Sarah Houghton-Jan, the Librarian in Black (and yes, she is wearing black) is doing her portion of our pre-conference workshop. Library Staff Tech Training: Motivation Means Success. You can find her presentation on her blog .LibrarianinBlack.net. Caveat: this was liveblogged and I did not go back and make it shiny. So..if it is imperfect, please forgive. However the pictures were added l little later. Now back to our program.
She is talking about the benefits of a coordinated staff technology training. Great reasons on WHY to technology train in your system.
What does it take…TIME and Money. Be ready to make a significant investment in both time and money for your system. If they are starting from the beginning, they need more dedicated and hence more expensive training.
Next — Competencies for your staff in order to make sure that someone does not become a “technology pack mule”
How to start dealing with competencies?
First, figure out what technology staff need in order to do their jobs.
Next she outlined the benefits of staff technology compensation’s…. among them..Keeping good staff, Accurate job descriptions, provide consistent customer service and getting staff used to change.
She reviewed a five point comp cycle then posed ten planning questions for your comp development. She reiterated that this is what worked for her, but you can feel free to adapt these guidelines to your system. Some included what software do you have now? and how much funding is dedicated to the project. Advocate for training and advocate for time.
Next you need to get staff buy-in, use that input and keep them informed.
Then, she discussed the nuts and bolts steps to creating you plan, including staff representation from throughout your system.
A great thing I am taking away from this workshop is to inculde a “pie in the sky” stated ongoing learning goal. Continually develops skills in using technological tools King County WA Library.
Remember not to reinvent the wheel. You can find technology information using web 1.0 and 2.0 tools to find and convey information on needed skills.
Develop a comp grid for the different people in your system. This may be something to look at my system.. We use a list version, maybe we want to rethink this for each level, even though I like our blanket methodology for new staff training and orientation, with reference and circulation staff doing a two week formal training. Other staff do directed, but not quite as formal training in their departments.
Assess skills, using both objective –online testing or manual testing and subjective — self-assessment. Now who reviews the results of their assessment. The central training coordinator needs to have the authority and credibility to say BOB, you need to go to training x, y or z. With the backing of supervisors and management. *Great Point* Review both individual and group results to plan more efficiently.
Training is a necessity, so Sarah shows us the way to create a system wide training program. Use scheduled, unscheduled and eLearning for your staff. Use these tools to create the program that your system can use, afford, ready for and work with.
Used as an example Learning 2.0 in your system.
Great talk…I am looking forward to her talk on Wednesday and seeing how she will take her thorough presentation and compress it for the mini-class.
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