Tag: Consortium
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Connect with Other Professionals
The Problem Working in the average organization can be an isolating experience, especially as it relates to people who understand your job and your work. While the camaraderie of the office was something organizations could rely on in years past, hybrid and remote work makes it difficult to rely on in-person interactions throughout our workweek.…
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Assess Skill Interests Across Communities
The Problem Gauging the skill interests of a large group is invaluable for crafting content strategies. Yet, traditional interview techniques, surveys, and questionnaires often suffer from low engagement due to their demand on participants’ time. Even with high response rates, the collected data quickly becomes outdated, necessitating frequent, repetitive data-gathering cycles. For many organizations, maintaining…
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Share Expertise Across a Consortia or Network
The problem In today’s era, libraries are navigating a sea of novel challenges in their quest to serve their communities effectively. The shifting demands of patrons, coupled with the critical need to optimize staff deployment amidst shortages, have made it increasingly complex for libraries to maintain their service standards, let alone advance strategic projects, engage…
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Develop a Mentorship Program
The problem For those at the start of their library careers, success encompasses more than mastering the technical nuances of librarianship taught in academic programs. It includes learning to navigate the intricate dynamics of the workplace—a skill set not always covered in formal education. Moreover, with many in the field lacking a specialized degree in…
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Evaluate a Product Before Purchasing
The problem Scouring the internet for impartial reviews of library products or services can be daunting. The web is saturated with marketing material, often skewed and lacking an objective lens. Protective of their customer base, vendors tend to hold back their lists. Inadvertently this fosters a circuit of backchannels at listservs and conferences for information…
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Train People on a New Product
The problem Adopting new software products and adapting library workflows to new systems can be time-consuming for leaders, managers, and staff. Ensuring all employees have developed the new knowledge to complete their tasks with the new product efficiently is essential to sustaining impactful library services and operations. Vendors, training providers, and the library community have…
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Assess Current Needs to Prioritize Training Opportunities
The problem Many organizations have a budget set aside for training opportunities. Yet, few libraries can accurately assess training needs to ensure that funds are allocated toward the areas of greatest potential impact for short or long-term skill development. Given the comprehensive service portfolios of many library organizations, numerous competencies and tools are essential for…
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Deliver a Comprehensive Training Program
The problem Developing a comprehensive library training and development program that can advance the organization’s mission, vision, and local community context can be a complex endeavor for library and human resources leaders to meet organizational, staff, and community needs. Library service portfolios are both broad and deep. Consequently, many staff must provide high-quality information service…
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Develop Committees or Communities of Practice
The problem When clearly scoped and staffed with the right people, committees and project teams provide organizations with efficient methods to distribute work while creating opportunities for staff to deepen collaboration skills. However, finding the experts with the right blend of relevant skills (technical, interpersonal, collections, or subject knowledge) to staff a new effort can…
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Increase Access to Professional Development Opportunities
The problem Ongoing skill development is vital for library organizations. However, access to professional development opportunities can vary across branches, departments, or staff categories. This inconsistency may result from budgetary limitations, time constraints, or availability issues. Access to training is often linked to travel and workshops available a few times per year on the conference…
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Create a Skills Map of Employee Capabilities
The problem Libraries are rapidly changing as people retire, services require new skills, and locations become hybrid. During periods of reorganization and strategic planning, prioritizing Identifying who is capable of doing what and who is interested in learning what is high. Most libraries lack the capacity to map skills across their organization, especially against a…
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Identify Internal Expertise
The problem An organization’s information about the current skills, interests, and prior experience of the staff is fragmented across documents, HR systems, and spreadsheets. This makes it difficult for libraries to make system-wide plans about priorities. Nor can they identify staff with the expertise or best suited to respond to new needs from the user…