I am Maurice Coleman, one of the writers here at the ALA Learning blog and I have been tasked to both reintroduce myself to celebrate the (awesome!) redesign of the blog (thanks Lori!) Another challenge point is that I have to follow Peter Bromberg, again. (I followed him at Pres4Lib. Not easy since he is a great live speaker.)
So, how to do this you may ask?
The following questions were “crowd-sourced” during a few posts on the T is for Training (the library training podcast’s) Google group. A number of members of that group, which is pollinated by several ALA Learning writers, came up with this set of “getting to know you” questions. They are to be answered in one sentence. Let’s see how long that lasts. So Let’s Get This Party Started. Remember: Nothing Beats a Failure but a Try according to the Godfather, James Brown. The annotated version of this post will be up on my blog later this week.
1) Your One Sentence Bio
I am a tech/sports/tv/history geek that loves to educate, excite and stir up the status quo (when needed) in my position as the Technical Trainer for my public library system and as host of the T is for Training podcast who happens not to be a librarian. (Whew, that was hard to keep that to one sentence.)
2) Do you blog? If yes, how did you come up with your blog name?
Yep, but not a frequently as I once did. The name I came up with was The Chronicles of the (almost) Bald Technology Trainer As for the name: well it is a continuing story about a guy with not too much hair who shows people how do stuff with stuff. The Chronicles of the (almost) Bald Technology Trainer sounds better. This is how I started blogging. (Yeah, that “one sentence” thing lasted long.)
3) What is your professional background?
I have been training for over fifteen years starting with community development and neighborhood organizing training, then technology training in NY, then a variety of training my library system, focusing on technology and organizational development and culture immersion here in Maryland.
4) What training do you do? staff? patrons? types of classes?
My organized trainings are for staff, while I do “just in time” training for the public as needed. I teach both face to face and virtual classes, on computer skills, management skills, Microsoft Office products, social networking tools and organizational culture.
5) What training do you think is most important to libraries right now?
Teaching staff and public that our mission of connecting people to information does not change even though the vessel of delivery or what we deliver changes.
6) Where do you get your training?
Trial and Error, lots of experience and a Train the Trainer class back in 1994. Learning to accept failure as a learning experience was essential to developing what training and speaking skills I have today.
7) How do you keep up?
By depending on the kindness of my friends inside the computer via Twitter, Friendfeed, (both locked because of previous spam stupidity) some RSS feeds and list-servs, and outside the computer at meetings and conferences.
#8) What do you think are the biggest challenges libraries are facing right now?
Show the non library using public why libraries are a vital community resource on par with schools and public safety.
9) What are biggest challenges for trainers?
Balancing life and work.
10) What exciting things are you doing training wise?
At MPOW we are creating a Civility Through Customer Service training using blended synchronous, asynchronous, and face to face modules. The T is for Training podcast is in the middle of our intersession featuring interviews and a 27 question trainer questionnaire that may sound familiar to you, gentle reader.
11) What do you wish were you doing?
Living a life of leisure on a live aboard in the Caribbean snorkeling, diving and eating too much seafood.
12) What would you do with a badger?
Take it to Wisconsin.
13) What’s your favorite food?
How can you have ONE?!?
14) If you were stranded on an island, what one thing would you want to have with you?
By myself? A sturdy sailboat. With my wife? A sturdy sailboat.
15) Do you know what happens when a grasshopper kicks all the seeds
out of a pickle?
Yes, it claps with one hand.
16) Post it notes or the back of your hand?
Palm of hand.
17) Windows or Mac?
Windows with a mancrush on Linux.
18) Talk about one training moment you’d like to forget?
Like Mariano Rivera, I have a short memory of failure.
19) What’s your take on handshakes?
Solid, with a big hate of “wishy-washy” handshakes.
20) Global warming: yes or no?
If you call it Overall Global Climate Adjustment due to man made chemicals in the air, then yes.
21) How did you get into this line of work?
At a FPOW I started as a trainer helper (really an apprentice) then started to deliver then develop trainings.
22) What is the best part of your job?
Helping people “get it” and feel empowered.
23) Why should someone else follow in your shoes?
I get paid to teach and learn new stuff.
24) Sushi or hamburger?
Hamburger Sushi. Done and done.
25) LSW or ALA?
Actually, I like them both for different reasons.
26) What one person in the world do you want to have lunch with and why?
I would like to have lunch with my father.
27) What cell phone do you have and why?
A very dumb but rugged one for the moment. I want a smart phone but every service and phone had serious pluses and minuses. Presently trying to work out what I want to do.
Maurice thanks for a great post! It’s great getting to know everyone all over again!
p.s. You rocked my world with #9. See my latest post on http://librarytrainer.com for a hint.
My favorite answer above and one I feel priveleged to share with you is #23 – aren’t we lucky?!!