Self-Directed Learning Resources
These resources were shared as part of the ALA 2016 presentation Anytime + Anywhere = Never: Tackling the Motivation Challenges of Continual Learning. Read more about the session in this article by Betha Gutsche.
We all aspire to be lifelong learners, especially in service of our library patrons. And we have all hit the snag of "Anytime + Anywhere = Never"―the reality that unlimited access, unbounded time and lack of external motivators often means that our learning never gets off the ground. These resources offer models and strategies to help us individually and collectively crest the wave and stay on top of our learning needs.
- Self-Directed Achievement (SDA), an approach to changing the learning culture of your organization
- Self-Directed Achievement: if you give library staff an hour..., a webinar from the team at Tooele Public Library (UT) who initiated the strategy.
- A Happy Hour for Library Staff Learning is a case study of the Morrison Regional branch of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (NC) and its version of SDA.
- Self-Directed Achievement on a Small Scale shows how a tiny library with mostly part-time staff can make it work.
- Motivation Discovery Docs (pdf) is a set of two-page summaries of key insights and strategies to motivate adult learners. This includes Dr. Medina's Brain Rules and Daniel Pink's Drive theories of intrinsic motivation.
- Put a Goal on It: WebJunction and Self-Directed Learning offers a manageable approach for library staff looking for ways to learn on their own or together with others, including a tour of WebJunction's practical tools, resources and self-paced learning.
- Reading Conversations: RA for All Library Staff shows how the Whatcom County Library System embarked on an ambitious effort to get all of their staff ready and eager to get out and talk to patrons about books and reading.
- Scout: A Community Self-Directed Learning Project explains the way Pierce County Library System used game-based learning to help patrons discover the library's services and virtual resources.
- WAshington Library Trainers (WALT) Learn Together Group, this group of staff training and development professionals working in Washington libraries worked together to identify barriers to self-directed learning and brainstorm how to overcome those barriers.
This work is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License