Categories
Library Leadership

Plan A Training Day

Organizations especially libraries have long held day long or half day training days. Closing for one day provides a much-needed break for employees to learn and network. Here are a few simple ideas to get your staff training day off the ground.

Have A Plan

If your library will be closing for the day, or celebrating National Library Week, the learning objectives need to be spelled out. Will you be teaching safety polices, new technology or providing an opportunity to hear a  speaker ? Planning a training day, your organization will guide the learning outcomes. Some constants will always remain the same. Food and staff participation are two of the most important that need to be considered when planning your day together.

Staff Involvement

The best method is to include the entire team to set up committees at least six months in advance of your training day. Subcommittees allow all employees to be included in the decisions of the entire day and plays to the strengths of everyone involved with the planning. Spreading the planning among many of your team, also allows professional development for every level of employee.  Allowing all staff to participate in planning also provides valuable buy-in to the day’s activities and successful outcomes.

Food and Fun

Providing meals or even snacks is totally up to you and the budget. Would the Library Friends group be willing to donate food for staff day? Could every staff member bring something for a continental breakfast or easy lunch? Having food and beverages available for your team makes a huge difference, so get creative if your organization will not allow you to purchase food items.

Also include a fun activity that builds your team morale. Are you creating art together, making a bridge from marshmallows, or playing 20 questions while roaming the room? Plan something enjoyable to do as a team to bring everyone together even for 30 minutes. Planning a staff day will be beneficial for your work group in many ways and taking the first few steps is very easy!

Categories
Librarian & Entrepreneurship

The Importance of Training and Developing Your Librarians

library-leadership

Being a librarian isn’t just about restocking shelves and helping people find books. It’s a job that requires a whole host of skills, which is why a Masters Degree in Library Science is required and other courses exist to help keep skills fresh. Why is training so important, and what programs exist to help?

Why it Matters

Any workforce needs to be competent, confident, and motivated. For as obvious as that may seem, people far too often overlook the importance of this with respect to the librarian profession. Competency means making sure that librarians update their skills as new software and IT systems are introduced.

What’s more, if managers don’t train librarians to respond to organizational changes, it can be all too easy for them to slip into a sense of ennui. From there, they can become disengaged, which in turn can reduce the quality of their service to library customers.

Some managers institute reward programs, while others invite promising librarians to take part in a leadership program with an opportunity for advancement. Remember, library work doesn’t just mean helping people as a front desk librarian. It can involve all manner of different technical services and archival research. It is up to existing library managers and leaders to help develop new librarian talent, matching them to their ideal roles and motivating them to meet their potential.

How Librarians Train

There are plenty of programs available to help managers give librarians the support and training they need to succeed. Some academic libraries are part of larger organizations, such as universities and hospitals. If so, they may offer specialized training programs or assistance via their in-house IT experts.

In addition, there are a plethora of specialized training programs that offer help via online courses and regional seminars. These include the American Library Association, Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, Society of College, National and University Libraries, the North West Academic Libraries, and the Public Library Association.

Athletes, singers, dancers, artists, soldiers, doctors all need support and training, and librarians are no different. These resources and similar programs can ensure that newcomers are motivated and tenured librarians remain fresh and the best they can be.