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!

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.