nov06b.indd


Elaine Z. Jennerich 

The long-term view 
of library staff development 
The positive effects on a large organization 

So what difference does a staff develop­ment program make in a large library 
organization? The University of Washington 
Libraries’ staff development and training 
program has been in existence for more 
than ten years. The program has had a full­
time libraries staff development and training 
coordinator, a part­time student employee, a 
staff volunteer Web coordinator, and a Staff 
Development Advisory Committee made 
up of librarians and classifi ed/professional 
staff. The program was recently expanded 
to include an additional half­time profes­
sional to assist with training and development 
when the role of the coordinator changed to 
director of organization development and 
training. 

The program has a healthy, stable budget 
thanks to strong continuous support from the 
library administration. Travel funding is not 
included in this program. Approximately 76 
percent of the staff of more than 450 take ad­
vantage of at least one development/training 
opportunity each year. A hallmark of the pro­
gram from its inception is that it is intended 
for all staff members, including librarians, 
professional, and classifi ed staff. 

The program has several important com­
ponents, which include the following: 

•  New employee orientation 
•  Classes and workshops delivered in 

the libraries 
•  Customer service training 
•  Funding for any staff member to take a 

advantage of opportunities for development 
(computer, training/development classes on 
campus or eLearning classes at the desktop, 
for example) 

•  Consultant services such as coaching, 
facilitation, etc. 

•  Support and coordination for organiza­
tion development initiatives, such as strategic 
planning and communication enhancement 

•  Ergonomic health awareness and as­
sistance 

•  Scholarship program for student library 
employees 

•  Neutral resource for individuals and 
departments 

At one end of the spectrum are staff mem­
bers who are profoundly changed by what 
they learn, and incorporate techniques and 
concepts into their daily work. At the other 
end of the spectrum are staff members who 
participate minimally (or not at all) in train­
ing and development opportunities. Even 
the minimally engaged staff members change 
over time, however, as the overall culture and 
organizational environment matures. 

The long­term effects of such a program 
cannot be understated. In fact, they are more 
positive and far­reaching than one might 
think. 

Results of a staff development 
program 

Enhances the new staf f  experience. 
A vibrant, interesting, and informative new 
staff orientation sets the stage. It conveys to 
new employees how welcome they are and 

Elaine Z. Jenner ich is direc tor of organization 
development and training at the Universit y of 
Washington Libraries, e-mail: jenneric@u.washington. 
edu 
© 2006 Elaine Z. Jennerich 

C&RL News November 2006  612 

mailto:jenneric@u.washington


that they are expected to take advantage 
of training and development opportunities 
as part of their jobs. As each group of new 
employees is integrated into the organization, 
the climate for learning and self­improve­
ment is enhanced. 

Improves exter nal and inter nal cus-
tomer service. Because all new staff and all 
student employees who work with patrons 
are required to attend customer service 
training, everyone understands the service 
philosophy and expectations of the orga­
nization. Our customer service ratings are 
very high on our triennial surveys of faculty 
and students. 

I n c r e a s e s  e x p e c t a t i o n s / d e c r e a s e s  
anxiety. Staff members come to expect train­
ing, especially when it comes to technology. 
The anxiety previously created by learning 
new technologies or new skills is mitigated 
by knowing that training will be provided or 
that it is important to ask for training when 
one needs it. 

I m p r o v e s  g r o u p  c o m m u n i c a t i o n  
skills. Over time, staff members learn and 
use important skills to enable them to com­
municate well in groups, whether it be work 
groups, committees, task forces, etc. Such 
skills include: managing meetings more ef­
fectively, getting active participation from all 
members, and being a productive contribu­
tor. “Are we on the road to Abilene?” you 
might hear a staff member ask in a meeting 
when it is apparent that there is mismanaged 
agreement.1 

G i v e s  t o o l s  f o r  t a c k l i n g  p r o b l e m s  
creatively. By observation, training, and 
participation, staff members learn to recog­
nize and use some fundamental facilitation 
tools to help groups reach consensus and 
decisions. Brainstorming, nominal group 
technique, fishbone analysis, and force fi eld 
analysis are among the basic techniques 
staff may acquire.2 The serials division made 
important changes that affected everyone 
in the division by using small task forces 
chaired by staff who received basic training 
on managing meetings. For a very compli­
cated decision, they decided to have two 

small groups working on the same problem 
and then combined the recommendations of 
both to develop solutions. 

Empowers individual staff members. In 
The Library Meeting Survival Guide, George 
Soete writes: “Library people tend to be 
introverts. This is not just a stereotypical 
view. When I administer the Myers­Briggs 
Type Indicator to library groups, the ratio of 
people who prefer introversion to those who 
prefer extroversion is typically two to one, 
while the ratio in the general population is 
roughly one to one.”3 

By offering training and development in 
a variety of ways, by enabling staff members 
to take continuing education classes freely, 
and by making opportunities easily obtain­
able, an environment is created in which staff 
members believe themselves to be valuable 
to the organization. Consequently, they 
want to share their opinions, knowledge, 
and skills. 

Makes librar y staf f  valuable to the 
campus. What academic administrator 
wouldn’t want a chair/member of a search 
committee, a task force, a building construc­
tion team, or other group to be well­versed 
in how to enable or participate in moving a 
group forward, suggest proven techniques 
for doing so, and meet the deadlines? Li­
brarians and classified/professional staff 
are valued members of faculty committees, 
search committees, university presidential 
task forces/committees, and a myriad coor­
dinating teams and partnership groups. 

I n v i g o r a t e s  t h e  n e e d  f o r  p e r s o n a l  
improvement. Staff members no longer 
feel that they must solve their own personal 
puzzles themselves. “How do I build trust 
in my team?” “How do I deal with a diffi cult 
colleague?” “I’m feeling bored and restless 
in this job.” “I’ve never chaired a commit­
tee before. Where do I start?” They feel the 
library has provided assistance or referred 
them to appropriate resources to help answer 
such questions. 

I n s t i l l s  c o n f i d e n c e  t h r o u g h o u t  t h e  
organization. The staff of the undergraduate 
library knew it had the skills to put together 

November 2006  613 C&RL News 



a retreat. A small group developed outcomes, 
agenda, and appropriate activities. Wonderful, 
amusing life­size drawings of the “freshman 
of the future,” fully wired and wireless, of 
course, emerged and helped to inform their 
discussion of service needs. Ten years ago, 
we may very well have hired a consultant to 
assist the group. 

Change over the long term 
The effects of a staff development and train­
ing program on a large organization are 
gradual and will only happen with sustained 
effort and consistent attention. It is tempting 
to deliver short, intense blasts of training 

aimed at an organizational problem or a 
group of employees. Patience, persistence 
and repetition, however, are the keys to en­
gendering change and unlocking the potential 
within library staff members.  

Notes 
1. Jerry B. Harvey, The Abilene Paradox 

and Other Meditations on Management (San 
Francisco: Jossey­Bass, 1988). 

2. Lois B. Hart, Faultless Facilitation, 2nd 
ed. (Amherst, MA: HRD Press, 1996). 

3. George J. Soete, 2000. The Library Meet­
ing Survival Guide (San Diego: Tulane Street 
Publications, 2000). 

(“New tools . . .,” cont. from page 610) 
reshape many of our tools and provide op­
portunities to develop new ones. 

Notes 
1. The evolution of scholarly communica­

tion programs through stages of awareness, 
understanding, ownership, activism, and 
transformation are presented in Joyce L. Og­
burn, “Defining and Achieving Success in the 

Statement of ownership and management 
College & Research Libraries News is pub­

lished 11 times a year (monthly, combining 
July/August) by the American Library Asso­
ciation, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. 
American Library Association, owner; Stepha­
nie Orphan, editor. Second­class postage paid 
at Chicago, Illinois. Printed in the U.S.A.As a 
nonprofit organization authorized to mail at 
special rates (DMM Section 423.12), the pur­
poses, function, and nonprofit status of this 
organization and the exempt status for federal 
income tax purposes, have not changed dur­
ing the preceding 12 months. 

E x t e n t  a n d  n a t u r e  o f  c i r c u l a t i o n .  
(“Average” figures denote the number of cop­
ies printed each issue during the preceding 
twelve months; “Actual” figures denote the 
number of copies of single issues published 
nearest to filing date.) Total number of cop­
ies (net press run): Average, 14,553; Actual, 
14,237.Total paid/requested subscriptions: 

Movement to Change Scholarly Communica­
tion.” LRTS, Library Resources and Technical 
Services, forthcoming. 

2. The Federal Research Public Access Act 
of 2006 was discussed in a previous scholarly 
communication column. Ray English and Pe­
ter Suber, “Public Access to Federally Funded 
Research: The Cornyn­Lieberman and Cures 
Bills,” C&RL News 67, no. 6 (2006). 

Average, 13,574; Actual, 13,250. Sales 
through dealers and carriers, street vendors, 
counter sales, and other non­USPS paid distri­
bution: not applicable. Other classes mailed 
through the USPS: not applicable.Total paid 
and/or requested circulation:Average, 13,574 
Actual, 13,250. Free distribution by mail: 
Average, 71; Actual, 101. Free distribution 
outside the mail: Average, 0; Actual, 0. Total 
free distribution:Average, 71;Actual, 101.Total 
distribution: Average, 13,645; Actual, 13,351. 
Copies not distributed: Office use, leftover, 
spoiled: Average, 908; Actual, 886.Total (sum 
of previous entries): Average, 14,553; Actual, 
14,237. Percent paid and/or requested circula­
tion: Average, 99.48%; Actual, 99.24%. 

S t a t e m e n t  o f  ow n e r s h i p,  m a n a g e -
ment, and circulation (PS For m 3526, 
October 1999) for 2005 filed with the United 
States Postal Service, Postmaster in Chicago, 
Illinois, September 29, 2006. 

C&RL News November 2006  614 

http:U.S.A.As