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The Problem

Getting Admin Buy-In for Training Sarah Houghton-Jan Assistant Director, San Rafael Public Library LibrarianInBlack.net. The Problem. Uneven staff skills. Why Invest in Staff Tech Training?. Strengthen staff skills and confidence. Improve customer service. Save money.

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The Problem

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  1. Getting Admin Buy-In for TrainingSarah Houghton-JanAssistant Director, San Rafael Public LibraryLibrarianInBlack.net

  2. The Problem Uneven staff skills

  3. Why Invest in Staff Tech Training? Strengthen staff skills and confidence Improve customer service Save money Show institutional commitment to lifelong learning Increase efficiency and productivity Motivate staff to keep learning Increase staff retention rate

  4. What does your staff need to know to do their jobs well? Photo by Korean Resource Center: http://flickr.com/photos/krcla/1376627377/

  5. HOW DO YOU GET ADMIN TO APPROVE YOUR BRILLIANT PLAN?

  6. YOU HAVE A BOSS WHO WANTS FAST AND FREECADRE OF COMMITTEESORGANIZATION RESISTANT TO CHANGE

  7. YOU ARE NOT ALONE

  8. START WITH EDUCATION

  9. SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE

  10. FREE OPTIONS VS. EXPENSIVE CONSULTANTS

  11. SHOW THAT RAPID PROTOTYPING WORKS

  12. BUILD ALLIES AMONG OPPONENTS

  13. RETAIN AUTHORITY *GENTLY*

  14. START SMALL

  15. BRING IT

  16. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE USERS

  17. Benefits of a Skills Approach - Equitable expectations for all staff - Reveals training needs - Accurate job descriptions - Helps with performance evaluations - Consistent customer service - Helps staff adjust and handle change

  18. Project Planning Begin with a comprehensive plan, including: - Goals - Skill Lists - Assessment - Training - Reassessment - Evaluation

  19. Planning Questions 1) What are your goals? 2) Who manages the project? 3) Do you have or need to create a skills list? 4) Do you have a timeline in mind? 5) What are your resources (funding & staff)? 6) What training resources exist, and which ones need to be created?

  20. Ensure Staff Buy-In - Listen: ask staff for their input and use it. - Keep everyone informed. - Reassure staff that they don’t have to know it all now. - Managers must follow project plan. - Hold a brainstorming session or party. - Fun. Rewards. Food.

  21. Watch out, Jon Snow! 1) Verbal agreement is not enough – get everything in writing 2) One person with power can kill a project 3) Not everyone believes that some staff still lack basic skills. Show them. 4) Not everyone believes that web-based training is valuable.

  22. Tales from the Dark Side(a.k.a. how to sabotage staff training‏) • - Don't equally apply expectations. • - Allow only some supervisors to support staff learning. • - Give staff no time for learning. • - Be as blasé as possible. • - Do not acknowledge success.

  23. Ongoing Reassessment • - Annual or biannual reviews • - Goal-setting for individuals and the library as a whole • - Rewards for success • - Consequences for failure

  24. Measuring Your Success - Compare assessment and reassessment - Staff report confidence in their abilities - Training evaluations - Successful technology launches - Better customer service experiences

  25. Allen County Public Library's “Innovation Through Technology” Program: http://blog.acpl.lib.in.us/blog/?p=202 Photo by Helene Blowers: http://flickr.com/photos/hblowers/1109669563/

  26. Celebrate Successes! - Contests between units/locations - Any group that improves 20% on the whole gets a catered lunch - Individual rewards are crucial - Award for most-improved individual & group - Entire library celebrates - Do something out of the ordinary

  27. Have a gaming party! Photo by Jenny Levine: http://flickr.com/photos/shifted/2113776727/ Staff trading cards!

  28. Have cake! Photos by Homer Township Library: http://flickr.com/photos/homerlibrary/433104519/ and http://flickr.com/photos/homerlibrary/433102240/in/photostream/

  29. Resources Technology Training for Libraries by me Accidental Technology Trainer by Stephanie Gerding Training for Dummies by Elaine Biech Accelerated Learning Handbook by Dave Meier

  30. Sarah Houghton-Jan LibrarianInBlack.net LibrarianInBlack@gmail.com @TheLiB Questions? Ask her anything. Really!

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