CARE OF THE ORGANIZATION: TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
Increasing the quality and quantity of work;
Eliminating the need for close and constant supervision, thus freeing supervisors to make more effective use of their own time;
Improving staff morale and job satisfaction by developing independent and competent staff; and
Increasing organizational flexibility and stability by creating resourceful and adaptable staff
Training and Development Program Costs
The question of funding always looms over plans for library training and development programs, and it is easy to understand how initiatives might be seriously hampered during times of budget reductions. However, Low writes:
Training and development are frequently regarded as being too expensive in times of dwindling budgets. The cost of not providing training, however, far outweighs the actual training costs. Without training, existing hardware and software may be underutilized, countless staff hours may be devoted to cleaning up errors caused by lack of proper training, staff may become unproductive, or they may feel uneasy and under stress due to lack of sufficient training, leading the library to a high turnover rate. These are just a few of the greater expenses facing libraries if they do not devote some financial
Achieve a discipline of personal growth and learning (personal mastery);
Examine assumptions and generalizations about the organization that may be counterproductive (mental models);
Learn to focus upon the whole of the organization, rather than the individual parts (systems thinking);
Build a set of goals, values, and missions for the organization that binds employees together (shared vision); and
Establish dialogues that will enhance the learning of the organization as a whole (team learning).
PRACTICAL APPROACHES TO TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
As libraries become automated and services expand, librarians increasingly want practical information about administering comprehensive and effective staff, training and development programs. To address these concerns, the Staff Development Committee of the Personnel Administration Section (PAS), Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA), presented a popular program on practical approaches to training challenges at the 1986 American Library Association Annual Conference.By the late 1980s, library support of development opportunities for all staff at all levels was identified as "the fundamental issue of the coming decade."In a 1992 publication, Smith explored how librarianship can achieve its goal of repositioning itself to be the information profession in society for the next century. He concluded that "The profession does not need new librarians as much as it needs renewed librarians. The repositioning of the library profession can only be achieved through the continuing education and development of existing staff."
It is important to encourage employees to regard the training and development committee as their committee and to communicate their needs and priorities to committee members during the year. This approach is another step in the direction of Senge's ideas of shared vision and team learning, enabling
Implementing Library Training and Development Programs
Programs should be carefully planned to insure participation of all interested persons and to avoid times of peak activity or when a target group might be unable to attend. Many programs can be offered more than once to permit alternate dates or times from which the staff can choose. While not all of the workshops and training sessions will be relevant to everyone, the emphasis of most of the programs should always be on how the information relates to daily library operations and how participants can use what they learn
Evaluating Programs
Evaluation of training and development programs is often either overlooked completely or is done with little thought:
While no library today is rich enough to squander precious money and staff time on training that doesn't stick, we pay little attention, if any, to the long-term results of our training programs. Training is regarded as complete when the workshop was attended. . . The real test of a program's success is whether or not the trainee is using the new knowledge six months after attending the program.[ 24]
A successful library and training program operates with the conviction that activities which contribute to the effective performance of each individual will strengthen the entire organization and that training and development are part of a continuous process. Because what is accomplished carries over from year to year, the evaluation process should be designed to provide information for the standing committee as well as subsequent ones. It must provide reliable information about enhanced knowledge, job skills, and productivity. It is also important to make the best use of feedback by responding to suggestions for program alterations or improvements in order to guarantee that the desired training objectives are met. Lengthy evaluation forms can be tedious; brief and to the point is best.
Evaluation forms can be distributed not only at the close of each session, but also at the end of the year, at which time employees are asked which programs they liked best and why, which sessions they found most useful for their jobs, whether or not they were able to apply what they had learned, and which programs they thought should be repeated or expanded. Other questions to ask include: What training needs (directly job-related) and development needs (indirectly job-related) would you like to see addressed? What additional skills do you require in order to improve your job performance? The committee should acknowledge the value of staff input in regard to training needs. This is an opportunity to practice the concept of team learning, and employees will understand that organizational learning comes from the staff as a whole.
CONCLUSION
The constantly evolving technological environment in libraries has dramatically increased the scope of librarian responsibilities, and organizational change has become simultaneous with technological change. Library administrations must make a commitment to answer the need for new skills and expanded services with continuing education for staff. Most library employees are past the point of resisting automation and now require more than just exposure to products. They need comprehensive and relevant training opportunities so that their skills evolve as their work environments do.
The primary key to the success of a training and development program is administrative endorsement. This is not limited to financial support, but philosophical support as well, which is evidenced by continuous acknowledgment of the importance and value of ongoing and long-range training programs on the part of the administration. Staff must be assured that as new computers and programs are introduced, and as procedures and expectations alter, the training needed will be readily available. While attendance at workshops and seminars need not be mandatory, it should be strongly recommended by all supervisors and administrators. In this way, employees never have to fear that they will be criticized for taking time away from their work in order to attend presentations
The establishment of a committee with its own operating budget clearly defines training and development needs as an integral part of organizational planning and budgeting, and communicates support for career development not just to faculty, but to the entire library staff. A structured and efficient training and development committee helps library staff continue the learning process while expanding basic job skills to keep up with the transformations taking place. With a clearly defined purpose and strategy, it will evolve into a dynamic and integral part of library operations. As Creth has observed, "The relationship between well-trained and knowledgeable employees and an efficient and effective library is obvious."