Webcast: Doing More with Less: “Training Up” in Tough Economic Times

Representatives of public library, school, and LIS report on value of training

Dodie Ownes -- Library Journal, 11/3/2009

• Training never stops
• Focus on your institutions’ goals and customer expectations
• Top down and bottom up training works
• Resources and tools for learning new technologies are plentiful

The “Training Up” webcast, sponsored by Polaris Library Systems and Library Journal, featured three speakers from very different types of institutions who shared several common observations on training, notably that training should never be an afterthought but rather integral to the learning and customer service. Brad Rogers, director of implementation services at Polaris Library Systems, served as moderator. Panelists discussed how keeping staff, students, and educators on a continuous training track can make library services, whether technology or customer oriented, succeed in meeting and exceeding user expectations.

A public library
Kerry McGeath, city librarian/deputy director from Southlake Public Library, TX, began with an introduction to his library and its clientele, a community that was recently identified as being one of 25,000 wealthiest in the nation—though Texas is number 48 in the country in library funding, and Southlake’s budget is slim. Because customer expectations are high, service is important, a “true measure of our effectiveness.” The library currently enjoys a 95% approval rating from the community on providing expected services, up from 40% just a few years ago, and McGeath believes that “training is a big part of that.”

Training at Southlake focuses on five primary organizational objectives: proper mix of product; first-class customer service; hassle-free experience for the customer; utilization of volunteers; and strong relationships with city staff, community and business organizations. Self-actualization training allows staff to understand their own approach to service, and be reactive, in a positive way, to new technologies and customer challenges.

At a school system
Bud Hunt, an instructional technologist from the St. Vrain Valley School District, CO, followed McGeath, admitting that he fell into his role accidentally and now spends his time helping teachers and librarians learn how to use the current technologies for the maximum effect. Citing a statement from Curtis Bonk’s The World is Open (Wiley, 2009), “anyone can now learn anything from anyone at any time,” Hunt emphasized the importance of opening up training and learning opportunities by going outside the traditional classroom and embracing what the community has to offer.

The blogs at St. Vrain School District provide a great example of reaching out beyond the institution’s physical space. No matter where a community member is in the district’s 400 square miles of the district, he or she can participate and learn about what is going on in the schools through its blog.

Another popular blog focused on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) learning, bringing together students, teachers, and scientists. One great use of local expertise is the establishment of a student “Geek Squad” at one of St. Vrain’s technology focus middle schools, where teachers use members to train and assist them with software, hardware, and applications.

An LIS educator
The final speaker was Claire McInerney, associate professor and chair, School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, where 560 students are enrolled. Those in LIS education are closely examining the training tools used to prepare students for their future careers. When Rutgers recently asked academic librarians what skills they need today to keep current, the list they received was expansive—everything from Fedora and software engineering to LOCKSS, Shibboleth, and the semantic web.

Rutgers uses an open source application, Sakai, as its course management and project collaboration platform. This online environment provides both remote and campus-based students with experience in creating a wiki, using chat, and creating multimedia presentations as well as polls and surveys.

McInerney cited many more free or low cost applications like Survey Monkey and Jing that provide training as they provide functionality. While there many new tools help librarians serve their customers, LIS programs, she noted, still honor traditional library values by inviting practicing librarians to speak to students in person. All the while, Rutgers is looking for new ways to provide those experiences, such as seminars abroad and online learning. As the academic on the panel, McInerney also provided a list of references at the close of her presentation!

Questions
The live audience kept moderator Rogers and the panelists busy with questions. When asked about Southlake’s extensive use of volunteers and how that hits the bottom line, McGeath noted that their library is required to report its cost savings through use of volunteers to the city and county each year, making administration well aware of the value of that time.

When the whole panel was asked about getting management and staff buy-in, McGeath pointed to Southlake’s comprehensive plan that leads to expectation of learning. Hunt followed up, citing his school district’s directive to provide staff with “meaningful time to learn.” Reflecting on her own library experiences, McInerney noted that, when two people attend training, it increases the expertise available to the library and gives the learners more support.

To attend the webcast on-demand and hear the entire conversation, visit www.libraryjournal.com/polaristrainingup and register.