Archive for August, 2009
Taking Your Ideas to the Next Level: Free Webinar
Aug 31st
Infopeople Webinar: George and Joan on Taking Your Ideas to the Next Level
You have a terrific idea for improving your library’s service. You excitedly share this fantastic new idea, only to have your enthusiasm deflated by picky questions, managerial indifference, or passive/aggressive resistance from your colleagues.
No matter how good your ideas are, if you don’t present them in a way that can be discussed and understood by the people who can make them happen, they won’t be implemented. You’ll be left frustrated. And your community will never experience that terrific new service.
This webinar will describe techniques that prepare library staff members at any level to present new ideas effectively. Participants will learn how to:
- Demonstrate how your idea fits in with other organizational goals and practices;
- Improve your empathetic skills, “think with someone else’s brain,” and anticipate how ideas will be received;
- Identify the people who can assist you in carrying your ideas to reality;
- Face resistance squarely and overcome objections;
- Improve presentation skills so that a good idea won’t be lost in a substandard delivery.
This webinar will be of interest to any members of the library community who wish to see their ideas move forward. The tips and techniques covered here will also be useful to those who need to coach others in how to present their ideas more effectively. Participation by past and prospective Eureka! Leadership Institute participants is strongly recommended.
Webinar: Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Time: 12pm-1pm PDT
Speaker: Joan Frye Williams, George Needham
For more information go to: http://infopeople.org/training/webcasts/webcast_data/328/index.html
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...Open Books
Aug 26th
Google Books announced today that users can download over a million public domain titles in an open source format. “.epub” is the file extension of an XML format for reflowable digital books and publications. Sony Reader, iPhone and iPod Touch are popular digital readers that support .epub, as does software Adobe Editions and MobiPocket.
Though I don’t see a way to search specifically for these titles, on an item page look for a Download button to see if your chosen title is available in the new format or try http://books.google.com/m
Many libraries have already embraced digital downloads and trained staff on how to use Overdrive or NetLibrary. Despite the qualms we may have about the Google book deal, our digital patrons be all over this.
Will we?
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Join us Friday on T is for Training
Aug 25th
This Friday at 2pm EDT many of the ALA Learning contributors will be on the live, Internet talk show T is for Training created and hosted by our very own Maurice Coleman. This is the Internet talk show/podcast for library trainers.
This will be a special show celebrating the one year anniversary of T is for Training. Call in, listen in, or download the podcast–either way this is a show you don’t want to miss!
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...How Youth Want To Learn
Aug 25th
I was pointed to an enlightening video today in Training magazine’s weekly newsletter, Training Tech Talk. It shows all of us involved in learning that the old methods are not going to work with the generation coming into the workforce. Larry Edelman from the University of Colorado Denver produced this video titled “Youth, Technology, and Learning: Opportunities for Educators and Future Employers”. “On the video, high-school students discuss how they use technology for communication, problems they have with traditional education, and how they would best learn a new job,” explains Edelman.
Most of the training I do for my Library System involves hands-on use of technology. I’m grateful that I have a training lab where we can actually do the work on the various software programs. However, I do have to do demos where everyone is just sitting and watching me show the software when I go outside of our building and there is no training lab setup. I’ve known for awhile that the old sit and watch method doesn’t work as well, but as the newer, younger library workers come into my classes it’s becoming even more apparent. After watching this video, I feel a new fire underneath of me to ge cracking on new ways of teaching. These highschool freshmen explain very well what it’s like to try and learn all day in school using the old methods when the rest of their world involves an entirely different way of interacting and communicating. What a disconnect. Go ahead, watch for yourself and please leave some comments with suggestions to help build the fire!
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...The Learning Round Table: Looking Ahead
Aug 25th
by Pat Carterette, LearnRT President 2009-2010
This is promising to be another big year for the Learning Round Table. We started off with a bang with our official name change – in case you hadn’t heard, we’re now the Learning Round Table. We may be the first round table in ALA history to use a real word as our name rather than an acronym. By the way, our name will be abbreviated as LearnRT in ALA publications. Bear with us as it will take awhile to get all the CLENERTs changed to LearnRTs. I hope you agree that “learning” is indicative of who we are (we’re interested and/or engaged in staff learning and continuing library education) and what we’re all about.
So… what’s up with the Learning Round Table? Already there are projects in the works and more in the initial planning stages. Here’s a partial list of projects and plans for 2009-2010.
- New marketing campaign (watch for a new logo, tag line, recruitment plan and more)
- New website: alalearning.org is being developed and improved on a daily basis. The goal is to be easily accessible to all our current and future round table members.
- First ever Emerging Leader sponsorship – we are proudly sponsoring an ALA Emerging Leader for the first time – the applicant we select will be someone who has a particular interest in staff training and development. Two potential Emerging Leader projects include creating a Staff Day Success publication and planning and producing a series of Learning Webinars.
- New Committee Chairs for 2009-2010
- Marketing and Communication – Lori Reed, Chair
- Membership – Sandra Smith and Shelley Walchak, Co-Chairs
- Programming – Betha Gutsche, Chair
- Training Showcase – Louise Whitaker, Chair
- Strategic Planning – Sharon Morris, Chair
- LearnRT programs at PLA Portland, ALA Midwinter Boston and ALA Washington DC will include planning staff development days, leadership for new leaders, beyond F@F training, and core competencies
- Social networking tools we use: a blog, a wiki, Facebook and Twitter
- More opportunities for member engagement: interested in blogging, writing newsletter articles relating to learning, training and continuing ed, assisting with the wiki, serving on a LearnRT committee, volunteering to help at ALA programs? Opportunities will be posted on our www.alalearning website… check it regularly!
- Monthly Virtual Meetings – all LearnRT members are invited to participate and contribute to our monthly meetings. Log in instructions will be found at our website and a reminder will be sent out to all members prior to each meeting. All meetings are one hour and start at 2:00 pm Eastern. 2009 meeting schedule:
- Wednesday, August 12
- Thursday, September 17
- Wednesday, October 14
- Thursday, November 19
- Wednesday, December 9
If you haven’t felt connected to the round table in the past, please don’t give up on us. We are working very hard at finding new ways to engage our members and address your needs. We want to hear from you. We want you to tell your friends and colleagues about us. The Learning Round Table’s mission is to provide a thought-provoking resource for those interested in learning and training in libraries, including self-learning, no matter what your position in the library.
Please contact me, Pat Carterette (pcarterette “at” georgialibraries.org) or the LearnRT board (info “at” alalearning.org ) at any time with your comments, feedback or questions. In conclusion, I feel privileged to be representing the Learning Round Table as your president this year. The energy level and enthusiasm among the board and round table members is not only exciting, it’s infectious! Thank you all for your continued support and contributions to making the Learning Round Table the best!
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...
Recent Comments