Staff Social Groups

This weekend I went on another photo adventure with the KCLS Shutter-Up group! It is a group of about 35 people (about 5 or 6 seem to make for each outing) all who work at KCLS and either enjoy photography or want to get better (I fall the the latter group!) at photography.

The photography group is a direct result from our "27 Things" project to get to know more features on the web. Those of us who have participated have learned more about groups, photo sites and photo editing software.

Next month we are also having a craft showing for staff to show their "crafty" talents. I will be submitting a crocheted afghan I have made for my niece.

Does your library system have any "unofficial" groups? What are they doing?

A Ribbon by any other name is…A toolbar!

Many libraries are in the process of moving to Office 2007. Have you noticed the main difference?

No Menu bar!
No Toolbar!

The Menu bar and Toolbar are sort of combined and a new button has been added.

The File and Tools menus are now combined in the Office Button (the big circle in the top left of the screen with the red, blue, yellow and green shapes inside).

The rest of the Menu bar and been combined with the Toolbars to make the Ribbon. The words at the top of the screen that look like the menu bar are now actually tabs to the ribbon. When you click on the word, the icons below will change to show the tools that are available.

Happy 2008!

As Chair of WALT, I figured it was about time I posted something on this blog.

Being back in public service has really put my Prepare skills to the test! Daily I observe situations that could easily be fodder for my Prepare classes. I spend many hours on the information desk which is right in front of the library’s lobby and only entrance. The patrons have to walk past me to get anywhere else in the library.

I find myself focusing daily on the skills I teach during my Prepare classes~Respect, Service and Safety. I try to maintain an awareness of who is in the library and alert staff if there are potential problems (such as a solitary man hanging out in the children’s area without a laptop or book to read.) A popular strategy at our library that is advocated by our manager is to be “extra” helpful to patrons and ask them if they need help when we suspect something is not quite right.

I’m looking forward to drawing on my current library experience when I teach my next class this April, I believe that my training will be much more effective. Finding the time to think about and record these daily situations is the real trick!

Being a full-time front line librarian leaves for little time for the actual planning for training sessions. I am working on my OLA/WLA Program on Tween Literature at home. I am excited about presenting on a new topic at the conference…I look forward to giving a full report after the conference.

Happy New Year everyone!

~Jennifer Fenton
WALT Chair
Children’s Librarian

16 Pandas

These were just too cute to not include in our "Training" blog. We started our blog with the 2 pandas at the National Zoo, so I just wanted to keep with that tradition. I wonder what type of sound they make, perhaps we could use a panda in our Animal Noises Icebreaker

Adding Pictures to Blog

Blogger now has made it easier to add pictures to postings! I still cannot add a picture to our posprofile without uploading the picture to a URL! I will keep trying.

I am in the Blogs, RSS and Social Networking class sponsored by the State Library and Gates Foundation.

This picture is from our WALT meeting in Tacoma.

Question behind the Question (QBQ)

We can’t change others, but we can change ourselves. One tip for personal accountability is using the Question-Behind-the-Question (QBQ). All QBQ questions should have the following:

1. Begin with WHAT or HOW
2. Always contain the word “I”
3. Focus on ACTION

Example:
Change: “Why don’t they listen to me?”

TO: “How can I deliver my message so that it will be understood?”

We use a video by John Miller to talk about personal accountability and QBQ in one of our classes. His website is: www.qbq.com you can sign up for a quick notes or send someone a QBQ e-card for free!

How do you handle someone when they are getting defensive?

Defensive is the second level of the CPI Crisis Development Model. When an individual is defensive, they are beginning to lose rationality. When a person is being noncompliant or belligerent, they are in this level.

To help de-escalate the situation, keep your voice at a moderate volume and tone. Stand slightly to the side of the individual rather than directly in front of them. This stance is less threatening AND it gives you an escape route!

Because the person is beginning to lose rationality, be directive in your language and set limits. When setting limits follow these 3 guidelines:

1. Keep them simple and clear.
2. Keep the limits reasonable.
3. Make sure the limits are enforceable

You may need to repeat the directives a couple of times. Be sure to keep the language of the directives same to avoid confusion.

This information is from the Prepare Training class.

Aggravated? Use an Aggregator!

What is an Aggregator? It is a website that allows you to check websites for updates all at one site. Just as the site del.icio.us allows you to save all your Favorites or Bookmarks on one site, aggregator sites allow you stay informed by going to one site from any computer!

This can be a useful reference tool for current events, books or music.

You probably have seen the small button marked RSS FEEDS. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication. That button lets you know that you can add a URL to an aggregator website and receive updates at the aggregator site each time information is updated on the original site. That way, you can go to ONE website each day and check for updates on various topics.

The RSS Feed can be for just a specific topic. For example, when you click the button on the Seattle Times website, you are taken to a page full of RSS Feeds one for books, one for music, one for Mariners, etc. That way you can select just those topics you are interested in receiving updates.

You may see the similar buttons labeled RSS Atom, Bloglines¸ etc. They will all work basically the same.

Once you establish an account on an aggregator site, you can then add the URL for the RSS FEEDS to your account. I was a bit confused about what to do the first time I clicked the RSS FEEDS button. What will happen: a new window will open with an HTML source code version of the site you are on. Simply copy the URL in the address line and paste that URL in the “subscribe” line on your aggregator site.

If you are working on your own computer, you can set it up have an alert on the taskbar letting you know when a site has been updated.

Some aggregator sites:

www.bloglines.com – I set up an account on this site. To get started, you are only required email, password, language and time zone.

www.newsgator.com

My Yahoo (www.yahoo.com) – If you already have an email account with Yahoo, you can add RSS Feeds to your “My Yahoo” page.

There are many more, you can search on aggregator.

Information from WLA Pre-conference session: Rev Up Your Online Services: Blogs, RSS, Wikis and other Dynamic and Low-cost Technologies.

Unshelved Makes the News!

I was so excited this morning when I opened the Seattle Times and saw the Unshelved guys on the front page of the Northwest Section! The authors, Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum (pen name – for those in the “know,” Ambaum is a street in south Seattle!) were the breakfast speakers at WLA in Tacoma last month. It was great. Gene, a KCLS employee, even used some of the skills he learned at the Accelerated Learning class many of use in WALT took! He involved several people throughout the audience to play roles of various patrons at the library. It was a great way to kick off their talk.

Check out their comic strip, sign up for a daily email to lighten your day!

del.icio.us

When you hear the word DELICIOUS what do you think about? Chocolate? Cake? Lobster? Well now think of del.icio.us as a way to save your internet favorites or bookmarks and have access to that list from any computer!

del.icio.us (that is the URL, no www or .com) is a website where you can save your list of favorite websites and access them from anywhere!

To register at the site all you need to provide is a username, password and email address.

To post items to your list, you need to add a link to favorites. This is possible as you register. If you need to add it to subsequent computers, you can access the instructions under Help/Browser/Browser Buttons.

Tagging and Notes. You can add notes about the site you add to your list as well as “tags.” Tagging is adding keywords to help you locate the site in the future. You can view search results as a tag cloud rather than just a straight listing (similar to the word cloud in Aquabrowser).

Use del.icio.us to locate popular sites. If you are asked a question about a topic you are not familiar with, you can search for it on del.icio.us. It will return results showing how many other members have bookmarked that site.

Information from WLA Pre-conference session: Rev Up Your Online Services: Blogs, RSS, Wikis and other Dynamic and Low-cost Technologies.

WWDD (What Would Dewey Do)

Web 2.0, Library 2.0 are you still web and library 1.0? The 2.0 is interactive, a two-way road of communication. Rather than just pushing information from our websites, many libraries and certainly the new generation of Web users are collaborating -- talking back and forth with each via Blogs and Instant Messaging. Are you doing that on your website?

Tagging -- When I mentioned this to other WALT members, they first thought of gang graffiti! Tagging is how folks are organizing information on Web 2.0. Flickr, a picture storage and sharing site uses tagging extensively. It is used everywhere, it may be a great thing for us to keep an eye on. Could we use tagging to make our collection more accessible to the non-Dewey dudes?

I will write more about these topics and what I learned at the WLA Pre-conference session: Rev Up Your Online Services: Blogs, RSS, Wikis and other Dynamic and Low-cost Technologies

CAYAS Workshop

Workshop Announcement!

The WLA Children's and Young Adult Services Interest Group (CAYAS) invites you to their Spring Workshop. Registration is limited to 100 participants. Registration cut-off date is April 5th.

YALSA's Get Graphic @ Your Library Institute
Graphic Novels and Manga: Now What?
Presented by Dawn Rutherford and Sara Ryan
Friday, May 19th
10:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Doors will open at 10 a.m. for check-in and refreshments
Seattle Public Library, Central Library
Directions and parking: http://tinyurl.com/owwlb
Nearby lunch options: http://tinyurl.com/qbmys

Cost: $80 WLA Members, $90 Non-Members, $50 Students

Clock Hour Class Proposal in process. Please contact amyjohannah@yahoo.com for updates on clock hour availability.
~ Find out about the best new graphic novels and manga for teens
~ Match graphic novels and manga with specific developmental stages and reading interests
~ Reach reluctant readers
~ Get programming ideas and make curriculum connections
~ Learn how to dialog with teachers and parents about the value of graphic novels and manga
~ Leave with a Resource Handbook

Co-Presenter Dawn Rutherford is a Teen Services Librarian at King County Library System. She served on the planning committee for the YALSA pre-conference on Graphic Novels, writes graphic novel reviews for School Library Journal, and is currently chairing YALSA's Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee. She is also a Serving the Underserved Trainer for YALSA.
Co-Presenter Sara Ryan is the Teen Services Specialist at Multnomah County Library in Portland, OR. She authored the novels Empress of the World and The Rules for Hearts (forthcoming, fall '06), and has scripted comics for Cicada Magazine and Dark Horse Comics. She is a Serving the Underserved Trainer for YALSA.

For further information, please contact:
Amy Duncan
CAYAS Board
amyjohannah@yahoo.com
or
WLA Office
4016 1st Ave NE Seattle, WA 98105-6502
206-545-1529 or 1-800-704-1529 (outside Seattle dialing area)
FAX: 206-545-1543
washla@wla.org

Librarians with Class

Hi all,

My friend Brenda Hough is a training coordinator for a regional library agency in Kansas. She has started a blog called "Librarians with Class." Looks like it could be a useful forum in addition to our own delightful little blog. http://libswithclass.blogspot.com/

Overdue Strip & Accelerated Learning

If you went to the Accelerated Learning workshop you will love this!

http://www.overduemedia.com/archive.aspx?strip=20060122

And the guys from the Overdue strip will be speaking at WLA too!

WLA 2006 Preconferences

Start making plans now to attend the 2006 WLA Conference in Tacoma! Preconferences will be held on Wednesday, April 19, 2006, and we have a GREAT line-up of 5 preconferences to choose from this year. Descriptions are below. More conference information will be coming your way soon.

Rev Up Your Online Services: Blogs, RSS, Wikis and other Dynamic and Low-cost Technologies
Presenters: Jenny Levine, Strategy Guide, Metropolitan Library System, Burr Ridge Illinois and The Shifted Librarian ( www.theshiftedlibrarian.com ) and Michael Stephens, Special Projects Librarian, St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN ( www.tametheweb.com ) Explore how blogs, RSS, wikis and social software can be used to offer a more useful and dynamic library website for your patrons. This workshop will describe how no or low-cost tools can be implemented by any library, no matter how big or small, right now.

Prospecting for Gold: Effective Fundraising Strategies
Presenters: Jeanne Thorsen, KCLS Foundation; Terry Collings, SPL Foundation; Jonna Ward, SPL Foundation; Nancy Patton, Sno-Isle Libraries In these challenging economic times, fundraising is an option all libraries can use to enhance revenues. This program will include information on: the big picture for fundraising today, annual giving, planned giving, special events, how Friends and Foundations fit in, how to raise money for special projects, and how to be good stewards of donated funds.

Corrective Action and Progressive Discipline: A Skill for New and Not-so-New Supervisors
Presenter: Lin Schnell, Human Resources Director, Seattle Public Library One of your most dreaded roles as a supervisor may be to address serious employee work-related performance or behavior problems. This workshop provides the skills needed to make sound decisions about, and to lawfully implement, corrective action and employee discipline.

Mastering Customer Service Skills
Presenter: Elaine Jennerich, Staff Training Coordinator, UW Libraries This workshop will help all library staff master behaviors and skills that prove to your customers that your library cares about them and wants to meet their needs. Learn how to build rapport, listen actively, take the confusion out of explanations and directions, and deal with problems.

Stories that Stick: Getting Your Tales Told in the Media
Presenters: Amy Columbo & Jennifer Fulstrap Hearn, The Metropolitan Group Learn how to develop and effectively place stories about your library, and build relationships with the media. Gain experience as a library spokesperson by participating in interview situations, where you will receive professional guidance and feedback.

New Year New Organization

Happy New Year!

The New Year always has me cleaning and organizing my stuff. Well this year, I also have done a little "house cleaning" of my email.

If you have a bunch of old messages in your Inbox, create a new folder called 2005 Inbox and move all of your messages into that box. That way you can start with a clean slate.

You may want to also delete the messages from June 2005 to January 2005. If you have any 2004 messages, definitely give them the boot too!

You may want to do the same thing for your Sent Items Folder.

For more suggestions, you may want to re-visit the August 24, 2005 entry www.microsoft.com/Office.

Why Libraries Matter E-book

http://www.librariesmatter.com/

This website has an icon that can be placed on your library's website to link to a cute book about the importance of libraries to everyone. Check it out!

Are You Ready?

It used to be when I would hear that small sentence, I would think about being ready for love. Now I think about disaster preparedness!

www.3days3ways.org

This website has bookmarks with the following information. It may be good for stand and patrons alike.

Be Prepared: Many disasters happen without warning. Take the time to prepare yourself, your family and your pets in the event of an emergency or disaster.

Make a Plan: A plan should have three important things – a meeting place, an out-of-area contact, and an emergency supply kit.

Build a Disaster Kit: How comfortable do YOU want yourself and your family to be if First Responders can’t get to you in an emergency? A three-day Emergency Supply Kit is a basic tool for providing peace of mind, comfort, and survival needs in the face of disaster.

Get Trained: Learn CPR and First Aid, become involved in a Community Emergency Response Team to help your neighbors during a disaster. Get connected with your community.

Ghosts and Goblins, Oh My!

Halloween is approaching. There are many great websites. Here is one that has LOTS of great sources, including fonts, wallpapers and recipes.

http://www.halloweenwebsites.com/

Introspection

Introspection is the direct observation or rumination of one's own heart, mind and/or soul and its processes, as opposed to extrospection, the observation of things external to one's self. Definition from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introspection)

As part of my attempt to NOT read my email first thing in the morning, I have been reading or writing -- tasks that are harder to do as the cubicles around me begin to fill. I was reading an article from an online magazine I subscribe to Workforce Performance Solutions (www.WPSmag.com) The article I was reading Transformation Success: The Right Mindset.

This article talks about the importance of leaders taking the time for introspection. The article quotes Jim Kouzes, author of "The Leadership Challenge:"

"Self-reflection and requests for feedback from others were among the lowest-scoring diminsions for those who take his leadership assessment. In other words, leaders don't look inward very often. They are too busy looking outward."

This has been a challenge we have been discussing in our Staff Development team. We are so busy dealing with the day-to-day issues that we don't have time to think through the deeper needs of our staff to cope with the never ending changes in our industry. We have been looking at working at home more frequently with the plan to be able to read and think rather than react to meetings, email, phone calls and drop ins.

How do you deal with scheduling introspection in your job?

Time Out from Playing Games

Well, I FINALLY stopped playing Spider Solitare long enough to tell you how I was able to stop hitting the new game button! To let you how long it has taken, I learned about this program in the Aug. 29/Sept 5, 2005 Newsweek. So nearly ONE month later, I have loaded the program and written this message.

I downloaded a program called temptation blocker! (webjillion.com). This is a program that you identify what programs on your computer you want to be stopped from doing. You can set how long you want to be stopped from accessing that program(s). The great trick is, you have to enter a random 32-character sting to get into the program sooner then the amount of time you set!

The default list of programs did not include the games that come with Windows so I had to find them. Solitare, Hearts, Spider Solitare, Freecell and Mindsweeper can be found in the Windows/system32 folder. Just in case those of your downfall like me.

ICE, ICE, Baby!

With the hurricane Katrina disaster and the threat of the “big one” earthquake here, we thought it may be a good time to remind everyone to update their emergency contact information. Check with your supervisor to make sure they have quick access to your information.

Take a minute to mark in your personal contacts, PDA or address book ICE (In Case of Emergency) next to the people authorities should contact. If you mark more than one, put a 1, 2 or 3 next the ICE so they know who to contact first. It is always a good it idea to write it on a slip of paper and put it near your license in your wallet.

Friday Lite

Good Morning! Today is my day off which means I actually got to listen to NPR before I got out of bed. They were talking about the new baby panda that was born at the Washington, DC zoo. Animal Planet has a panda cam so you can watch mom and baby. Check it out: http://animal.discovery.com/cams/pandavidr.html

www.microsoft.com/office

Yesterday I attended a 1 hour webnair by Microsoft. It was Working Productively with E-mail and Work Essentials. The author, Laura Stack (newest book: Leave the Office Earlier), was the presenter. I found it very useful. One of her recommendations was to not read your email first thing in the morning.

This is why I am writing this entry first thing! I tend to open my email as soon as I come to work and spend time answering the messages that were sent to me after I left work. However, those people will not be in their office until 8:30 or 9:00 or later. So my new goal is to spend my time between 7 and 9 writing or reading. Tasks that are difficult once all the cubicles fill up.

Ms. Stack has a 6-D information management system:

1. Discard -- The Delete Button
2. Delegate -- The Forward Button
3. Do -- If handling the message will take 3 minutes or less, just do it now
4. Date -- Set a reminder, drag to your task list or calendar. She also recommends creating a folder @Tickler to put all messages that need follow up rather than keeping them in your inbox.
5. Drawer -- Put the message in a folder with other messages for a project, person, etc.
6. Deter -- If you find you do not have time to read messages from mailing lists you are on, unsubscribe from those lists. In the alternative, you can set up rules to have messages from the list go directly into a folder and they will never enter your inbox.

Visit the Microsoft Office webpage, there are several free trainings, other webnair sessions and tips for using the various programs. Again, this is all free!

Another Test by a WALT member -- Chandler

I am logging in to help create our WALT community. I did notice that the original message showed up in my SPAM folder. We may need to put out a regular email message to WALT members recommending they create a rule for easier access.
jc

Welcome!

Hello. This is a trial blog for sharing information about training within libraries and for library staff. We would like to include tips and challenges of providing the necessary training for both our patrons and our staff. In the ever changing library environment, there are many issues facing staff today.

What type of training are you providing your patrons? What type of training are you providing for your staff? Are their challenges you are facing and you are not sure where to turn? Add your comments here. You may also want to check out our website: www.wla.org/igs/walt.