Develop a library staff training program that really works!
To stay on top of the lightning-fast changes in the library field and provide your patrons with the best service possible, you need to establish and sustain an effective program for training your staff. The Practical Library Trainer examines the concept of the library as a learning place for patrons and staff, offering a comprehensive view of training from an administrator’s perspective. Bruce E. Massis, author of The Practical Library Manager (Haworth), addresses the essential issues of how to develop a strong program of continuous instruction, including customer service, reporting, recruitment, and retention of staff. The book focuses on the integration of staff training as a blended activity instead of an intervention, quelling the notion of training as an “add-on” to existing staff duties.
The current information-rich environment provides your patrons with an abundance of resources to choose from for their research needs. But they can’t do it alone-they need direction from a knowledgeable librarian who can recognize the pedigree, currency, and validity of licensed resources, particularly those available through electronic means. The Practical Library Trainer uses the goal of long-range customer service as a starting point, emphasizing the return on investment possibilities from blended training methods as a key to meeting your patrons’ high expectations of service. The book also provides examples from outside the library community to demonstrate the importance of training on a non-library setting and looks at future training issues.
The Practical Library Trainer examines:
- types of staff training (formal, informal, employer-provided, qualifying, skill improvement)
- strategies for recruiting and retaining a staff
- blended learning
- e-training
- in-house training
- how to use professional conferences as continuing education opportunities
- how to evaluate your training program
- a sample of an “anywhere, anytime” education and training program
- and much more!
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1. Preparing the Library for a Staff Training Program
- Types of Staff Training
- The Role of a Training Administrator (TA)
- Establishing a Funding Level
- Checklist for Sustainability of a Library Staff Training Program
- Chapter 2. Recruitment and Retention of Library Staff: Can These Issues Benefit from a Staff Training Program?
- Recruitment
- Retention
- Competency Development
- Chapter 3. Suggestions for a Comprehensive Training Program for Library Staff
- Components
- Budget Issues
- Program Evaluation
- Dissemination
- Sustainability
- Chapter 4. The Workplace As Learning Place
- Steps in Creating an Integrated Learning Environment
- “Blended Learning” to Keep the Staff Engaged
- What Are the Latest Trends?
- Chapter 5. Train the Trainer: The In-House Training Opportunity
- Training Programs
- Engaging the Learner
- Chapter 6. The Conference As a Continuing Education Opportunity
- Reasons to Attend a Conference or Seminar
- Planning for the Conference
- Selected Conferences
- Receiving Continuing Education Credit
- Chapter 7. The ROI Report and E-Training
- Measuring the Benefits of E-Training
- What is ROI?
- Two Suggested Examples of the ROI Formula
- Practical Elements for Calculating ROI
- Chapter 8. Is the Library Continuing Education Program Working? Evaluating the Training Program
- Why a Questionnaire?
- ASTD Evaluation Tools
- Failures of Evaluation
- Key Questions to Ask
- Chapter 9. Library Training: A Future Perspective
- Overcoming Resistance to Training
- Elements in Planning the Library for the Future
- Retaining the Library Staff for the Future
- The Future of Training Library Staff
- Chapter 10. Delivering Blended Learning to Library Staff in Southeast Florida: A Case Study
- Southeast Florida Library Information Network (SEFLIN)
- A Scalable Program
- Why Blended Learning?
- Web-Based Learning
- Instructor-Led E-Learning
- Teleconferences
- Compressed Video
- Streaming Media
- Classroom-Based Technology-Assisted Formats
- The Future of Technology-Based Training
- Appendix A. ROI Courses Offered at U.S. Business Schools
- Appendix B. Train-the-Trainer Degrees, Certificates, Workshops, and Courses
- Appendix C. Staff Training Outcomes Survey Questionnaire
- Template 1
- Template 2
- Appendix D. A Sample User Survey for Online Learning
- Appendix E. A Sample Needs Assessment Survey for Blended Learning
- Notes
- Selected Training Bibliographies
- Leadership Development
- Training Budgets
- Value of Training
- Linking Training to Your Library’s Mission and Vision
- Starting a Training Program
- ROI
- Additional Selected Bibliography on ROI
- Recruitment and Retention Issues
- Train the Trainer
- Selected Annotated Bibliography of Donald L. Kirkpatrick’s Published Works
- Index
- Reference Notes Included
Biography
Ruth C Carter
