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LEARNING HOW TO TRAIN …and then… DOING IT ! ! !. A true story by Lisa Lewis. Funded by IMLS Based at SLIS at LSU Mission: a sustainable program of archival training for staff and/or volunteers working in any type of historical repository.
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LEARNING HOW TO TRAIN…and then…DOING IT ! ! ! A true story by Lisa Lewis
Funded by IMLS • Based at SLIS at LSU • Mission: a sustainable program of archival training for staff and/or volunteers working in any type of historical repository
Telling Ain’t Trainingby Harold D. Stolovitch and Erica J. Keeps Also The Ten-Minute Trainer: 150 Ways to Teach it Quick… by Sharon L. Bowman and Training for Dummies by Elaine Biech
Training is NOT… Obedience Teaching Excessive talking Whaaap, whaaaap, whaaap, whaaaap…
But Rather • Sharing Knowledge • Pointing the Way • Showing • Doing Activities aimed at particular objectives based on archival skills
Built Upon Learning Objectives All Starting with ACTION • Articulate goals for seminar • Demonstrate understanding of archival terminology • Write archival mission statement • Identify items with historic value • Describe an appropriate archival storage space • List sources of archival products • Locate resources for archival standards and best practices • Etc.
In Other Words We used activities Aimed at particular objectives Based on archival skills In a user-friendly way Often drawn from existing web- based content
A Variety of Information • Terminology • Online content • Standards and Best Practices • Contacts • Ourselves • List-servs • Local Organizations • State Associations • National Archival Societies
A Variety of Methods Word Games Shout-Outs Short Lectures Fill-in-the-Blanks Action Plans Group Sharing Group Problem Solving Historic New Orleans Collection, NOLA
Our Attendees • Came from very varied backgrounds • Examples • Newspaper editor • Library school students • Photo journalist • Studio Operators • Many others who all wanted to know HOW TO DO IT . . . . NOW
The Disappointment and The Challenges • They couldn’t learn it all in one morning • Overly complicated activities FLOPPED • Preparation took a LOT of time • Time management sometimes difficult • Meeting expectations, sometimes unrealistic • A really limited budget • But we did manage “motivational” prizes • Pencils, tape measures, calendars
The Up-Side • Pointing the Way to further information, resources, knowledge opportunities • Learning a LOT of basic terminology • Empowering them to act to improve preservation, description, arrangement and access to significant collections • Connecting them with each other and with the archival community
More Up Side • Significant Content being added to ATC site • MUCH LESS CREATION TIME • A more uniform process • Learning from our mistakes and those of others
Benefits for Records, and for us • Better situations for existing records in small repositories • Much better products make it to established archives in the long-run • Teaching others improves personal knowledge
Suggestions…if you try it • Remain flexible • Remember that PRACTICE is the best of all instructors • Adapt to individual training groups • Remain responsive to situations that develop • Include some humor • www.archivaltraining.org for more information