Continous learning is a necessity for academic librarians. The article discusses how to develop a training program and types of training that may be done

Lewis, Linda K

Wilkinson, Frances C.

English

University of New Mexico

University of New Mexico
UNM Digital Repository
University Libraries & Learning Sciences Faculty
Publications Scholarly Communication - Departments
6-1-2006
Training programs in academic libraries
Linda K. Lewis
Frances C. Wilkinson
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Recommended Citation
Lewis, Linda K. and Frances C. Wilkinson. "Training programs in academic libraries." College & Research Libraries News 67, 6 (2006):
356-358. http://digitalrepository.unm.edu/ulls_fsp/53
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Training Programs in Academic Libraries:  Continuous Learning in the Information Age 
Frances C. Wilkinson and Linda K. Lewis 
 
“Training is everything.” 
  ~~Mark Twain 
 
In her message to ACRL, Camila A. Alire said that the strategic areas of focus for ACRL  
for the next 5 years include “…grassroots advocacy,… influencing pubic policy, 
information communication technologies, and accrediting  agencies; communicating 
major trends and issues in academic libraries; and strengthening partnerships with other 
organizations.” She adds 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 ever-changing 
responsibilities?  The rapid pace of change experienced 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, as well as regional and state library associations, offer a variety 
of training options for librarians.  Most universities have employee training programs 
with many choices ranging from broad management topics to very specific training on 
how to perform a pertinent task.  Many libraries also bring training sessions to their site 
and/or offer in-house training.  Training can be formal or informal and is available by 
attending conferences, preconferences, mini conferences, workshops, classes, seminars, 
on-the-job training sessions and so on.  Training can be delivered to large groups, small 
groups or one-on-one and it can be either site-bound or via online formats. 
 
Developing a Training Program 
Training opportunities are everywhere.  Library 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 ever-
changing 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, it should offer interest-based training that creates 
opportunities for innovative staffing options. 
 
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 
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almost ninety articles 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 receiving 
constructive feedback, proactive listening, facilitating, conducting productive meetings, 
trends and developments in the profession, information technology, computer software, 
basic hardware, as well as specific topics such as the use of “chat” in workgroups and the 
use of blogs, wikis, rss, et cetera.  
 
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 “just-in-
time”.  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 common knowledge base for the library’s employees. 
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 communication 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 
something done before they understand it. Training programs must recognize that 
individuals learn in a variety of methods. Some personnel may enjoy role-playing 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 libraries strategic priorities.  
Training options might be divided into external and internal library training.   
 
External Training Options 
The library should encourage employees to attend national, regional and/or state 
conferences 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 available to both librarians and 
paraprofessional staff.  Libraries might want to provide some funding contingent on the 
employee sharing what s/he learned with others in the library.  This could be done 
through informal presentations or through posting conference notes on an intra-library 
webpage.   
 
In this virtual age, it is not always necessary to travel in order to attend presentations. 
Virtual conferences are sponsored by a number of groups. Many of these conferences 
provide the audience with the opportunity to ask questions and respond to the speakers. 
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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 databases 
have trainers who are available to visit libraries in order to teach library employees about 
the products they offer. 
 
Libraries may also be able to provide training done by their university. Many universities 
provide training ranging from management skills to computer technology. When new 
tools, such as a new email system or calendaring system are introduced, hands-on 
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, 
departments within a university may offer speakers to discuss the changing academic 
environment, or speak about how to deal with change, among other topics of interest.  
 
Internal Training Options 
One of the most productive methods of training 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 technologically-oriented libraries, some employees 
may not have a great deal of experience with cookies, spy ware 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 find 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 organizations in which it is 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 presentations and tours that highlight the major 
activities and achievements of the area.   Sharing this type of information is not only 
informative for those staff attending it, but can also be a positive experience for those 
staff offering it.  
 
Additionally, training for student employees 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 customers.  Customer impressions of a library’s 
service may be based on these encounters.  Yet too often student employees are given 
only rudimentary on-the-job training regarding how to perform their basic job, such as 
how to check-out a book.  For some students, their job in the library may be the first one 
that they have ever held.  For them, customer service training is essential.  Even for more 
seasoned student employees it can be helpful.  The library can develop this training for 
their student employees by adapting materials from existing university programs, videos, 
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and other materials on customer service.  Supervisors of students may want to tailor this 
training to better fit their specific 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 both words 
and actions at all levels of the organization – they must “walk the talk”.   Funding must 
be identified 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 training programs.  Further, library administrators should attend some of the 
training sessions themselves.  The importance of active participation in the library’s 
training offerings cannot be over emphasized.  Finally, attending appropriate, 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 
high quality 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 a static process. Training topics and sessions need to be 
evaluated for effectiveness, soliciting feedback from participants.   Just as libraries are 
constantly changing, 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.  
 
Conclusion 
Education is a core mission of all libraries.  Libraries should make the same commitment 
to educating their personnel that they have made to educating their users.  Training is 
pivotal in the development of library employees.  It enables them to provide better 
service, to become more skilled employees and to enhance their personal development. 
Libraries should develop a systematic plan to provide training for all their personnel.  
 
 
Notes 
 1.  ALA Association of College & Research Libraries. President’s Page “Message 
from Camila.”  http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/presidentspage/presidentspageacrl.htm 
 2.  ALA Association of College & Research Libraries. “Charting our Future: 
ACRL Strategic Plan 2020.” 
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/aboutacrl/whatisacrl/acrlstratplan/stratplan.htm 
 
 
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. 
 


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