Map of Today's Learning Terrain

With the last post, I shared the mind map by Marilyn Martin of today's learning world. After thinking about it, I realized that I am pretty close to that"Food Critic" model. When I need to know something, I research and find it. This learning can happen by reading, listening, sharing, and talking. It can happen online or face to face. More and more I rely on RSS feeds to bring information to me which then I store via my Delicious or Diigo account. Retrieving that information is important, so I also use tagging to make sure I never lose it.

Wow has learning changed since I was in school. I do more learning than training, more sharing than teaching. Knowledge management is so critical to my position, to my life.

So think about how you learn. If you want to expand your knowledge of a learnining organization and what that means be sure to take advantage of the WebJunction course "Power of Learning Organizations." Be sure to sign into WebJunction Idaho to take advantage of the free course!

Map of Today's Learning Terrain

How we learn is changing as depicted by this wonderful mind map by Marilyn Martin.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVLcDyb-iKsRCq7RcJdEKtRYLwBsVU94wyUgzILQzeM9TUz7p1LQQs3DPIwAQVuyhZcZCJ_V5iAFT3huzpUSdEfPGbdhhdQI-c9EuT9s6Ci1Vm_G-1NChx6DkxiojoRlFUqcf1-ytEXHY/s1600-h/Todays+Learning+Terrain.jpg

Integrating Technology

The 12 Essentials for Integrating Technology by Richard Byrne is a great list of Web 2.0 tools to explore for teachers and librarians.

Leadership 2.0

First of June -- a new month and a new commitment to post more often. Today with the buzz of Web 2.0 and everything else 2.0 , Michael Hyatt has a great post on Leadership 2.0. I love the way he uses the words embrace, demonstrate, celebrate, employ, practice, and build in terms of leadership! Michael says it best so please follow the link and read: http://michaelhyatt.com/2009/05/leadership-20.html

Disaster Planning and Preservation Workshop

Last summer a Disaster Planning and Preservation workshop for libraries and archives was held at two different sites in Idaho. The Idaho Commission for Libraries is once again collaborating with the Western States Preservation Assistance Service (WESTPAS) to offer this workshop at one site in Idaho. Attached is the workshop flyer which provides the details regarding dates and location.


As a result of this workshop, participants will prepare a disaster plan for their library, as well as gain a wealth of information regarding resources for when a disaster strikes and preservation techniques for various library materials.


Last year’s participants indicated on their post evaluations that they found this session valuable, gaining insight into
1. How to immediately respond to protect people, buildings, and collections.
2. How to implement the disaster plan.
3. How to assess damage to collections
4. How to establish and maintain communication channels during an emergency
5. How to assess a library’s vulnerability for collection loss or damage
6. How to train staff in emergency response procedures and collections.


Please check out the flyer and register today at http://tinyurl.com/bkfc44
It is a two-part training, with workshop sessions on August 5, 2009 and September 18, 2009. Both sessions will be held at the Idaho Commission for Libraries in Boise. While the workshop is free, participants will be responsible for their own travel and lodging.


Questions can be directed to Shirley Biladeau – shirley.biladeau@libraries.idaho.gov or call 208-639-4149.

Disaster Planning and Preservation Workshop

Last summer a Disaster Planning and Preservation workshop for libraries and archives was held at two different sites in Idaho. The Idaho Commission for Libraries is once again collaborating with the Western States Preservation Assistance Service (WESTPAS) to offer this workshop at one site in Idaho. Attached is the workshop flyer which provides the details regarding dates and location.

As a result of this workshop, participants will prepare a disaster plan for their library, as well as gain a wealth of information regarding resources for when a disaster strikes and preservation techniques for various library materials.

Last year’s participants indicated on their post evaluations that they found this session valuable, gaining insight into
1. How to immediately respond to protect people, buildings, and collections.
2. How to implement the disaster plan.
3. How to assess damage to collections
4. How to establish and maintain communication channels during an emergency
5. How to assess a library’s vulnerability for collection loss or damage
6. How to train staff in emergency response procedures and collections.

Please check out the flyer and register today at http://tinyurl.com/bkfc44
It is a two-part training, with workshop sessions on August 5, 2009 and September 18, 2009. Both sessions will be held at the Idaho Commission for Libraries in Boise. While the workshop is free, participants will be responsible for their own travel and lodging.

Questions can be directed to Shirley Biladeau – shirley.biladeau@libraries.idaho.gov or call 208-639-4149.

Libraries as Learning Organizations

The Idaho Commission for Libraries held its first online conference on May 14 - Libraries = Learning Organizations. Thirty-five people from throughout Idaho gathered virtually to begin the discussion about learning organizations and how that might apply to their libraries. It was a robust conversation, creating lots of enthusiasm and excitement. Archives, powerpoints, and bibliography

Then earlier this week, I attended the WebJunction Webinar "Libraries as Learning Organizations". Four panelists talked about how their libraries -- Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, Pierce County Library, and Denver Public Library -- have started their journey toward becoming a learning organization and what that means within their organizations. Content and archives

One term that I really liked and will start using is "learning champions." Denver Public Library has some great strategies for "growing learning champions."

I challenge you to discover the learning champions within your organization!

Excuses for not doing CE

The excuses are many -- too busy -- no time -- too old -- no money -- to much to do -- no time -- too old......

Sound familiar? Yes this is reality for many of us -- myself included. However, the reality in today's fast-paced, ever-changing world, is that if you do not keep up with trends and technology in the library world --- you will be left in the dust.

We all work in very unique communities -- some are smaller and enjoy the slower pace of life, while other communities are fast-paced making it a challenge just to keep up with the daily routines. However, in order to keep all of our libraries in the forefront as a "learning" organization, we must be willing to look beyond the openings of our cave dwellings and take a chance on the "new stuff". (see David Hutchen's Shadows of the Neanderthal: Illuminating the Beliefs that Limit Our Organization)

I went to a library conference in eastern Idaho this past week. In talking with another colleague I was fascinated by his enthusiasm for learning! He said he felt like the robot in a 90's movie that kept asking for "more data -- more data -- need more input!" He is thirsty for new knowledge and is continually expanding his learning through a variety of avenues: self-education, workshops, e-learning, conferences, reading, playing and experimenting! Every day is a new exciting opportunity to learn!

I challenge to you to play with new trends and technology ... experiment and explore! You will not be dissappointed. Not every new trend or technology tool will be appropriate for you, however, it will be valuable knowledge that some day you will be able to share with someone else.

Why CE?

Here are the slides from my presentation on continuing education for librarians! I have presented this at 4 region conferences of the Idaho Library Association and will be presenting a mini version for the library staff of the Boise Public Schools on May 1. Continuing Education -- aLifelong Learning

Staff Development Tools

This site came to my attention today -- it has some great tools for Staff Development which can be molded to fit your specific needs check it out!

Yale University Library has a form for an individual to use in writing a learning plan or IDP, as well as a guide for developing the IDP. These can be seen on their staff training and devlopment Web page at http://ogma.library.yale.edu/training/stod/staffdev/learningplan.html

Another useful tool for individual and staff development is the University of North Texas Le@Ds program -- it will provide feedback and help you track your progress electronically -- it's free!

http://www.leadonline.info/StaffDevelopment1.cfm

Libraries = Learning Organizations

Bill Drew's blog post "How to Help a Young Librarians Love of Librarianship" brings a lot of food for thought! My immediate thought is that Libraries are the perfect environment for a learning organization and how important it is for libraries to model that mindset. Note the following musings:

1. Encourage continuing education ... provide funding! From my perspective this is a top priority for library directors and managers! Encouraging staff to take online courses (they abound especially for Idaho librarians through WebJunction Idaho) and attend face to face workshops and seminars is important. Some staff are too shy to take the initiative to ask. So as a Director ... you can take the initiative and encourage!
2. Play with new technologies. Our agency encourages everyone ... yes, everyone in the agency ... to take 15 minutes a week to explore new technologies during work time. This gives individuals the permission to schedule into their work flow time to learn. Once again opening the door ....
3. Work outside of job descriptions ... this can be invaluable, especially when the workplace is experiencing a flu epidemic -- it also provides opportunity for collaborative efforts and diminishes territorial or "this is mine" syndrome. It provides respect for each other's position and individual abilities to perform specific tasks. One never realizes how difficult a task is until you try to do it yourself.
4. Listen ... new librarians have good ideas as well as the veterans! Build respect among staff by valuing everyone's opinion and ideas.
5. Outreach ... go beyond the library as a place ... partner with schools, organizations, and businesses. There are plenty of partners out there and young people are usually pretty good at sizing them up -- libraries do not have to do it all by themselves!
6. Freedom to fail ... it's okay to make mistakes! I have learned the most when I tried and failed. Although I beat myself up for a while ... I was still able to regroup and achieve even greater heights with that knowledge.
7. Credit ... everyone loves to have their ideas and accomplishments acknowledged. That little aloha or thank you will go a long way toward motivating staff. Keep it positive!
8. Open ... to new ways of thinking, new ideas, new processes. Just because it has worked well in the same manner for the last 10 years, doesn't mean there is no room for improvement. Try it ... in small increments rather than the entire system at once if possible. That helps end users become accustomed to the change gradually.

Thanks Bill for the great ideas -- these are great tips not only for encouraging new librarians, but also for motivating the seasoned veterans ... Thanks for making me stop and think...

Staff Development

One issue in Idaho libraries is staff development. At ICFL we get a lot of inquiries about "how to" do staff development. As Libraries = Learning Organizations in today's world, we need to strive to promote individual growth which will encourage innovation and change.

A tool that will serve many library managers well is the University of North Texas Le@D staff development toolbox. This is a great place to start whether you have 1 or 10 employees. I would encourage you to do a self-analysis to see what is recommended and then have each of your employees do the same. What the self-analysis will reveal is recommended competencies for each position and then suggested courses to achieve the identified competencies.

Now the good part is that many of theses classes are available through WebJunction Idaho -- free for Idaho librarians affiliated with WebJunction Idaho.

Check it out today!

Why Moving On?

That was the hardest part of starting this blog -- what to name it! I hope to provide information for anyone looking to "move on" -- move forward -- advance -- develop -- whichever term you might want to use. Particularly for those involved with libraries. I will try to gather resources that might be valuable as you move along in your library career pathway!