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Register now for Trends in Library Training and Learning

June 2, 2011 By

Conference SpeakersRegistration is now open for Trends in Library Training and Learning: Developing Staff Skills for the 21st Century. WebJunction will be hosting this free online conference in partnership with the Learning Roundtable on August 10-11, 2011.

This event is packed with incredible presenters, including keynote speakers Jay Turner from Georgia Public Library Service, and Char Booth from the Claremont Colleges. The full schedule with session descriptions and presenter bios is now available.

Register now for this great event! You may also be interested in coordinating a viewing party at your library to engage staff, generate discussion and help to make this event locally relevant.

Follow the conversation about the conference on Twitter with the hashtag #learntrends!

Mary Beth Faccioli

Mary Beth Faccioli, MLIS is the Instructional Design and Technology Senior Consultant at the Colorado State Library.

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Spring CLO Symposium: Virtual Edition

April 18, 2011 By

CLO Virtual Symposium 2011 LogoI’m always a fan of free stuff (and learning from the big guys in enterprise training) so I thought I’d share that Chief Learning Officer magazine is offering an online version of their Spring Symposium on April 26th & 27th, 2011. Titled Learning Evolution: Alignment, Agility and Adaptability, there are several levels of registration, the free version includes all of these events:

  • ALL Workshops in Salon One, with a few titles below:
    • The Great Divide: Adapting and Aligning L&D Initiatives to Meet Worker Skill Realities
    • Learning at the Speed of Need
    • Adaptive Learning Design Principles and Best Practices
    • Accelerate Learning and Drive Behavior Through Social Networks and Informal Learning
    • Virtual Learning Environments: Trends & Insights
    • Creating an Adaptive and Innovative Learning Environment
    • Using Measurement to Improve Outcomes
    • Great Webinars: Crossing the Chasm from Classroom Training to High-Performance Virtual Delivery
  • Welcome Address from president and editor in chief, Norm Kamikow
  • Opening Keynote from Bill Jensen and Josh Klein, authors of Hacking Work: Breaking Stupid Rules for Smart Results
  • Access to the Expo Hall
  • Networking Lounge
  • Resource Center

Let me know if you’re attending, we can hit the backchannels together too!

Marianne Lenox

As the Staff Training & Volunteer Coordinator for the Huntsville - Madison County Public Library in Alabama, Marianne is responsible for planning, directing, maintaining and implementing a comprehensive staff training and volunteer program for her library. She consistently strives to provide learning opportunities, professional information and technical training to ensure both better library service and the professional development of the Library’s staff and volunteers.

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Refurbed Card Catalog becomes Awesome eReader Storage

March 17, 2011 By

How many of us have emply card catalogs gathering dust in the back halls of our our libraries? Linn McDonald, Library Media Specialist at the Bloomington Jr. High School in Illinois, came up with a creative way to take one of these treasured relics into the digital age. “I have received many many positive comments from fellow librarians as well as faculty and students in our school.” she says, “We found that both our Nooks and our Kindles fit in the drawers with their covers on.”

Linn adds that “the cabinet is perfect for organizing our eReaders as we have them in groups of six, and each column in the cabinet has six drawers. Most ebooks can be purchased once and placed on up to six Nooks, so each column represent one group. Each group is registered under a separate email address. That way, it’s easier for us to keep track of what books are on each group. I have labelled each column/group with a separate name. Our 4 groups are Eliot, Maya, Voltaire, and Beatrix, with each Nook in the group labelled as Eliot1, Eliot2, and so forth.”

She also mentions that they are balancing the use of thier Nook collection by checking out three groups to reading teachers and one group to individual students who return a form signed by a parent or guardian. The reading teachers are using the Nooks with groups of six students. “Some struggling readers, some very high-level readers – so we can reach a wider range of students in our school. Some groups are creating video or podcast book trailers after finishing their book. I’m sure other ideas will follow as we use these with our students.”

Thanks for sharing with us, Linn, and please keep us up to date on those new ideas!

Marianne Lenox

As the Staff Training & Volunteer Coordinator for the Huntsville - Madison County Public Library in Alabama, Marianne is responsible for planning, directing, maintaining and implementing a comprehensive staff training and volunteer program for her library. She consistently strives to provide learning opportunities, professional information and technical training to ensure both better library service and the professional development of the Library’s staff and volunteers.

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Favorite New (to me) Tool of 2010 – JING!

December 20, 2010 By

You can quickly place someone in their proper position on the technology continuum from Neanderthal to Cutting Edge when they reveal their favorite new discovery, so if everyone out there had already discovered Jing (or a similar screenshot/screencast application) by 2008, feel free to put me between ape and Jed Clampett and move on. If you’ve never used it, though, you might want to read this.

This free application does two things, both infinitely useful to a trainer:

First, it takes pictures of your computer screen (or any portion of your screen), and lets you add the most basic of annotations (colored arrows, highlighting, boxes, words). Here’s an example:

Second, it records up to five minutes of the activity on a computer screen (or any part of the screen), with narration — every mouse movement, every button click, every text entry.

I do not claim that it’s better than some of the other similar applications out there (Full Shot, Skitch, Snagit, Screenr, Camtasia, etc.). Certainly, it’s not superior to some you have to pay for, but for the price, it’s terrific.

Why I Love Jing

  1. It’s free.
  2. It’s quick. I actually love that you can’t edit the screencasts or add annotations, because what would otherwise take me two hours of editing, polishing, and improving can be done and out the door in 15 minutes. I’ve started posting some of these tutorials on our staff website and they’re labeled “Quick & Dirty Tech Tutorials” to alert staff not to expect professional polish. 
  3. It’s simple. No training needed. Completely intuitive. You can record your first webcast within 15 minutes of download. There’s not much to learn and what there is can easily be picked up by clicking around the simple menus. (One tip to pass along for screencasting: Make ample use of the PAUSE button whenever you need to adjust the orientation of the page in the window or skip over crap that learners don’t need to see.)
  4. It facilitates SHOWING instead of TELLING. We all know most people learn better if they can see something rather than just being told about it. So, if someone is confused about how to navigate the new online timesheet system (for example), it’s almost as quick to insert into an e-mail captures of the pertinent screens and add arrows (then write, “On this screen, click here”; “Input your employee ID # here”; etc.); OR, I have just done a screencast of the whole thing, sent it to the person, and then posted it for anyone else who has that problem. It’s that easy.

 

How I Use It

  1.  Training Manuals, Quick Reference Guides. Makes it supremely easy to add screen shots to static instructional guides.
  2. Daily Explaining. As I mentioned above, I use it in e-mails responding to questions about how to do stuff on the computer; I’ve sent screenshots to ITD to show them the funky error message I was getting. Maybe one day I’ll be able to view colleague’s screens instantaneously and walk them through the steps, but until then …
  3. Quick & Dirty Tutorials.  Suitable for any computer function you can demonstrate in under five minutes. I’ve done them on how to create a Doodle Poll, how to use the Format Painter in MS Word, and how to share Outlook Distribution Lists . I haven’t used this for anything that is posted to a public site, because those need a little more polish (At ALA Annual this year, an instructor said he used this type of tool for CHAT REFERENCE. Someone asks a question; librarian makes a quick video demo while the patron waits; sends the link. Haven’t tried that idea, but it seemed to work for him.)

 

Lori asked for favorite things we learned in 2010, so there’s mine. If you weren’t familiar with it, give it a try. If it’s old news, just call me Jed.

Disclaimer: I received no compensation of any kind from TechSmith for this post.

Richard Mott

For five years, I was the Training Manager at Jacksonville (FL) Public Library. Beginning in April, 2011, I became JPL's "Manager for Strategic Initiatives," but I will always be fascinated by the endless complexities of trying to maximize relevant learning. Though I spent my childhood playing in the snow in a suburb of Detroit, for most of my adult life I have been a Floridian. That's how I came to be a diehard Detroit Tiger AND Florida Gator fan.

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5 Library Sources for Quick Computer Training

September 25, 2010 By

It’s hard to find good online technology tutorials, especially those for quick and basic computer skills. Harder still to find some that meet our high expectations as information professionals. So why not turn to the library world itself?

Below is a collection of my top 5 favorite sites for these quick computer training materials. These could be webinars, class handouts, tutorials, screencasts, you name it. What’s important is the content. It’s content I’m comfortable pointing a customer or a fellow staff member to if some core computer fundamental skills need improving. Weirdly, two institutions get two mentions apiece — but that’s because what they have is awesome.  Browse through what they have, and you might be surprised to find there’s something there for you too!

  1. Infopeople Archived Webinars (all past Infopeople webinars, often with PPTs or other handouts linked too; on topics other than technology too)
  2. Infopeople Training Materials from Past Workshops (from 8 hour live classes and 4 week online classes each class includes numerous how-tos, readings, bibliographies, exercises, tutorials, cheat sheets, and more; on topics other than technology too)
  3. Akron Summit County Public Library Computer Training Class Handouts (great list, copious detail)
  4. Akron Summit County Public Library Computer Training Tutorials List (equally good list but the materials are in tutorial format)
  5. Milwaukee Public Library Computer Class Curriculum (an extremely detailed list of basic and more intermediate computer skills, with printable handouts on how to do just about everything customers ask you how to do)

Sarah Houghton-Jan

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In Praise of the Free Webinar

September 16, 2010 By

Though sometimes derided, many of us have been involved, one way or another, in a webinar.  Or, more correctly,  a WEBinar™. The term is a neologism of web + seminar, they are a live online educational presentation during which attendees can submit questions and comments, as opposed to a “webcast” which doesn’t offer chat or polls. Sessions are usually archived and registrants may view a recording of the event at another time.  Whether we are presenting, producing or attending this professional, educational environment has given rise to a powerful collaborative, knowledge-sharing resource.

As someone in charge of pushing learning opportunities to library staff, half of which are in one building and the other in 11 all over the county, I’ve almost always got a huge variety of quality topics to offer. With all my other duties, I manage to write about one new class a month. In these budgetary times, what a slim professional development calendar that would be without all these free webinars!

I’ve created a Google Reader Bundle that helps me keep up with the offerings from individual providers that have RSS feeds. I also subscribe to Brad Ward’s Library Webinars blog and Stephanie Zimmerman’s Library-Related Training Opportunities Google Calendar for the ones that don’t catch in my feed reader.  I register, and add them to the Intranet calendar, complete with signups and reminders for staff to attend. I show them in my conference room / office, but also remind them that they may be viewable remotely or in an archive.

With each major update to the training calender I’ll blog the listings and send a mass email to staff. Whether they come into my office or view remotely, they’ve now got access to some of the brightest minds and the latest trends in Librarianship and beyond. I’m often asked to replay sessions when a topic becomes locally important, that’s Just-in-Time learning…when training is needed the most.

I’ve pasted below the upcoming webinars I’ll be showing in my office or encouraging staff to view at their offices or branches. Huge thanks to the sponsors, producers and presenters for providing topical and relevant content for library staff every where!

9/21/10 The Scoop on Series Nonfiction: What’s New for Fall 1:00pm – 2:00pm CST Booklist Webinar: Series nonfiction publishers are offering more titles than ever this fall, and as they continue to expand into digital formats and approach the curriculum in new ways, it’s more challenging than ever to keep up. In this hourlong webinar moderated by Booklist Books for Youth associate editor Dan Kraus, we’ll hear from five of the top publishers in this booming field: Heinemann-Raintree; Gale/Cengage Learning; Weigl Publishers, Inc.; Black Rabbit Books; and Lerner Publishing Group. Besides presenting their biggest fall titles and initiatives, they’ll also give attendees up-to-date information on the latest trends.

9/21/10 Scholarly Research and Source Validation in the Age of Google 2:00pm – 3:00pm CST Library Journal Webcast: Librarians, scholars, and publishers alike are asking questions about how to manage the increasing amount of unverified content (both good and bad) that is now easily available through our computers. We are all drowning in it. The situation poses a particularly challenging problem in the educational arena, where students and scholars need reliable sources of information. Whether today’s researchers are doing initial research for a book, working on a doctoral dissertation, or an undergraduate term paper, it’s harder and harder to know what sources to consult. Register now to hear our esteemed panel, moderated by Library Journal’s Cheryl LaGuardia discuss this crisis of validation in the Google age, and the new roles that Libraries, Publishers and Scholars play in the culture of information overload.

9/22/10 Strategies for Implementing and Optimizing Self-Service: Librarians Share Their Success 1:00pm – 2:00pm CST Library Journal Webinar: Join representatives from three leading libraries who have cost-effectively and successfully implemented self-service in this information-rich roundtable webinar. In today’s tough economy, many libraries rely on self-service to offset significant increases in circulation, severe budget cuts, and staff reductions. Are you prepared to effectively implement self-service in your library? Are you confident that you are realizing maximum value from your self-service investment?

9/22/10 Shine a Light on your Digital Collections 1:00pm – 2:00pm CST OCLC Webinar: Learn how you can spotlight your digital collections and make them visible to users across the web. Join Michael Scott, Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage Coordinator, for a live webinar as she discusses how she uses everything from social media to WorldCat.org to highlight the availability of their online collections. Also hear from Suzanne Butte, OCLC Digital Services Consultant, on the wide variety of ways that other libraries, museums, archives and historical societies promote their digital collections.

9/23/10 The Manager’s Tool Kit, Part One: Listening and Feedback 11:00am – 12:00pm CST Ken Blanchard Companies Webinar: Proactive listening and the ability to deliver feedback effectively are two of the most important skills managers can develop for building trust and creating a supportive environment for direct reports. Yet in both cases, managers often overestimate their ability to listen attentively and deliver feedback objectively. In this webinar, Blanchard Senior Consulting Partner and author Dr. Vicki Halsey will show managers how to improve their skills in both areas in a way that leaves direct reports feeling heard and that helps them to focus on improving performance.

9/23/10 SLJ Nonfiction Book Buzz 2010 12:00pm – 1:00pm, CST A School Library Journal Webinar: Our panel of nonfiction publishers will tell you how they strive to produce the most accurate and well-research core-related materials for grades K-12 while also keeping these titles attractive, easy to use, and accessible to a range of reading levels. We’ll hear about series in science, social studies, biography, art, math, health, and more, most correlated to each state’s standards. Tune in for the buzz on new and forthcoming series nonfiction and get those gaps in your collection filled.

9/28/10 Defending the Right to Read: Celebrating Banned Books Week with Judy Blume 1:00pm – 2:00pm CST Booklist Online Webinar: Librarians and teachers face more challenges than ever when it comes to defending children’s right to read. In celebration of Banned Books Week, this webinar features a stellar panel of experts, including renowned author and longtime advocate of intellectual freedom Judy Blume, who will discuss book rating systems, the impact of the Internet on challenges, the effect of censorship on children’s publishing, and how to best prepare for book challenges. Additional speakers include Beverly Horowitz, Vice President and Publisher of Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers; Pat Scales, former school librarian and a member of the National Coalition against Censorship Council of Advisors; Kristin Pekoll, a young-adult librarian at the West Bend (WI) Community Memorial Library; and Nanette Perez, program officer at ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.

10/06/10 Gadget Checklist 2010: For library staff, users and our future 1:00pm -2:00pm CST WebJunction Webinar. Description: Do you need a gadgets orientation covering types, brands, features, functionality and answers to why gadgets are so popular with your patrons? Join us for this webinar with Michael Porter when he presents a checklist-filled session also covering how users are consuming and accessing content on gadgets and how libraries are purchasing and lending gadgets to host this content. It’s time for you to complete your checklist and to explore the implications gadgets have on the future of library services.

10/19 /10 Dealing with the Difficult Patrons 1:00pm -2:00pm CST WebJunction Webinar: Library staff can handle difficult patrons, resolve issues or problems quickly and efficiently and retain customer loyalty throughout. Join presenters Paul Signorelli, writer, trainer, and consultant with a strong focus on workplace learning and performance, and Maurice Coleman, Technical Trainer at Harford County Public Library, for this one hour webinar providing expert resources for working with a patron using common sense practices and techniques for bringing that customer back into the fold.

Comment to let me know if I missed any upcoming events. I’d also love to hear how you use invaluable webinars like these in your own training programs!

Marianne Lenox

As the Staff Training & Volunteer Coordinator for the Huntsville - Madison County Public Library in Alabama, Marianne is responsible for planning, directing, maintaining and implementing a comprehensive staff training and volunteer program for her library. She consistently strives to provide learning opportunities, professional information and technical training to ensure both better library service and the professional development of the Library’s staff and volunteers.

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OverDrive’s Training Month

July 15, 2010 By

This is for those of you in libraries that offer OverDrive digital media for checkout to your patrons.  Here at MPOW, I am offering people the ability to come to the main System office to watch the Webinars together in a conference room on a large screen TV.  This is helpful for those who don’t have a dedicated computer they can use to join the Webinars.  It will also generate some useful discussion before and after the Webinars.  These will also count towards continuing education credit hours for anyone who attends.  I attended these last year and found them to be very good.  This is just another way to make less work for a single trainer and to utilize e-learning.

OverDrive’s Training Month.
September 2010.

Free online courses for library staff, beginner to advanced

Register now!
TM 2010 header

OverDrive’s Training Month is an educational and fun program to increase staff knowledge and help maximize circulation of your OverDrive ‘Virtual Branch’.

Registration is now open. To guarantee the best selection of available dates and times, sign up now.

Sessions will be offered online throughout September with open enrollment for individuals and groups. Contests and prizes are included.

NEW for 2010: In response to participant feedback, audio for Training Month sessions will be provided via speakers/headphones on your computer.  A phone connection is NOT required.

The curriculum includes courses covering each aspect of your OverDrive service:

  1. Collection Checklist
    With OverDrive’s collection checklist, you’ll be quickly up to speed with online ordering.  Best of all, you’ll learn how to attract users to your Virtual Branch website by creating an exciting and easy to maintain collection.
  2. Browse, Check Out, and Download!
    Join us as we demonstrate how to browse, check out, and download titles from a library’s Virtual Branch website.  At the end of this course, staff should feel comfortable answering basic questions about your OverDrive service.
  3. Patron Assistance
    We’ll help take your understanding of your OverDrive service to the next level so you can share your knowledge through support and training. We’ll review frequently asked questions, support tips, and online help resources.
  4. Community Outreach
    In this session, we’ll share creative, easy, and cost-effective ideas for introducing new patrons to your OverDrive service.  We’ll also feature prize winners from this year’s ‘Outreach Program’ contest.
  5. Real-Time Reports
    We’ll showcase reports which best track circulation, new patrons, site traffic, and popular titles. Your team can then evaluate how your Virtual Branch is doing, and chart a path to future success.
  6. Mobile Update
    In this session, you will be introduced to new mobile access options for users.  Devices highlighted include iPhone®, BlackBerry®, Android™, and more. We’ll also preview upcoming mobile features.

More than 7,500 librarians participated in Training Month 2009 and four libraries were the lucky winners of OverDrive’s Training Month award packages. Don’t miss out in 2010!

Stephanie Zimmerman

Stephanie Zimmerman is the Training Coordinator for the Library System of Lancaster County (Pennsylvania), a federated system with 14 member libraries, three branches and a bookmobile, which serves 490,562 residents. She designs and implements technology and development training and consulting to the member libraries. This includes training on Innovative’s Millennium Integrated Library System, Microsoft Office Applications, emerging technologies (i.e. social media) and various other areas. Her goal is to remove the fear of technology and help others to realize the amazing possibilities it provides. Teaching others to do things for themselves and see their excitement when they break through their barriers is her greatest reward. Stephanie has been a software trainer for 15 years. Her past employment involved training on federal and county government applications. She also worked for a private industry marketing company where she traveled across the country showing manufacturers and retailers in the consumer packaged goods industry how to use geodemographic targeting software. Always wanting to help others, Stephanie graduated from Millersville University (in Pennsylvania) cum laude with a BA in Social Work. She was also a student in the Computer Information Systems program at Harrisburg Area Community College. She is a member of ASTD (American Society of Training and Development). She is also a regular contributor to the T is for Training podcast which focuses on training in libraries. She was a trainer for WebJunction’s Spanish Language Outreach project and has done training for Commonwealth Libraries. She is grateful to have landed in the world of libraries. When she began her current job in January of 2004, there were no other library trainers in her immediate area. She turned to the social web to begin networking with other library trainers across the world and immediately realized her passion for social networking and social media. All of her continuing education has been done through these networks and she can’t help but push others to discover the immense opportunities available through online collaboration. Stephanie lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with her family which includes husband, Bill (a self-employed stay-at-home-dad) and two children (ages 2 and 4 months). When she’s not being Mommy, or working, you’ll most likely find her singing. Stephanie can be reached at szimmerman[at]lancasterlibraries.org.

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Welcome to the Machin(ima)

July 13, 2010 By

Yesterday I posted a video on ALA Connect of my library’s second annual Virtual Staff Day that generated a bit of interest.  Our own Peter Bromberg and a few other folks asked that I share how I created it.  Providing the play-by-play of how it was developed is a bit too much for one blog post.  You’ll need to attend future Learning Round Table events at ALA for more in-depth tricks like that.  However, let’s look at the basics of the cinematography technique – machinima — I used for Virtual Staff Day and some resources you can play with to get started in your foray into 3D storytelling.

GCPL Virtual Staff Day 2010 from jay turner on Vimeo.

Machinima is a style of film-making where a narrative is presented using 3D characters and environments culled from video games or virtual worlds.  Machinima is recorded directly from a video source (most commonly, your computer or game console) and additional editing is done to include music, sound, and special effects to enrich the story.   Getting started with machinima is simple.  All you need, aside from a computer with a good video card, is a gaming platform, screen capture software, and music and sound effects software.  The great part about it is that most of these items are available for free.  Let’s look at what you’ll need.

Platform

Like a real movie, machinima relies on the acting prowess of its thespians – in this case, the avatars.  Therefore, you should carefully consider what acting skills your avatars will need and then choose a virtual world/gaming platform where the 3D characters have the appropriate animations.  If you play the Sims or War Craft, as you can see in these eclectic videos, you already have a bevy of avatars with myriad poses.

If, however, you have the time to create your own film set, complete with custom avatars, background, lighting effects, and camera angles, you should definitely check out iClone 4.  This commercial software will set you back $150, although the free edition provides you ample tools to make your own machinima movie.

Use Exit Reality, a browser plug in that renders the Web in 3D, if you’re looking to create simple machinima with a singular background, a steady camera angle, and avatars with limited movement.  Simply launch ER from your browser, choose a webpage, select a 3D backdrop, and have a couple avatars visit a website together.  You can record simple footage of, say, the two avatars walking around a building constructed from your library’s website and talking about all the cool services that your organization provides online.  Here’s a quick machinima vid I created of a woman strolling into a library to get a new card.

Screen Capture

You’ll need to record your machinima after you’ve scripted your scene.  I recommend using the commercially available Camtasia, which has a free trial, for capturing crisp video in a variety of formats.  If cost is a concern, go with Hypercam, which also has the ability to capture video directly from your computer’s video card.  Video recorded with this free software will be slightly grainy and watermarked, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Music and Sound

Need some ambient music and sound effects to bring your machinima to life?  Hop over to ccMixter.org for Creative Commons licensed music or their sister site, FreeSound.org for a wealth of sound effects.  The more adventurous amongst us might want to give Myna, a free music maker akin to Fruity Loops, a try.  I’ve had this tool in my digital sandbox for a while now, but only recently used it to make a few music loops that I’ll use in an e-learning course and game I’m creating.  Beware: it’s addictive!

Trainers are always looking for innovative ways for engaging their audiences.  Machinima allows us to craft compelling presentations and stories without needing arrogant actors or blockbuster budgets.  I invite you all to try out these resources for creating machinima and then come back and share your masterpieces with the rest of us.

Jay Turner

Jay Turner, Training Manager at Gwinnett County Public Library in Georgia, is responsible for all aspects of learning and development for a staff of 300+ employees. He considers himself a lifelong student, and delights in sharing his passion for learning with anyone willing to listen (much to their chagrin!) He is a library lifer, who began working in libraries as a teen and has worn almost every conceivable public services hat since. Jay’s diversity of experience helps him develop and deliver solutions that are creative, practical, and effective. He is a self-proclaimed information and tech junkie, who gets his fix by playing in his “digital sandbox” with new tools and neat ideas to make learning more accessible, more flexible, and more fun across any medium. He can be reached at jayturner[at]comcast.net.

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Google Moderator: Ask, Share, Respond, and Learn

July 1, 2010 By

Two years ago, friend and now newly minted school librarian Jim Randolph introduced me to Google Moderator, a terrific tool for crowdsourcing questions, comments, and ideas for a learning event.  Participants in a workshop, training session, keynote, or presentation can submit their questions or feedback before, during, and after the event via traditional text or with a YouTube video.  Participants can also vote on the questions or ideas they like best; consequently, the most popular questions move to the top of the moderation queue.  These responses and questions can also be easily shared via email, Twitter, or Facebook. You can set up your series to allow a participant to submit questions anonymously (although he/she still must be logged into his/her Google account) or to identify himself/herself.  If you are in a Google Apps for Education, Google Moderator is available for your use.  You can even incorporate Google Moderator into your own YouTube Channel!

How are organizations, businesses, and government institutions using Google Moderator to crowdsource issues and to invite participation?

So what might Google Moderator look like in a training or workshop environment?  Wesley Fyer used Google Moderator to encourage participants in “Digital Magic Tricks” workshop to vote on topics they wanted to explore in the session.
Last fall and then again this past January, I used Google Moderator as a “parking lot” for questions before, during, and after a virtual presentation to Dr. Lisa Tripp’s Florida State University 5313 students.  This was a great springboard for discussion during the presentation; I also liked that I could respond with a text response to questions as a follow-up even if the question was discussed during the virtual session.

I also like using Google Moderator as a “parking lot” not only for questions, but for people to share resources, ideas, and inspirations to inform our conversations and tap into the collective intelligence in the room.  This Google Moderator series I used to support a recent workshop encouraged crowdsourcing our conversations about tools for participatory learning, tools for networked learning and content creation, tools for transliteracy, and tools for transparency, advocacy, and leadership.  Again, the option of responding to questions within this forum or simply using the questions as a springboard for group discussion gives you flexibility in creating and continuing conversations about learning.

I think it is also exciting to consider how your library program can use Google Moderator for formal learning experiences or to invite conversations from library patrons. You could also use Google Moderator to tap into the wisdom of your library community on a particular topic just as Google has done with the Google Tip Jar. I am planning on creating a series to incorporate into my LibGuides home page as well as my library website home page this fall; in addition, I plan to incorporate Google Moderator to invite participation, questions, and knowledge building through my research pathfinders/subject guides.

Here are some helpful resources to help you get started and to explore the possibilities of Google Moderator:

You will also want to check out this seven and a half minute video that provides a simple yet helpful overview of Google Moderator features.

How might you use Google Moderator for your next training session, unconference, formal presentation, or in your library program?

Buffy Hamilton

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Mind Maps for the Rest of Us

June 3, 2010 By

Sometimes, when I sit down to begin work on a project, it feels like there is a tornado whirling through my brain.  So many ideas begin to pour in that I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to remember them all!  I would have to say that ever since I became a mother a little over three years ago, this condition has definitely become more severe.

In the past, I have used the method of brain dumping to just get it all down on paper.  However, I found that when I wanted to bring all of the ideas together in some kind of logical order, it was difficult to do using a static list.  I can remember actually grabbing a pair of scissors and cutting each little line of thought from my notebook into a strip of paper and then spreading them out all over my office floor to create a flow for a user manual.

That lead me to my next endeavor – index cards.  I believe I was big into David Allen’s Getting Things Done philosophy at the time.  This was definitely better than small, hard to pick up slips of paper.  Still, I felt like I was left with a monumental stack of cards that just didn’t want to get into any kind of order for me.  And the environmentalist in me could not stand all of that waste of trees.

Enter the spreadsheet.  I would type each idea into a line in a spreadsheet and then cut / paste / click / drag my way into some kind of flow.  Again, a little too cumbersome for me.

A little buzz word was ringing in my ear periodically.  It would flit in and out saying “mind map… mind map… mind map…”.  I had seen mind maps here and there.  I actually attempted one on the whiteboard in my training room trying to mimic the way our Network Administrator would just let things flow through his marker.  Instead my whiteboard became a mass of erased and rewritten words.  By the time I was done with it, I felt like I had lost half of my ideas.  Plus, I then had to copy the whole thing to a piece of paper before my next class.

It’s truly amazing to see the works of art that others have put together.

You see, I’m not a very creative person.  It’s true; I admit it.  I am very mathematical and linear.  I always start my Basic Circulation classes with that fact when I hand out my test patron cards to the librarians to use during the training.  There are no funny, themed names like Sally Latefee (which in itself is no good, but I TOLD you, I’m NOT creative).  No, instead students will meet Test One, Test Two, all the way to the very exciting Test Fortyfive.  I always tell them that’s why THEY are the ones doing creative programming at their libraries and I’M the one teaching them how to use the computer!

Then, a glimmer of hope arose on the horizon this past week.  The name of this shiny gem…Mindmeister.  I actually looked at this a few years ago, but did not bother playing with it because remember, I’m not a creative-type.  I figured my brain just would not mesh with what I called in my head Mindmonster.  See where negative self-talk will get you?  I missed out on a few years of actually using this!

What was so painful to do on a whiteboard actually feels comfortable using this online interface.  It’s very easy to use.  The best part is that I can manipulate the information in any way I like.  I can add colors, change text size, bold items, even add icons to let my thoughts actually take shape.  Here’s their quick and simple tutorial:

A Tour of MindMeister from MindMeister on Vimeo.

Just for practice and to get familiar with how to use the software, I took my Circulation Manual and put it into mind map form. The red signifies the topics taught in Advanced Circ. Remember, I’m very new to this…

I’ve set up a new map where I’m brain dumping some ideas for a PC Troubleshooting class I’m developing. Each time I have a thought, I add it to the map. I’m currently sitting in on calls with our technicians to help me assess what needs to be covered in this class.

Then there’s this huge monster I’m creating for a Training Needs Assessment I’m working on. It’s just a place to gather all of the resources I’m pulling from as I work on my methodology for the assessment. It may look insane, but it is actually bringing me so much comfort to have all of the tornado down in software form. It makes sense to me and that’s all that really matters…

I’m hoping I get better at this over time. You can see a whole list of mind mapping software on Wikipedia. The Wild Apricot Blog also has a great post describing mind mapping and giving some how to instructions.

Here are some of my favorites that I’ve bookmarked over the years:

Non Profit Social Media ROI Mindmap

Robin Good’s Collaborative Map

Overdrive Interactive’s Social Media Map for Social Media Marketing

Overdrive Interactive’s Search Marketing Map

John Haydon’s The Shelf Life Of A Facebook Like Map

So what do YOU do to get ideas out of your head?  What process do you use?  If you use mind maps, would you be willing to share some with a newbie?

Stephanie Zimmerman

Stephanie Zimmerman is the Training Coordinator for the Library System of Lancaster County (Pennsylvania), a federated system with 14 member libraries, three branches and a bookmobile, which serves 490,562 residents. She designs and implements technology and development training and consulting to the member libraries. This includes training on Innovative’s Millennium Integrated Library System, Microsoft Office Applications, emerging technologies (i.e. social media) and various other areas. Her goal is to remove the fear of technology and help others to realize the amazing possibilities it provides. Teaching others to do things for themselves and see their excitement when they break through their barriers is her greatest reward. Stephanie has been a software trainer for 15 years. Her past employment involved training on federal and county government applications. She also worked for a private industry marketing company where she traveled across the country showing manufacturers and retailers in the consumer packaged goods industry how to use geodemographic targeting software. Always wanting to help others, Stephanie graduated from Millersville University (in Pennsylvania) cum laude with a BA in Social Work. She was also a student in the Computer Information Systems program at Harrisburg Area Community College. She is a member of ASTD (American Society of Training and Development). She is also a regular contributor to the T is for Training podcast which focuses on training in libraries. She was a trainer for WebJunction’s Spanish Language Outreach project and has done training for Commonwealth Libraries. She is grateful to have landed in the world of libraries. When she began her current job in January of 2004, there were no other library trainers in her immediate area. She turned to the social web to begin networking with other library trainers across the world and immediately realized her passion for social networking and social media. All of her continuing education has been done through these networks and she can’t help but push others to discover the immense opportunities available through online collaboration. Stephanie lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with her family which includes husband, Bill (a self-employed stay-at-home-dad) and two children (ages 2 and 4 months). When she’s not being Mommy, or working, you’ll most likely find her singing. Stephanie can be reached at szimmerman[at]lancasterlibraries.org.

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