majority library staff feel their MLIS education did not adequately prepare them to design and delivery instruction. Chat responses seemed to indicate that this was a sentiment shared by session attendees as well–some mentioned that they did draw upon prior experience as a teacher once they entered the library profession.
She acknowledged that huge amount of anxiety can grip new or undertrained instructors. We may often find ourselves expected to teach without all the formal education and training, certification and credentials that most teachers get.
A big problem is that there is assumption that librarians are not teachers. This affects how we are perceived when we are in a learning interaction on the job. How do you change those perceptions?
And what about your perceptions of learners? Do you believe that they can be inspired by a teaching interaction?
We were invited to close our eyes and conjure up our best teacher ever. Then we burned up the Chat window with descriptions of the qualities of that teacher.
Then, we were asked to think of our worst teacher and chat about that. Wow, the adjectives posted were very vivid. It was obvious that these terrible learning experiences still resonated with us.
The point was, we already know what makes a good and a bad teacher, from our own learning experiences. Avoid the bad, emulate the good qualities, and absorb them into your teaching identity.
She posited a nice metaphor of “librarians as an indicator species” in the sense of being emblematic of the environment, and asked us to post to chat what librarians were indicators of. Responses ranged from “tote bags” to “democracy.”
The meat of the session was devoted to delving into the pillars of Instructional Literacy: a combination of (1) reflective practice, (2) educational theory–learning, teaching, and curriculum theory; (3) teaching technologies; and (4) instructional design (systematic planning makes for a better learning experience). Added together, the outcome is teaching effectiveness.
Reflective Practice is a commitment to be aware of improving your teaching and training strategies, Continuous incremental improvement. Practical aspects of this practice are:
1. Metacognition: thinking about thinking, self-awareness, incremental improvement
– do simple small exercises after doing an instruction. Three question reflection. What went well, what bombed, what should I follow up on?
–concept/curriculum map: break down a core idea into parts to understand it better (mindomo.com)
–buid a teaching portfolio of assignments, handouts, materials in an organized storage.
2. Gleaning:
– capture things that happen for posterity: recordings, whiteboard capture, screenshots, photos of students, colleagues, environs
3. Collaboration
– communities of Practice: build in fun activities, make it visible, get engaged with it
Be sure to view the archived recording when it is posted so that you can see all the great Chat and get the many details that I have not included in this summary!
We spent the first three sessions of today’s online conference getting psyched up to learn, to train, and to have fun doing it. But what if training is not a priority at your library? That can sure kill your buzz. So, Sarah Houghton addressed how to overcome that barrier and get your administration on board with the value of staff’s pursuit of new and improved skills.
The problem Sarah notes is that most libraries have experienced extremely uneven staff skills, from awesome, to adequate, to struggling. The goal is to have a consistent skill set across staff who are performing the same functions.
She shared the reasons why to invest in staff tech training, and suggested you ask yourself: What does your staff need to know to do their jobs well?
How do you get admin to approve your brilliant plan? How do you get them to say yes, and give you the resources to do it? Your boss make likely talk about wanting things fast and free, you may be subjected to a cadre of committees to review your idea, or there just may be a resistance to change. Sarah’s advice? Ask for forgiveness, not permission. Just do it, do it well, and point to the results.
Tips to help you in your venture:
If you feel alone, reach out to others and ask for help (use your professional network)
Use ROI Calculators
Speak the same language as your administrators
Slashed training budget? Look at free options vs expensive consultants. The word “training” can bring dollars signs into admin’s eyes. Consider webinar swaps: you train my staff, I’ll train yours
Show that Rapid Prototyping of training works. Show successful examples of what you can do. Collect information from staff that shows that it worked.
Build allies among opponents. Target those most reluctant first, develop rapport and get them on our side. (Think Star Trek)
Say no to no. Ask for reason why, so that you can address that issue.
Retain authority gently. (Think Andy Griffith) Coach around your point of view.
Start small. You don’t need to put together a whole training program at the start.Plant the seed.
Bring it. Organizations can move very slow, so bring your best game, highest impact effort to it, to WOW decision makers into action.
It’s all about the users. Why are we training staff in the first place? For the benefit of the library’s services and resource to our users. Tie it to impact on users.
Sarah then segued into how to approach a comprehensive training plan. She noted the key ingredients:
goals
skill lists
assessment
training
reassessment
evaluation
She noted a few caveats:
One person can kill a project
Not everyone believes that staff lack basic skills, so you have to show them.Denial.
Not everyone believes that web-based training is valuable.”If it’s not live, it’s not training”
It is possible for you to sabotage your training initiative yourself by making some key errors.
Finally, Sarah covered how to assess your progress and celebrate the results. The hour was packed with information, so be sure to view and listen to the full archive when it posted.
