Resources for Trainers
10 Tips for Training in Tough Times
Mar 2nd
Libraries across the country are being impacted by the economy. Staff are being laid off. Doors are being locked as libraries close or reduce hours. As we face this new reality, how does this impact our roles as trainers/teachers/learners? What can we do to not only support our organizations but secure training’s place within our organizations? Here are ten ideas for you to consider.
- Alignment. Align training with strategic priorities. If ever there was a time to tighten the training belt it is now. Do you know what your library’s strategic priorities are? If not, ask. Make sure that all of your training supports those outcomes and priorities for your library.
- Attitude. Set a good example. Employees often look at trainers as role models for the organization. Doom and gloom do not do anyone a bit of good. Lead by example. Look for the silver lining that exists and embrace this time as an opportunity for growth and change. Be flexible and willing to do things that may fall outside of your normal realm.
- Network and Collaboration. Look for ways to collaborate with other trainers. There are trainers across the country who are ready and willing to share and trade training materials. If you need a handout on the fly try posting to an email list. Or you might decide to create a more formal training exchange with a sister library.
- Webinars. ALA Learning will soon be announcing a new resource for sharing training and learning opportunities. Many of these events are free. Better yet many are online and require no travel. Publicize these events to your staff.
- Outcomes. Think in terms of outcomes rather than trainings. What outcome or result are you looking for? What problem are you trying to address? Once you’ve determined your outcome then you can determine if training is the best way to reach that outcome (in many cases it’s not). Don’t invest time and resources in training that’s not needed.
- Free. Look for free authoring tools. Do a search for “free elearning tools” and you will find lots of great articles. Like this one and this one from our own Jay Turner. With her budget cut to nearly 70% Sue-Minton Colvin, training and development coordinator for Lexington Public Library turned to e-learning. Not already having an established platform, Colvin created an entire training intranet using Shutterfly. Yes, you read that right, Shutterfly. I never even realized you could create a Web site using Shutterfly! Talk about using your resources!
- Social Learning. On her Web site Ageless Learner, Marcia Conner says that, “Informal learning accounts for more than 75% of learning that takes place in organizations today.” Embrace the power of Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, Facebook, and Twitter to facilitate informal learning. Host a discussion. Host a chat. The sky is the limit and we are only on the verge of utilizing these tools fully in learning and staff development.
- Visibility. Be visible in your organization. When you work primarily behind the scenes, it’s easy to stay holed up in your office. Get out and talk to staff. Find out what’s going on. Let them know what’s going on with training. Listen with empathy and remember tip #2.
- Better With Less. Instead of focusing on how we are doing more with less, focus on the opportunity to do better with less. As I said in tip #1, this blip in the radar gives us a chance to focus on the basics, rethink our training strategies, and truly show an impact on the organizations we serve. Staff training in the library is very different from public training. We are here primarily to improve the performance of staff within libraries so that they can better serve our customers.
- Don’t stop. No matter how tight the budget is, it’s a huge mistake for any organization to stop training completely. As the economy ebbs and flows it is crucial that libraries and our staff learn to go with that flow. Only through continuous learning can we keep our workforce’s skills up to date and prepare our employees for the changes that will no doubt take place in organizations.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas about training in tough times. Please comment on this post to continue the discussion!
Lori Reed, managing editor of ALA Learning, is the learning & development coordinator (and mayor 
) for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. She also blogs at http://lorireed.com.
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Loading ...T is for Training 40 will be created tomorrow
Feb 25th
Tomorrow marks the 40th episode taping of the Library Training Podcast, T is for Training which is sponsored by the ALA Learning blog.
Detailed notes about the podcast are visible here: Trainers Assemble! (Up next on tomorrow’s T is for Training)
You can listen to past episodes of the podcast by clicking on the widget on the top right side of this page.
Thanks for listening!
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Feral Learning
Dec 29th
The original title of this post was going to be “Using FREE Online Resources for Continuing Education”. However, I was reading my Training Doctor Newsletter for November 2009 (yes, I’m a little behind and you should subscribe too) and came across a term that is new to me, feral learning. The newsletter states:
The term “feral learning” was coined in the 1990s by Ted Nunan, perhaps, or by Dr. Roy Lundin. It is in reference to employees taking control of their own training needs and education by utilizing resources they find themselves (such as Google).
Beautiful description of how I go about meeting my training needs with a very small budget. In these trying times, I currently have no CE budget, so I’m grateful that I have developed the skill of furthering my knowledge through online connections.
The newsletter suggests a wonderful blog post to check out by ZOE Training & Consulting. Please read through it for some excellent information. I love the 3 1/2 tips they state at the end of the post. Here are the beginnings of those tips as a teaser to send you over to the whole post…
- Help your employees become better learners.
- Help your employees become better teachers and mentors.
- Identify which critical areas are suitable for “PULL” learning
- (actually 3.5) Offer that content in multi-media formats.
I first heard another term for this, personal learning environment/experience (PLE), from fellow ALA Learning Blog author, Marianne Lenox, during her WebJunction Webinar titled “Start You Up! The Personal Learning Experience”. She presented this on 12/7/07. Be sure to check out the archive of it. Here’s a description of the webinar:
The new term “Personal Learning Environment” refers to a concept of highly individualized, non-structured e-learning built by the user to meet his or her own needs. Also known as a “PLE,” it can be a mix of educational computer software or applications, Internet pages, Web 2.0 tools and creativity. During this webinar, we will look at the most popular start pages like iGoogle, Netvibes and Pageflakes, and show you how to create your own private, educational website about almost any topic you choose!
I started following Marianne’s blog after the webinar. I began emailing her here and there. Then she was added to my IM list (Instant Messaging). Next thing you know we’re on a podcast together and the rest is history. You see, Marianne became part of my own PLE!! This is how it works!
Over the years I have found many avenues to bring me a constant stream of learning possibilities. By subscribing to blogs and online newsletters, joining lists and communities, and listening to podcasts, I have to pick and choose what I have time for. I mentioned in my previous post some top blogs I follow (and of course the blogs of the authors right here and the usual suspects found on the left side of this page) and lists that I am a member of. I love these newsletters:
- TechSoup By the Cup
- American Libraries Direct
- DIOSA Communications
- Idealware
- Training Doctor
- Philanthropy Today.
I love the OPAL and LearningTimes communities too.
For podcasts/vodcasts there is a wide variety (note my main training focus is tech training):
- T is for Training
- Adventures in Library Instruction
- Educause
- GeekBrief
- Get It Done Guy’s Quick and Dirty Tips to Work Less and Do More
- Howard Rheingold’s Vlog
- IT Conversations
- JohnHaydon
- LearningTimes Green Room
- Librarian Live
- LISNews Netcast Network
- Longshots
- Presentation Slide Makeovers
- The Public Speaker’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Improving Your Communication Skills
- Rocketboom
- SirsiDynix Institute
- Talking With Talis
- Tekzilla
- This Week in Tech
What makes up your PLE? Please comment and share the blogs, communities, newletters, podcasts, etc. that you would recommend.
My manager has made it a requirement within our department to attend one webinar or listen to one podcast per month and share what we learned on a page of our intranet. This is a great way to foster feral learning!
In an effort to move from push learning to pull learning with the staff and volunteers I train, I created a Google Calendar chuck full of possibilities. I created a page on our Intranet that shows them the calendar and gives them links to many resources. I would like to share that information with you here:
Link to the calendar: Library-Related Training Opportunities – This calendar shows regional, national and worldwide trainings and conferences as well as online webinars to help you in your profession. Click on the name of any event for more information. You may also change the view from Agenda (which it displays by default) to Week or Month by using the tabs on the top right of the calendar.
If you really like to travel, here is a huge list of Library Related Conferences around the world.
Here’s the list of resources I have recommended:
ABLE – The free, online Alternative Basic Library Education (ABLE) Program provides basic library knowledge and skills for staff members who have no formal education in library science.
Adobe Luminary eSeries – In this eSeminar series, you will engage with industry luminaries to learn techniques that will give you insight and techniques that you can use everyday.
ALA – American Libraries Assn. This will link you to their calendar of events and trainings.
BCR – BCR (Bibliographical Center for Research) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit headquartered in Aurora, Colorado. They offer a broad range of solutions and Their hands-on, personal attention to each customer enables them to deliver effective and timely solutions that help libraries keep pace with new developments in technology and services. BCR is the nation’s oldest and most established multistate library cooperative. Since 1935, the BCR team has helped libraries learn new skills, reach new customers, increase productivity and save money.
Charity How To – Offers free step-by-step videos for non-profits, including tutorials on online fundraising.
DIOSA – DIOSA | Communications specializes in Web 2.0 Marketing, Web 2.0 Trainings, Webinars, and MySpace Design for nonprofit organizations, and small businesses.
Discovery Education – Offers free webinars and archives.
Education Week – Offers Free webinars and archives.
Elluminate – Elluminate goes beyond web conferencing with best-in-class web, audio, video, and social networking solutions that help you create a 21st century teaching, learning, and collaboration environment. They offer great webinars.
Foundation Center – Offers free webinars on grant seeking, proposal budgeting, boards and fundrasing. They also offer fee based webinars.
Higher Logic – Higher Logic’s mission is to provide the constituents of not-for-profits innovative ways to think together and build trusted communities where interactive communication and information exchange can occur. By offering software products that allow people to contribute, share, and collaborate, Higher Logic delivers solutions to not-for-profits looking to preserve their organizational value and attract a new generation of global members. Check out their online Q3 Learning Series Webinars for 2009.
Idealware – Idealware seminars are designed to give you the tactical advice you need to make software decisions. They include all the candid advice and product comparisons of the reports and articles on which they are based, but offer plenty of extra guidance and insights straight from the author – and each is capped at 22 participants, so you’ll have lots of opportunity to ask questions and get just the information you need.
InSync Training – InSync Training offers a variety of consulting, development and delivery services to support synchronous training initiatives. We combine specialized instructional design, facilitation techniques, and content development to deliver the most effective training for the live online environment.
Library Journal Webcasts – List of Webinars suggested by Library Journal.
Lyrasis – A regional membership organization for libraries and information professionals, Lyrasis works to ensure their success today and tomorrow by providing access to more of the shared knowledge and expertise, innovative products and services, and customized solutions they need. Created in 2009 by the merger of PALINET and SOLINET, two well-established regional library networks, Lyrasis members now include over 4,000 member libraries and cultural heritage institutions across the US and beyond. Lyrasis serves as a critical collective voice in the national arena.
NEFLIN’s Library Webinars Blog: This site has been created by NEFLIN to provide Florida library staff with one location for information about webinars.
Network for Good Learning Center – Nonprofit 911 is a free training series on nonprofit marketing and online fundraising, supported by Network for Good and guest speakers.
New Horizons – Since 1998, New Horizons of Harrisburg has been delivering expert-led computer training to local Pennsylvania businesses and individuals. Through an integrated learning approach that ensures that new knowledge can be applied to real life situations, New Horizons Harrisburg delivers a full range of technology and business skills training from basic application and desktop productivity tools to complex and integrated business systems.
Nonprofit Resource Network – The Nonprofit Resource Network enhances the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations, providing professional development, networking opportunities and access to critical information resources.
NTEN – NTEN aspires to a world where all nonprofit organizations skillfully and confidently use technology to meet community needs and fulfill their missions.
OCLC Training Portal – The Training Portal is your gateway to making the most of your OCLC products and services. This site provides you with access to in-person and Web-based instruction from OCLC and OCLC-certified Training Partners.
OPAL – OPAL is an international collaborative effort by libraries and other organizations of all types to provide web-based programs and training for library users and library staff members.
O’Reilly Webcasts - Meet experts online.
PANO – Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations – PANO is the statewide membership organization serving and advancing the charitable nonprofit sector through leadership, advocacy, education and services in order to improve the quality of life in Pennsylvania.
PBS Teachers – Free media and education technology webinars.
SABLE – The free, online Supplemental Alternative Basic Library Education (SABLE) program provides additional resources in library knowledge and skills for staff members who have no formal education in library science. This program is a supplement to the ABLE courses; however, they are not tied to the completion of the ABLE courses.
SirsiDynix Institute – Providing you FREE access to industry-leading speakers and events, our mission is to support librarianship and advance the work of librarians around the world. Attend online as the SirsiDynix Institute presents compelling speakers selected from among leaders in librarianship and information technology. In each biweekly Web conference, presenters will share their expertise and enhance your understanding of current topics important to librarians.
Techsoup – TechSoup is a trusted technology resource that offers a variety of information and services for the benefit of the nonprofit sector. TechSoup provides instructional articles and worksheets for nonprofit staff members who utilize information technologies, as well as technology planning information for executives and other decision makers. Our introductory articles and message board support are aimed at those who do not have much experience using technology, but we also provide more advanced information.
The TLT Group – The TLT Group is a not-for-profit that helps college and university educators take advantage of changing technology so they can improve teaching and learning.
Thinkfinity – The goal of Verizon Thinkfinity’s professional development is to help educators, parents and afterschool practitioners engage students and enhance learning using our online resources. Check out their free training courses and register for the one that best meets your needs.
WebJunction – WebJunction bridges the barriers to learning by providing open, affordable, online learning communities like the one you are visiting right now. Our members take courses, attend events, share knowledge, and network with others – all in an environment that fosters collaboration and mutual support. Our vision is to be the place where the worldwide library profession gathers to build the knowledge, skills and support we need to power vibrant, relevant libraries.
WebEx Presents – Free webinars hosted by industry experts.
Again, please add in comments other resources that contribute to your own PLE and contribute to your own feral learning. Feral really is the perfect word to describe this movement in training. We are escaping the domestication of regimented classroom training and becoming wild in our efforts to learn as rapidly as we can to keep up with the lightning fast speed of change present in technology today. With the economy the way it is today, we HAVE to move in this direction.
I promise, I won’t bite you…
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Working With and For Each Other
Dec 14th
ALA Learning Round Table friend and blogger Maurice Coleman was right on target, as usual, with the first of two online discussions about what we’ve gained through workplace learning and performance offerings this year. (The second of the two discussions, under the auspices of Coleman’s ongoing T Is For Training biweekly sessions for those interested and/or involved in library training programs, is scheduled for Friday, December 18, 2009 at 2 p.m. EST/11 a.m. PST and will remain archived online for those who cannot attend.)
Coleman, like many who contribute to the ALA Learning Round Table and make it a first-rate resource for trainer-teacher-learners, offers an antidote to the isolation trainers sometimes experience. Through T Is For Training sessions, he provides a chance for trainers to talk with, listen to, and become familiar with colleagues from library training programs all over the country; share best practices and discuss why some practices are far from the best; contribute to a growing repository of training materials maintained on Delicious by T IS for Training participants; and have some fun while engaged in all the previously listed endeavors—all while becoming familiar, through practice, with how online communities develop and interact effectively.
The payoff is significant. Struggling with a training problem? So are others, and they can offer suggestions as well as useful resources so you don’t have to solve the problem yourself. Wishing you were feeling a bit more creative in resolving workplace learning and performance issues screaming for your attention? T Is For Training participants have been there, too, and can, with the sense of humor they deeply cherish, rekindle the creative sparks you thought had vanished. Looking for colleagues willing and able to commiserate, collaborate, and show you how they have already done what you are trying to do? They’re available, willing, and able because they understand that in giving, they also are receiving in ways they often can’t anticipate.
Even more significant is the reminder that one great resource often leads to another. The list of regular participants—“The Usual Suspects” on the left-hand side of the T Is For Training page— serves as a reminder that there is a tremendous amount of overlap between the T Is For Training group and those of us who are also involved in the ALA Learning Round Table. If you want to see what others are writing, you’ll find articles from those usual suspects on individual blogs as well as on a variety of engaging group blogs.
The more we explore, the more we discover—including the revelation that colleagues who at one time appeared beyond our reach are actually quite accessible. Participate in T If For Training or become engaged in the ALA Learning Round Table, and you’ll discover that first-rate samples of organizational learning plans are just an e-mail or phone call away from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Learning & Development Coordinator Lori Reed. Or that an E-Learning Preparedness Checklist is available from Gwinnett County Public Library Training Manager Jay Turner. Or that Huntsville-Madison County Public Library Staff Training and Development Coordinator Marianne Lenox has produced the equivalent of a semester-long course on learning theory and resources in a single article here on the Learning Round Table blog. Or that WebJunction Learning & Curriculum Developer Betha Gutsche has edited the highly detailed Competency Index for the Library Field.
We have, as the recent T Is For Training episode reminded us, learned a lot in 2009. And one of the most important lessons is that by participating in online discussions, or responding to a blog posting, or engaging in a Google Chat or Google Talk or Skype interaction, or simply making the time to pick up the phone and call a colleague for assistance, we are working with and for each other on behalf of all we serve.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Beg, Borrow, “Steal” – Don’t Reinvent the Wheel When Creating Training
Oct 26th
I began my journey as the Training Coordinator for the Library System of Lancaster County almost six years ago. Time really does fly when you’re constantly learning. In my previous training jobs, I was given the instructor’s manuals and told to use all of the training materials that were already created. It was easy. I just learned the material myself and then turned around and trained others using the materials. I did help with keeping the material up to date, but I was not involved with the initial creation.
My first day on the job here I was presented with an empty office. There were no electronic copies of documents, no pre-printed manuals, no rotating schedules of classes, no… nothing. I was a little shell shocked to say the least those first few weeks. I was a member of a 5 person (now 6) IT department whose main focus was keeping all of the computers in 17 member libraries running and keeping the network going. My job – to train all of the staff and volunteers in all of the libraries on Millennium, our ILS, MS Office applications, and anything else that involved human interaction with a computer. My boss’ main focus is on the network, the hardware, making sure everything is running. He hired me because of my software training background and had full confidence in me creating a robust training program… out of nothing. He told me to not worry about not having a library background, I would pick that up as I went along. When I asked who was going to tell me what to do the answer was… nobody. You were hired to figure this out.
The long and winding road of this journey has been scary, frustrating, fascinating, rewarding and exponentially amazing. I began my search for help online because that is a place where I have always felt comfortable. It’s a place where I seem to pick up on things quickly. I remember when my first job out of college (I was a Social Security Claims Representative) moved from huge 3 ring binders of manuals against a very long wall to CD-ROMs, it was as if a whole new world opened up before my eyes. It used to take me forever to find the answer to my questions about eligibility laws, and then, all of a sudden, it was all right in front of me on a screen. This made sense to me (though it frustrated the heck out of the long timers in the office)!
I opened up google.com and typed in “training in libraries”. The first site I landed on was WebJunction. Immediately I began to relax as I realized YES – there are other people out there who are trainers in libraries. I am not alone. I spent weeks on that site reading through documents and posts on forums and beginning my learning into this world of library training. What was most amazing was everyone’s willingness to SHARE. I mean, they put their materials right on there for anyone to use as long as they were given credit. I was coming from a private industry marketing software company where everything was hush hush, and we didn’t even share with our clients our treasured secrets. Here, I was able to post a question like “I’m a new trainer in a public library system with no library background, where should I start?” and get really great responses. I was given the name of a great company called Custom Guide that I ended up purchasing a license from to create all of my MS Office trainings.
I also joined the Innovative User Group which is an online group of people who use Innovative Interface’s Millennium ILS. After just a few short months on the job, I was lucky enough to go to their Conference (which was held in Boston that year). I needed to begin doing Circulation training, so I attended any session that related to Circulation and training. I got business cards and looked at sample training manuals. When I got back home I sent everyone I met an email begging them to share their manuals with me. Most everyone did, and from that, I was able to create my first manual. A clearinghouse was created a year or so later where any member of the IUG list could post their materials. I posted everything I had created. To date, I have created 6 very comprehensive manuals related to circulation, reporting, holds and other functions. I have shared these manuals widely with many because if it hadn’t been for the people who shared with me in the beginning, I would have been so miserably lost in the job. With their help, I feel I have done quite well and so I willingly give away what was so generously given to me.
Also, in my first year, blogs were exploding and I learned through a WebJunction contact about RSS. I began following blogs by people like Michael Stephens, Jenny Levine, Sarah Houghton Jan, and Stephen Abram to name a few. No, they weren’t training librarians, but they were passionate about what they did and they referenced a lot of training librarians. I learned through them about Helene Blowers and Learning 2.0. I even decided to start blogging myself even though I didn’t know much. I DID know how to be social online and it was my lifeline because I had no physical person to turn to for help in creating the training program here.
If I read something in a blog that I wanted to try myself, I sent the blogger an email request for information. I was again always amazed at the willingness to share content, outlines, handouts, quick references. I began to realize how lucky I was to stumble into this sharing universe of librarianship. This expanded as I became immersed in social networking. Where some of my friends just did it to stay in touch with friends online, I did it for survival. If coworkers told me they didn’t have time for that frivolous RSS stuff, I could immediately get their attention by explaining the manual they were using in that class came from the help I received through using RSS professionally. I was also using podcasts quite a bit too to hear how people were doing it.
Over time I was also using delicious, Facebook, Twitter, flickr and FriendFeed. By friending and following other library trainers, my requests for help continued to be answered. By watching what the main players were bookmarking, taking photos of, or sharing on the Web, I was able to learn about new tools and use them in my job. I wanted others to realize how revolutionary all of this was. I would hear of someone creating a “How to create an e-mail account” handout for a training from scratch and cringe. When I would direct them to WebJunction they would be amazed at all of the resources available. I was asked by Commonwealth Libraries here in PA to do workshops to help others realize the potential of Web2.0 in libraries.
The last two years I have come to rely heavily on my library trainers network. I’ve become a proud participator in the T is for Training podcast. I am a member of some key lists that will help any library trainer like clenert@ala.org, innopac@innovativeusers.org (for Millennium users), librarylearning@googlegroups.com and tisfortraining@googlegroups.com. A few months back I needed help getting materials together for Outlook Web Access training. I put out a plea on Twitter and within moments had three different manuals sent my way.
So what is the key message I want to get across in sharing this journey with you? NO MATTER WHAT – DO NOT create a training from scratch. Really! Before you sit down to create that next manual, quick reference, user’s guide, STOP. Throw your question out to your online social network for help and you will be amazed at all of the information that will come your way. These are, after all, information professionals. I have found over the years that I fit in quite nicely with library types as I’ve always been one who loves information. Oh, you don’t have an online social network of people to help you? Well then, you better start building one!
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