WebJunction - Training Program Management

MentorConnect

2009-09-23T18:42:34Z

Just took a look at MentorConnect on ALAConnect and can't wait to hear how folks are using it.

Notes from Pat Wagner presentation: Successful Online Ed

2009-08-31T18:50:34Z

I thought this was an excellent post from lybrarian: Improve Successful Use of Online Education Opportunities with thorough notes from a training session provided by the State Library of Kansas and System Consultants with Pat Wagner.

Re: Mentoring flavors

2006-03-09T20:30:07Z

Great news chickey! I'm glad to hear that you're designing training for mentoring. I look forward to hearing how the process goes especially as you move from the design phase into the trainings. Be sure to share your expert experience here, both the successes and the challenges!

There are 2 places within the WebJunction resources that I think you'll find most helpful. In section III of the
Mentoring Resources on the Internet you'll find some great examples of Mentoring Programs...many include training suggestions.
The mentoring workbook may also help as you pull together a curriculum/workbook to give your participants.

Like you, I'd love to hear from folks in libraryland who have designed mentoring training! And chickey, I look forward to an update on your great work!

Re: Mentoring flavors

2005-11-21T21:21:52Z

Sarah,

I'm so glad to hear about iPeer! It reminds us of how important it is to recognize that our own peers have so much to offer in terms of mentoring. As a student I often found those in the program more capable of providing support with challenges than faculty or those out in the field. I think we quickly forget the intensity or urgency of the experience when time has blurred our memories.

You bring up an interesting issue about matching participants. One of the "myths" of mentoring is that people need to have a lot in common. I would encourage you to consider the benefits of "mis-matching" participants; as Cheryl Dahle] says, the best matches are often mismatches because they generate high potential for learning. I do think it's great that you've found a way to match folks geographically. I'm sure it helps to be able to increase the FTF (face to face)!!

I've included some of the other "myths" in a mentoring workbook posted in the WJ mentoring area.

I look forward to hearing how the first quarter of iPeer worked for people and your suggestions as facilitator of an e-mentoring program. Like everything else, I'm sure mentoring will increasingly become an online phenomenon (in a good way :-)).

Mentoring flavors

2005-11-18T20:12:42Z

How do you define mentoring? I've collected a number of mentoring Definitions in our new WJ Mentoring area. Let us know how you're using mentoring to tap into your library's human and super human resources!

Obstacles to building a Learning Organization (and opportunities!)

2009-05-27T17:47:59Z

At *your* library, what obstacles are there to developing a culture of learning? Are there opportunities in these obstacles?

Here are some of the obstacles, opportunities, and questions shared in the webinar Libraries as Learning Organizations on May 26. Please feel free to respond, or post your own:

-Money, Time
-no manager buy in
-So if time is the obstacle, is the opportunity time/organizational management tools?
-people aren't resistant to change, people are resistant to changing
-People are resistant to taking ownership of their learning
-too many places to check for info...library blog, wiki, shared drive, etc. My employee says "If you want me to know something, you better send me an e-mail; I can't take the time to check everywhere.
-Supervisors may not accept self-directed learning as something worthy of placing on performance evals., etc.
-Do you provide staff with good resources when you suggest self-learning?
-we have situation where some employees want to do all training, opps, etc., but the supervisor needs them to work -- hard to draw line.
-Looming retirement makes employees often resistant to change. What to do?
-key is for the middle management to understand and be willing to take responsibility for their role.
-Do you have "Staff Development Plans" that formally state the supervisor, learner, admin, and training office responsibilities?

See the full archive for more!

Ideas and strategies for knowledge sharing as a learning organization?

2009-05-27T17:39:34Z

During this week's webinar on Libraries as Learning Organizations, many ideas and strategies were shared by panelists and participants on this topic. Here are some of the ideas and questions shared in chat:

-What is the role of decision-makers in the learning organization? Are all the staff involved or empowered?
-How to you get lower-level and mid-level buy-in?
-Give staff allotted time for self-education.
-Every staff member should have a copy of the vision statement on their ID badges and at their work place.
-Our biggest challenge is getting staff to use different types of communication -- other than just email.
-Is 'scheduling time' easier in a state with a con't ed requirement for certification?
-Building learning plans into performance evaluations.
-How to share information among staff at branch locations?
-Use social software tools (eg. have staff twitter during webinars, see #LaLO)
-Create just-in-time learning ops (learning at the point of need)
-Micro-learning
-always nice to record trainings for multiple viewings
-we've taken a lot more training out to branches and promoted peer-to-peer learning
-We set up a Blogger Intanet that works well
-Encourage Learning Champions

Please feel free to respond or add to any of the above and to share *your* strategies for knowledge sharing in a learning organization.

RE: Define: Learning Organization?

2009-05-19T22:42:20Z

Even if your organization's definition does not quite align with Wikipedia's, it's important to reach internal agreement on what is meant by a learning organization. If you aren't clear about what you're striving for, it will be hard to know how to get there or how to measure effectiveness.

I'm sure we'll hear more about this in the webinar. The panelists are just brimming with insights and observations.

Training or coursework requirements

2009-05-05T17:11:23Z

This question came up in chat during the April 2009 webinar, Technology Competencies in Your Library.

Do any of you have a continuing education model in which staff must complete a designated amount per year?- such as 8 hours/credits/units? some answered...
-Pennsylvania requires anyone working 20 hours or more 6 hours every two years. the director 8 hours every year
-required 40 hrs of training per PT; 80hrs per FT
-our requirement is 90 hours every five years
-our library plan states 40 hr per year per staff member

State requirements are being collected in this document(and in the comments area of the document), but it would be great to hear from individual libraries or systems as to their requirements around training and coursework.

Define: Learning Organization?

2009-05-05T17:01:16Z

There's certainly a buzz building about learning organizations both in and outside the WebJunction Community. What definitions are working for you? How does it relate to libraries as learning organizations?

Here are some places I've seen the buzz:

A discussion and chat related to Learning Orgs from the January Tough Times Town Hall on Staff Training

Opportunities and Challenges for the Library as Learning Organization http://home.southernct.edu/~smithl14/main/liblo.html

On Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_organization

And hats off to Idaho for their upcoming conference Libraries = Learning Organizations (links to great resources). We'll look forward to hearing a report from Idaho librarians following their conference.

Please post any documents you have to share in the documents tab of this section, or use the discussions to throw out some ideas about learning organizations.

I'm personally very excited to see the concepts emerge into practice, after many years of reading!!

Technology Competencies - post webinar discussion

2009-04-30T00:28:00Z

Please continue to ask questions of the presenters and participants who attended the webinar, Technology Competencies in Your Library.

I know there was an additional questions that maybe didn't get answered, but I thought these might be good for continued discussion:

Did you find that staff were fearful, more nervous so maybe the on-the-spot assessment may not have been a true picture of their skills?

Do any of you have a continuing education model in which staff must complete a designated amount per year?- such as 8 hours/credits/units? some answered...
-Pennsylvania requires anyone working 20 hours or more 6 hours every two years. the director 8 hours every year
-required 40 hrs of training per PT; 80hrs per FT
-our requirement is 90 hours every five years
-our library plan states 40 hr per year per staff member

What performance evaluation instrument do you use at your library?

How do you get staff buy-in? Convey how they will ultimately use it for service?

RE: looking for a mentor

2009-03-13T18:08:21Z

If you're from a library within the Metropolitan Library System (http://www.mls.lib.il.us), check out this Flash Mentoring event taking place May 15 Flash Mentoring: Connecting New Library Staff and Seasoned Professionals with only a 2 Hour Commitment

It's free!

You might also want to check out the ALA New Member Rount Table (NMRT), they offer year round mentoring. ALA NMRT web site

Christina

Re: Mentoring Stories

2006-02-08T22:22:17Z

I love this "board of directors" idea! I have also grown very fond of referring to my posse of mentor types as my "composite mentor". And I try to remember to tell them on a regular basis that they are a part of this composite, so that they feel valued in relationship and continued learning.

I have also come to realize that BOOKS often serve as my mentors. I am reading Stone Diaries by Carol Shields right now and realize again, that the story of a life often provides me with profound and intimate revelations about how I move through life.

Mentoring Stories

2005-11-18T19:15:18Z

From all the research out there on mentoring, I know its happening in libraries, but I'd love to hear your mentoring stories. Library advocate and author Eric Liu in Guiding Lights: the people who lead us toward our purpose in life asks us to think about those who have mentored us, and how we have passed that learning on to others.

Often those that mentor us are totally unaware of their influence. Joey Rodger gave a speech on leadership at PLA in 2004 that transformed my vision of libraries and guided the decisions I've made about my future in libraries. Both my kids include 'librarian' in their list of anticipated professions (along with dancer and farmer!)...I hope to continue to pass this passion on.

Please share your mentoring stories!!

RE: Cultivating a Culture of Learning post-webinar discussion

2008-09-14T02:58:42Z

That's great feedback Betha. I was in a webinar earlier in the week where someone mentioned the chat being distracting. I think it is great to have it as an option for those who want to use it. I need to go back and watch the webinar again and read all the chats. I couldn't keep up during the webinar.

RE: Cultivating a Culture of Learning post-webinar discussion

2008-08-08T17:56:30Z

I think this is the first time WJ has repeated a webinar topic in such a short period of time. That just proves to me what an important topic it is. Informal learning is instinctive for us humans. It's crucial to create environments that encourage and facilitate it and that certainly do not inhibit it.

I realized during the webinar that I was experiencing some valuable informal learning through the chat interactions---right in the midst of the more formal delivery by Lori. I learned about Overdrive, which was completely new information to me. Some people find running chat distracting, but I think it's a fine example of providing an environment that maximizes learning and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing.

RE: Online Training Modules

2008-08-08T00:23:27Z

Hi Debby!

LibraryU does have a great selection of library-specific courses. There are other free course offerings available from various outlets---super-trainer Stephanie Gerding has collected a nice list of them.

After reading through the Staff Training Report for Public Libraries, I was dismayed at how tiny some training budgets are.

If you find other freebies, let us know.

Online Training Modules

2008-08-05T22:51:28Z

We use LibraryU sponsored through the State of Illinois. It's all free & there are a variety of interesting topics. We've always used the classes on WebJunction a lot, but it seems now that the courses listed are no longer free. Our library gets very little funding to apply towards training, so for us free is good.

Cultivating a Culture of Learning post-webinar discussion

2008-08-01T21:19:28Z

Continue the conversation started by the August 5 webinar on Cultivating a Culture of Learning. Share your thoughts and ideas on what you can do in your library.

Re: looking for a mentor

2006-05-16T18:29:24Z

Welcome Renee! I'm so glad you chose to look for a mentor through the WebJunction forums.

In my ideal online community, you will be able to connect with librarians in the field who can guide you toward job fulfillment. Im too new to the profession to be able to do that, but I can point you to some of the resources here on the site. I responded to a similar question last week in [url http://webjunction.org/forums/thread.jspa?threadID=3871&tstart=0&messageID=28590#28590 ]out-of-state job hunt[/url]. I think those links would be of interest to you as well.

Once you land your first position, I hope you find mentor(s) to help you learn the ropes. Im always a big fan of volunteering in the area in which you hope to work. Youll get some direct practical experience and you just might get the personal guidance youre seeking.

Best of luck and keep us posted.