june06b.indd charting our future Frances C. Wilkinson and Linda K. Lewis Training programs in academic libraries Continuous learning in the information age “Training is everything.” —Mark Twain ACRL President Camila A. Alire said that the strategic areas of focus for ACRL for the next five years should include “grassroots advocacy, . . . influencing pubic policy, in­ formation communication technologies, and accrediting agencies; communicating major trends and issues in academic libraries; and strengthening partnerships with other or­ ganizations.” She added that it is crucial to engage our library staff to be involved in the continual changing responsibilities facing academic libraries.1 How do we best engage our library staff to be involved in these ever­changing re­ sponsibilities? The rapid pace of change ex­ perienced in today’s libraries creates a critical need for training. The importance of training is highlighted in “Charting our Future: ACRL Strategic Plan 2020” in its Strategic Area: The Profession, Goal Area: Continuous Learning, which states “ACRL provides continuous learning opportunities enabling members to strengthen their effectiveness and achieve recognition as valued contributors to their academic and research communities.”2 Training opportunities take many forms using various methods of delivery. ALA and its divisions such as ACRL, and regional and state library associations, offer a variety of training options for librarians. Most universi­ ties have employee training programs with many choices ranging from broad manage­ ment topics to very specific training on how to perform a pertinent task. Many libraries also bring training sessions to their site or offer in­house training. Training can be formal or informal and is available by attending con­ ferences, preconferences, miniconferences, workshops, classes, seminars, on­the­job training sessions, and so on. Training can be delivered to large groups, small groups or one­on­one, and it can be either site­bound or via online formats. Developing a training program Training opportunities are everywhere. Li­ brary staff are faced with so many options it can be time consuming and exhausting just considering them all. Yet continuous learning is critical for librarians to remain informed, relevant, and vital to address the ever­chang­ ing needs of the customers that they serve. To accomplish this goal, a comprehensive training program for its employees should be a part of every library’s strategic plan. The program should be designed to provide training that supports the library’s mission and strategic goals. It should also provide education, training, and career development to library employees to assist them with meeting their personal/career growth goals and plans. Finally, the program should offer interest­based training that creates opportuni­ ties for innovative staffi ng options. Frances C. Wilkinson is associate dean of university libraries at the University of New Mexico, e-mail: fwilkinson@unm.edu, and Linda K. Lewis is collection development coordinator at the University of New Mexico, e-mail: llewis@unm.edu © 2006 Frances C. Wilkinson and Linda K. Lewis 356C&RL News June 2006 mailto:llewis@unm.edu mailto:fwilkinson@unm.edu Librarians might begin to develop ideas for a training program by reviewing programs at other libraries. Also, much has been written on training to aid libraries in establishing such a program. A search in Library Literature using training as a keyword renders almost 90 ar­ ticles in the last two years alone. Developing a training program that will be meaningful to your library should include a skills inventory/ survey of your staff. The survey should query employees on both their skills and interests to determine training needs. Survey questions might address a range of topics, including supervising, management, leadership, dealing with transition and change, giving and receiv­ ing constructive feedback, proactive listening, facilitating, conducting productive meetings, trends and developments in the profession, information technology, computer software, and basic hardware, as well as specifi c topics such as the use of “chat” in workgroups and the use of blogs, wikis, rss, etc. Some training may be more theoretical, such as sessions dealing with change or motivation. At times, training may address an immediate need, and be done “just­in­time.” For example, when a new software system that impacts key elements of an employee’s work is being installed, clearly the training must be done as quickly as possible. Training can be used to establish a com­ mon knowledge base for the library’s employ­ ees. When all employees are presented with the same information, they begin to share a common language and understanding. In large organizations, multiple sessions may be required in order to allow all individuals to attend. The shared experience can help improve cooperation and increase the com­ munication among employees. When developing a training program, it is important to remember that learning styles vary. Some people respond better to written instructions, while others need to see some­ thing done before they understand it. Training programs must recognize that individuals learn in a variety of ways. Some personnel may enjoy role­playing while others hate it. A good training program will provide a variety of methods that will meet the needs of most people. Once the library determines the training needs of its employees, it can develop the content of the program aligning this content to meet the library’s strategic priorities. Train­ ing options might be divided into external and internal library training. External training options The library should encourage employees to attend national, regional, and state confer­ ences that are appropriate to their specialty or area of interest. These conferences enhance the employee’s professional development and also benefit the library. When possible, at least partial funding should be made avail­ able to both librarians and paraprofessional staff. Libraries might want to provide some funding contingent on the employee sharing what he or she learned with others in the library. This could be done through informal presentations or through posting conference notes on an intralibrary Web page. In this virtual age, it is not always neces­ sary to travel to attend presentations. Virtual conferences are sponsored by a number of groups. Many of these conferences provide the audience with the opportunity to ask ques­ tions and respond to the speakers. This type of presentation allows many employees to attend the same meeting and to hear the concerns from colleagues across the country. Library vendors may also be sources of training. Many companies that produce data­ bases have trainers who are available to visit libraries to teach library employees about the products they offer. Libraries may also be able to provide train­ ing through their university. Many universities provide training ranging from management skills to computer technology. When new tools, such as a new e­mail system or cal­ endaring system are introduced, hands­on training can help ease some of the stress of the transition. Some organizations now also provide speakers who discuss issues related to health improvement. Additionally, depart­ ments within a university may offer speakers June 2006 357 C&RL News to discuss the changing academic environ­ ment, or speak about how to deal with change, among other topics of interest. Internal training options One of the most productive methods of train­ ing can be training that is done by peers, by other library employees. Many employees have knowledge that they will be delighted to share with their colleagues in an informal setting. For example, information technology personnel can give introductory sessions on how to maintain your computer or on the newest Web browsers. Even in highly techno­ logically oriented libraries, some employees may not have a great deal of experience with cookies, spyware, and firewalls on their personal computers. Informal brown bags offered by peers over lunch are not time consuming and may be less stressful than formal training sessions or workshops. The presenters of these informal sessions may fi nd an additional benefit beyond that of helping people learn. These internal presentations may be practice sessions for more formal presentations at conferences or the beginning of an article to be published later. Most university libraries are large organiza­ tions, which makes it difficult for personnel to know what their colleagues in other areas of the organization are doing. Training such as information open houses can be offered to share information about the activities within units. These sessions can include presenta­ tions and tours that highlight the major activi­ ties and achievements of the area. Sharing this type of information is not only informative for attending staff, but it can also be a positive experience for those staff offering it. Additionally, training for student employ­ ees is often overlooked in university libraries but should not be. Student employees at information desks or circulation desks are often the first point of contact for library cus­ tomers. Customer impressions of a library’s service may be based on these encounters. Yet too often student employees are given only rudimentary on­the­job training, such as how to check­out a book. For some students, their job in the library may be the fi rst one that they have ever held. For them, customer service training is essential, and it can be helpful to more seasoned student employees. The library can develop this training for their student employees by adapting materials from existing university programs, videos, and other materials on customer service. Su­ pervisors of students may want to tailor this training to better fit their specifi c units. Training support For this type of program to be successful, library administrators must believe in and support training. They must communicate the importance of training through words and actions at all levels of the organization—they must “walk the talk.” Funding must be identi­ fied and set aside for training. Too often due to shrinking library budgets, training funds are the first to be cut; however, informed, knowledgeable employees are pivotal to the success of the library. Every effort should be taken to avoid funding cuts for library train­ ing programs. Further, library administrators should attend some of the training sessions themselves. The importance of active partici­ pation in the library’s training offerings cannot be overemphasized. Finally, attending appro­ priate, relevant training should become part of each employee’s job. Supervisors should work together with employees to develop their annual goals and identify the training needed to ensure high­quality performance and customer service. Successful completion of identified training would become part of the employee’s performance evaluation. Training evaluation A training program cannot be static. Training topics and sessions need to be evaluated for effectiveness, soliciting feedback from partici­ pants. Just as libraries are constantly chang­ ing, training must be a continual process. The initial survey of training needs should be repeated at intervals—perhaps annually or biannually—to determine the library’s changing needs. (continued on page 365) 358C&RL News June 2006 Bipartisan and international support It is especially heartening to see bipartisan Congressional support for the principle of open access to federally funded research. Both the Cornyn­Lieberman and CURES bills are sponsored by a conservative Republican and a moderate Democrat. They should gain additional backing from members of Congress from both parties. Congressional support for the earlier NIH public access policy, including the proposed requirement for deposit, also came from both sides of the political aisle. The Cornyn­Lieberman bill, the public ac­ cess provision of the CURES bill, and proposed revisions to the NIH policy are part of growing support throughout the world for the principle of public access to taxpayer­funded research. The United Kingdom is moving toward adop­ tion of a similar policy that will apply to all government­funded research. Following on the July 2004 recommendation of the report from the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, the Research Councils of the United Kingdom (RCUK), which fund the majority of research at UK universities, announced a draft policy in June 2005 that would require deposit of government­funded research in open­access institutional and dis­ ciplinary repositories. Announcement of the RCUK’s final policy is expected soon. Other countries are considering similar policies. Importance for libraries The Cornyn­Lieberman and CURES bills, if adopted, would substantially increase pub­ lic access to the results of federally funded research. Their adoption would result in a major gain in access for faculty, students, other researchers, and the general public. Both bills protect the system of peer­reviewed journals. Both leave copyright law unchanged, let ex­ tramural grantees copyright their articles, and allow them to transfer copyright to journals. The six­month delay before research is made openly accessible will shield journal publishers from potential subscription or licensing cancel­ lations. Journals will still have the exclusive right to distribute the final published version of articles, unless they allow those versions to be deposited by authors in repositories. A coalition of library and public interest groups led by SPARC has worked diligently with the offices of Senators Cornyn and Lieberman on the development and introduction of these bills. The Cornyn­Lieberman bill and the public access provisions of the CURES bill have been carefully considered by representatives of the academic and research library community. These bills represent an extraordinary opportunity to transform access to scientifi c, technical, and medical research. Their passage into law would give strong impetus to the worldwide movement for public access to gov­ ernment­funded research—and to the open access movement generally. We hope you will join us in expressing enthusiastic support for both bills to your senators and representatives. Please ask your senators to become cospon­ sors of the bills and also encourage your rep­ resentatives to support them in the House of Representatives, once comparable legislation has been introduced there. (“Training programs . . .” continued from page 358) Conclusion systematic plan to provide training for all Education is a core mission of all libraries. their personnel. Libraries should make the same commit­ ment to educating their personnel that Notes they have made to educating their users. 1. See www.ala.org/ala/acrl/presidentspage Training is pivotal in the development of /presidentspageacrl.htm. library employees. It enables them to pro­ 2. “Charting our Future: ACRL Strategic vide better service, to become more skilled Plan 2020” can be found on ACRL’s Web site employees, and to enhance their personal at www.ala.org/ala/acrl/aboutacrl/whatisacrl development. Libraries should develop a /acrlstratplan/stratplan.htm. June 2006 365 C&RL News www.ala.org/ala/acrl/aboutacrl/whatisacrl www.ala.org/ala/acrl/presidentspage