Knowing the importance of continuous learning for library staff is one thing; building an effective program for your library is another. Lay a solid foundation with competencies, plan a training program, evaluate the outcomes, and as always, share your best practices with the community.

See these resource guides:

1. Guide to Learning Environment Resources
   
2. Guide to Selected Staff Development Resources 

Guide to Learning Environment Resources

Culture of learning

• Cultivatin g a Culture of Learning (webinar archive)
• Kinyaa'áanii Charlie Benally (AZ) Library: Fire at the Center: how one tribal library weaves learning into the community
• Learning for Learning Professionals (webinar archive)
• Continuous Learning: Making it a Priority Without Breaking the Bank: helpful tips for administrators and learners
• Start You Up! The Personal Learning Experience (PPT): a learning tool for library staff and other busy professionals

Mentoring

• Mentoring Needs and Benefits: a summary of the needs and benefits for all those involved
• Mentoring: Leadership as a Subversive Activity: build leadership in libraries by integrating learning into the structure of work
• Mentoring Roles and Responsibilities
• Mentoring Resources on the Internet

Visit the Mentoring section for the full selection of resources on this topic.

Guide to Selected Staff Development Resources

Assessing the needs

• PUMP It Up! Report of a 2004 Central Minnesota Libraries Exchange (CMLE) survey of staff training needs
• Library IT Staff Calculator --a spreadsheet for evaluating IT staffing needs
• Staff Skills and Professional Development Surveys in TechAtlas
• Plan for Technology Training
• Planning & Assessment from the Staff & Patron Training Brainstorm
• Training Worksheet to help you identify technology training needs

A foundation of competencies

• Competency Index for the Library Field, compiled by WebJunction
• Core Competencies for Library Staff (webinar archive)
• Library Staff Competency Collections for examples of competency sets from library organizations
• Technology and Management Competencies for Public Access Computing Programs

Staff development planning

• Practical Approaches for Adding Online Learning to Your Training Program links to a paper + case studies showcasing 6 training programs that have incorporated online training tools.
  
• Staff Training in Academic Libraries: 2007 Fact Sheets and Staff Training in Public Libraries: 2007 Fact Sheets for insights into how public and academic libraries support, deliver and evaluate staff training programs
• West Hartford Public Library Staff Development Workshop

Evaluating training

• Evaluating Training: Why, What and How: worksheet details the areas to cover and how to ask the right questions
• Torrington Library Staff Evaluation

Staff development policies

• Wethersfield Staff Development Policy
• Portland Staff Development Policy

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