Staff development
at the
University of Auckland Library
-Te Tumu Herenga
Endeavouring to
“get what it takes”
in an academic library
People in the Information Profession Conference
Claudia Adams
October 2009
WHY share this story?
300
Library Staff Development
Advisory Group
Frame of reference:
•
•
•
•
•
•
To promote and encourage professional and personal development of
library staff.
To identify library staff training and development needs, taking into
account information from development reviews and advice from
supervisors.
To plan and implement an annual programme of staff training and
development that is aligned with the library’s strategic direction.
To advise the University Librarian on issues relating to staff training
and development.
To facilitate the sharing of learning from staff development
opportunities among other library staff, including discussion of common
problems and solutions in order to promote best practice.
To analyse and evaluate feedback from staff about training activities in
order to identify quality programmes.
The Library annual plan
states the Library should..
“Encourage a Library culture of innovation,
collaboration, cultural awareness, a
commitment to excellence and high job
satisfaction (15.1)” and
“provide Library staff with a quality
orientation and development programme that
helps to equip them to be effective in a rapidly
evolving digital environment (15.2)”.
Projects
• Create staff development programme
• Re-introduce a Library Staff orientation
programme
Create a staff
development
programme
Why competencies?
• Competencies review/development reviews/advice
from supervisors
• “skills, technical knowledge and personal attributes
that contribute to an individual’s success in a
particular position”
McNeil, B., & Giesecke, J. (2001). Core competencies for libraries and library staff. In E. F.
Avery, T. Dahlin & D. A. Carver (Eds.), Staff development: a practical guide (pp. 49-62).
Chicago: American Library Association.
• ALA (position), ALIA, LIANZA (IFLA), CILIP, LATN
Skills & attributes matrix
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Personal skills
IT skills & knowledge
Management
Customer services
Teaching & learning
Information resources, knowledge &
management
7. Professional, organisational & institutional
knowledge
8. Biculturalism
Communication
Administrative
skills
Time
management
Accuracy
/attention
to detail
Work ethic
PERSONAL
SKILLS
Health &
safety
Motivation
Critical
thinking
Team
work/
interpersonal
skills
Priorities identified
Organisational skills | Difficult service situations| Keeping safe
Hardware
Database
management
Software
IT
SKILLS &
KNOWLEDGE
Online
communication
Networking
Web
publishing
“…the benefits of working as trainers …should
not be underestimated. Often the people who
do the work day-to-day make the best
trainers. Rather than a section manager
showing a new member of staff how a
particular piece of software works, why not let
the assistant who uses it every day show the
new colleague?” (Webb, 2004, p.102).
Webb, J. (2004), “Development routes for academic library support staff” in Developing academic
library staff for future success edited by Oldroyd, M. London, Facet Publishing, pp.95-111.
Priorities
Web 2.0 | BBFlash | Outlook | Desktop publishing |
Dreamweaver | Office 2007 new features |
Presentation tips & skills |
Managing
staff
Risk
management
Service
management
Planning –
strategic &
operational
Health &
safety
MANAGEMENT
Financial
management
Leadership
Managing
resources &
facilities
Negotiating,
lobbying &
networking
Employment
Priorities
Report writing
|
Recruitment practices
Service
levels &
delivery
CUSTOMER
SERVICES
Marketing
Service
reviews
Priorities
Customer services
| Conducting reference interviews
Learning
design
Learning
delivery
TEACHING
&
LEARNING
University’s
T&L
Pedagogy
Priorities
Ongoing….
• New presenters training (Learning Services)
• Library resources training
Subject Librarian needs analysis study
Searching
skills
Collection
management
Circulation
INFORMATION
RESOURCES,
KNOWLEDGE
&
MANAGEMENT
Document
delivery
Resource
creation &
description
Priorities
Weeding
|
Mending
Library &
University
PROFESSIONAL,
ORGANISATIONAL
& INSTITUTIONAL
KNOWLEDGE
Relationship
building
Cultural
diversity bicultural &
multicultural
BICULTURALISM
Treaty of
Waitangi
Equal
opportunities
Benefits of a skills & attributes
matrix
• Working off other lists/creating your own?
• Helpful tool to identify priorities & create a
programme
• Raises awareness of the types of skills
required across library positions
• For personal development can help identify
skills & courses
• Useful to refer to when providing justifications
for more in-depth needs analysis studies
• Framework to expand & explore competencies
LSDAG
meetings
Create/
refine/
develop
skills &
attributes
matrix
Commission
training &
advertise
Create
programme/
UL approval
Feedback
from LMT &
HoDs
Link training
& identify
gaps
Review &
prioritise
areas for
training
Re-introduce an
orientation
programme for
new staff
Orientation
GOAL: to provide an overview of the library
system to new staff members and provide an
introduction to the physical and organisational
structure of the library
Supplement the training and induction that
each new staff member received as part of
their introduction to their jobs
• Updated information pack (twice a year)
• New Staff Welcome
• Tours
• Updated information pack (twice a year)
• New Staff Welcome
• Tours
Findings …
• Developing a skills matrix helped to identify
gaps & create a programme
• A mix of staff from across the system fed in
ideas from different areas
• Using sub-committees helps to achieve results
quickly, work load is shared
• Senior management involvement beneficial
• Staff development opportunity
• Staff orientation sessions very well received
What next?
•
•
•
•
Develop matrix
Accommodate evening & weekend staff
Introduce research culture
Consider the impact of the university’s new
development & salary review process
• Evaluate the programme & processes
• Refine policy & processes
Back to the future …
embedded
services
mobile
technologies
disintermediation of
information
“… opportunities for rapid progress will appear
for the grasping, but unless we are prepared
to seize them at the right moment, they may
vanish … Collectively, therefore, librarians
should have a clear idea of the changes they
wish to effect, and should work out now the
steps required to bring them about.”
“… opportunities for rapid progress will appear
for the grasping, but unless we are prepared
to seize them at the right moment, they may
vanish … Collectively, therefore, librarians
should have a clear idea of the changes they
wish to effect, and should work out now the
steps required to bring them about.”
Paton, W. E. (1942). The library of the future. Library
Review, 8(5), 163 - 168.
credits
Acknowledgements to: Carol Catley, Hester Mountifield, Li Wang, Joanne
Rowan and Nigel Adams
Images:
Clock: http://www.flickr.com/photos/macinate/2039579864/
Angry toddler: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gee01/2190903226/
Report writing: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gi/105450306/