The Virtual Library Foundation: Staff Training and Support

Instruction and Training

Instruction and training are the cornerstone of any effort to retool library staff to meet the challenges and opportunities of electronic-based information. Training can take many forms, and each library should use the mix of training strategies that best meets their needs. Among the methods of delivering instruction are:

• In-House Training Program

  Cr eating an in-house program is both the best and most difficult way to train staff. Typically, the staff assigned to conduct the training program must first obtain the knowledge and experience needed to teach the topic before a course can be offered. This can take some time to accomplish and will therefore postpone the entire program.

  A common pitfall of internal instructional programs is to select individuals to do the training who already have the knowledge, regardless of their teaching ability. If a poor choice is made, this expedient solution can exact a price over time that can range from staff dissatisfaction with the training (at best) to a training program that actually repels staff from learning the topic. If one were to err on one side o r the other, clearly it would be better to select an individual capable of distilling a topic to its essentials and presenting it clearly and understandably over someone who knows the topic. A capable trainer can learn a topic more easily than an indi vidual who knows the topic can learn to be a capable trainer.

• Training Vendor Contract

  If the development of an in-house training program is too expensive or daunting, there are many training vendors that can offer instruction in using computers to library staff. Even if an in-house training program is utilized, it may still be beneficial to employ an outside training vendor to provide specific classes.

  A contract for a specific set of courses can be negotiated, or train ing can be purchased as required in either group classes or for individual attendance at an off-site location.

• Outside Training Opportunities

  Many commercial training organizations offer classes that are appropriate for virtual librar y staff. One of the drawbacks of such outside training, however, is that it tends to be aimed at business users rather than libraries, and therefore may reflect a bias toward particular types of information or activities.

• Self-Paced Instruction

  In general, self-paced instruction will be your last resort. The method of delivery of this kind of instruction is most often videotapes, audiotapes, workbooks, and the like. It demands a high degree of individual fortitude and tenacity. On the other hand, it offers learning opportunities at the individual's discretion, rather than being tied to a particular day and time for a class. Some individuals may find this kind of training opportunity preferable, as they can then learn at their own pace and convenience.

Documentation

Documentation can consist of a wide variety of instructional documents, manuals, and handouts. Of the varieties of documentation, manuals are probably the least used for instruction. Manuals are typically better used as reference documents rather than as tutorials, although many strive to fulfill the latter function. Better for learning are short, succinct, and easy-to-understand handouts provided in conjunction with classroom instruction. The best handouts will also stand on their own, independent of a live demonstration or explanation. Of this type of document, a few of the most common types are discussed below.

Current Awareness

Once one is trained, it becomes essential to keep abreast of changes in technologies and methods of accessing and delivering electronic information. Staying up to date with the latest information is difficult and time consuming. Therefore, any strategies that make it easier to stay informed can be vital. Some of the most common methods of maintaining current awareness are included below.

Information Filtering

The amount of information relating to electronic information technology is truly staggering. Keeping up with that which is vital whil e not wasting time on that which is not is essential for modern information professionals. Although most of us have our own methods of accomplishing this, technical solutions exist that try to address this problem.

Consciousness Raising

Besides accomplishing what is possible today, one must also remain aware of what may be possible in the future. Technologies on the horizon today may be essential c omponents of the virtual library tomorrow. Consciousness-raising techniques can be employed to increase library staff awareness of new options that might encourage them to think of new library services or new ways to accomplish existing ones.

Guest Lecturers

Bringing in someone from outside the library to speak about a particular technology can be a good way to expand staff awareness of what is possible.

• Demonstrations

  Seeing is believing, and seeing somethi ng demonstrated that you didn't know could be done is much more effective than hearing it described. Demonstrations can be staged by in-house staff who are knowledgeable about a particular application, but if local experience is lacking, it usually is not too difficult to bring in vendors or others who have experience with an application to demonstrate it.

Cross-Pollination

Virtual libraries cannot be built without the able assistance of professionals in other fi elds, such as computing and telecommunications. To help gain additional perspectives, library staff may wish to use some of the following methods to "cross-pollinate."

• Conferences Outside of the Profession

  Attending appropriate conferences outside of the library profession can broaden one's perspective and offer opportunities for establishing new sources of information.

• Cross-Institution Committees

  Some large institutions tend to become fragmented, with one arm of the organization being almost entirely ignorant of related developments in another arm. The opportunity to serve on a committee with staff from other areas of the organization can provide an excellent opportunity to both share your experience and learn from that of others, often relating to the same problems. These experiences can also serve to foster better and closer relations between divisions and possible future cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

• Electronic Discussions

  < P>Probably the easiest and also one of the most effective ways to gain new perspectives from other, related professions, is to participate in electronic discussions with a cross-profession membership. This is not very difficult, as many discussions attrac t individuals from a variety of professional perspectives. Even if a discussion has an explicit library perspective (such as PACS-L or Web4Lib) it can attract nonlibrary subscribers.

Mentorship

Mentorship can be an important and yet often overlooked form of training for virtual librarians. A mentorship arrangement, either formal or informal, can pair an experience librarian with a new hire or someone with less experience with virtual library technologies in an ar rangement that can be productive for all involved. Formal mentorship arrangements can be brokered with local professional organizations or library administration, while informal arrangements can be made by any two or more interested library staff.

Support

Virtual library staff cannot be expected to be self-supporting, no matter how much they know. Staff will require support in areas that are not and should not be a part of their responsibilities. At some institutions, a ce rtain staff member may become the ad hoc support person, by virtue of their interest or knowledge. This kind of informal arrangement can be debilitating to the staff member assigned to it (unless it becomes a part of their responsibilities through mutual agreement and they receive formal recognition of the role) and dangerous to the institution that relies on it. Support is much too important to rely upon casual arrangements.

• In-House Support Staff

  An internal program for system s support can provide the highest level of responsiveness and provide service tailored to your specific needs. However, it may be too costly or difficult to create and manage. Typically, larger institutions can justify an internal support program, while s maller ones may end up relying on informal arrangements for staff support. If an individual or small group of individuals emerge as the default support staff, whether through experience or desire, library administration should formally recognize the role in revised position descriptions and adequate compensation and recognition.

• Support Vendor Contract

  Many organizations do not have internal staff providing support for systems-related problems. In some cases staff may be "on their own " in solving the problem, or an outside support vendor may be required to, for example, fix broken hardware and perform on-site troubleshooting.

The Goal

The goal of virtual library staff training and support should be creation of a staff capable of creating, maintaining, and expanding virtual libraries; capable of constant learning or "retooling"; and most importantly, capable of imaginative innovation, without which today's cutting-edge virtual library will be tomorro w's actual disaster.