Tag: Small Library
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Organizing Training into Topics and Themes
The problem In the realm of library staff development, the abundance of resources has never been greater. Yet, these valuable assets are often dispersed across various platforms, from organizational websites to training providers, making the comprehensive organization into coherent topics and themes a rare occurrence. This dispersion has led to a substantial challenge: the assembly…
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Prepare for Performance Reviews
The problem Performance reviews are an important opportunity within the talent development lifecycle to acknowledge individual performance and teamwork and set the stage for effectiveness in the next year. When properly executed, reviews build a foundation for staff retention and shaping the library leaders of tomorrow. Yet, when the narrative of an employee’s year—achievements, growth,…
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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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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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Align Employees to Organizational Priorities
The problem In today’s landscape, companies constantly introduce new digital tools, products, webinars, and training opportunities to the library community. Given this influx, it can be challenging. Libraries and staff often struggle to align their organizational strategies and hone key skills. When library departments reorganize to meet new user needs and make optimal use of…
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Increase Capacity in Key Areas
The problem While libraries have developed many metrics to measure the size, coverage, or usage of library collections that can be benchmarked within the industry, libraries have minimal data available to understand the skills and capabilities of the organization. When a new priority or initiative is needed to fulfill key stakeholder needs, such as engaging…
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Create a Learning Organization
The problem As a learning organization pivots to fully digitized service offerings, the journey toward sustainable change management presents new complexities. Onboarding employees now involves navigating their varying competencies amidst a tech landscape that never stands still. It’s an environment where roles evolve in real time, task execution shifts, and skill development must keep pace…
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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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Improve Morale
The problem Today’s workforce is evolving at a more rapid pace than the workplace, creating tension between employee expectations and the environment in which they work. Supervisors cannot change factors outside their control while struggling to support employees due to a lack of management training. Lack of management training is more acutely felt within libraries…
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Onboarding New Employees
The problem Onboarding is more than just a formality – it’s the cornerstone of new staff’s effectiveness, engagement, and retention. Orienting new staff to the many documents, websites, procedures, and forms is a critical task. Yet, this crucial process often lacks consistency and structure, handled in an ad-hoc manner across various teams and departments. Few…