‘Hello, I'm Your Personal Shopper...’

Promotion Through Training Andy Jackson

Learning & Teaching LibrarianUniversity of Dundee

This workshopThis workshop will explore :-

• How we’d like our users to see us• The services and resources that are

valued– By our communities of users– By we professionals

• What kind of training do we do now?– What kind of training could we do in the

future?

• New models for the training role

What are we calling ourselves these days?

What are we calling ourselves these days?

• Assistant Librarian• Information Specialist• Information Adviser• Information Executive• Learning Resources Officer• Knowledge Co-ordinator• Awareness & Learning Consultant• (Principle) Knowledge Officer• Information Croupier• Knowledge Choreographer

What are we calling our services these days?

• Health/Medical Library• Information Service• Knowledge Service• Other?

• Perhaps we’re not as good at rebranding our services as we are at rebranding ourselves?

Promoting ourselves

What are Librarians made of?• The resources we offer• The professional skills we possess• The personal qualities we possess

• Our training activities are the perfect combination of these three things

Promoting our servicesHow do we currently promote

ourselves and our services?• Posters, flyers, displays• Adverts in in-house publications• Broadcasts via email or via other

routes• NHS Intranets, Knowledge Network• Social media – Facebook, Twitter?

Promoting our services continued

How do we currently promote ourselves and our services?

• Personal networking• Study/research days, open days• Health-related conferences• Focus groups/user groups• Others?

Training our users

Who does the training in digital literacy/info skills in your organisation?

• Information professionals?• Training units/departments in the NHS?• NHS Quality Improvement staff?• Other specialist (NHS) trainers?• The users themselves?• Others?

Activity – setting the scene

We’re going to look at our Library services, resources and training activities (in smaller groups) :-

• Our users (two groups)

• Ourselves as professionals (two groups)

• Our training (two groups)

• You have ten minutes to discuss in your small group – be prepared to feed back at the end!

Feedback

Our users :-–What resources do they value the most?–What information skills do they use the most?

– The answers to the above should point to where you can best deploy your time as a trainer

Feedback

Ourselves as professionals :-–Which Library resources do you think are most valuable in providing a service?–Which information skills do you feel it’s most important for the users to have ?

– Are these the same as the answers to the first group?

Feedback

Our training :-–Which Library resources do you offer training in the use of?–Which information skills do you train users in?

– Reconciling all responses in this exercise will give you an idea of where you can be most effective as a trainer

Feedback – more questions• Are we able to deliver the services our users

need?

• Do our users need the services we actually deliver?– How do we know?

• Does the training we do actually help our users?– How do we know?

• It’s therefore important to evaluate the impact of your training, if at all possible

What types of training do we offer?

Synchronous (i.e. face-to-face)• One-to-one (in person or by telephone)

• Small groups• Larger groups (lectures, seminars, workshops)

Asynchronous (i.e. not in real time)

• Via email• Through online training resources• Through leaflets, guides etc

Much of this requires our users to come to us…

Reaching out with our trainingWhere can we provide training beyond the

usual environment?• Study/research days, open days• Roadshows• Journal clubs• Meetings of academic, professional or clinical groups• Clinical or health-related conferences• In clinical settings • Via social media – bite-size training?

• These are all opportunities for ‘promotion through training’

Old models for the Health Librarian

• Some negative archetypes of the information professional– Librarian as ‘Shelf Stacker’– Librarian as ‘Security Guard’– Librarian as ‘Checkout Operator’

• None of these models require the Librarian to engage the user through training

New models for ‘promotion through training’?

Some ideas drawn from the retail world

• Librarian as ‘Window Dresser’• Librarian as ‘Home Delivery Service’• Librarian as ‘Door-to-door Salesperson’ • Librarian as ‘Store Detective’• Librarian as ‘Product Promoter’• Librarian as ‘Personal Shopper’

Librarian as ‘Window Dresser’

Librarian as ‘Home Delivery Service’

Librarian as ‘Door-to-door Salesman’

Librarian as ‘Store Detective’

Librarian as ‘Product Promoter’

Librarian as ‘Personal Shopper’

New models for the Health Librarian

• Librarian as ‘Window Dresser’• Librarian as ‘Home Delivery Service’• Librarian as ‘Door-to-door Salesperson’ • Librarian as ‘Store Detective’• Librarian as ‘Product Promoter’• Librarian as ‘Personal Shopper’

• All of these roles require the librarian to engage the user through training

Activity – outreach through training

We are going to look at these alternative types of behaviour in offering training to users

• Discuss one of the approaches • Consider how it might work in your

organisation – What benefits might there be?– What challenges might there be?

• You have ten minutes to discuss in your small group – be prepared to feed back at the end!

Feedback

These models were proposed to get you thinking about the training you might do

• You know your users best–Which of these approaches might work?–Which of them might make a difference?–Can you achieve them with your existing

resources?

What next?

• Sharing your training successes with others–Publish!–Conference papers!–Library TeachMeet!–Each of these are their own promotion

• Next up – an opportunity to briefly share your thoughts with others in our Knowledge Café

Thanks for listening - any questions?

‘Hello, I'm Your Personal Shopper...’

Promotion Through Training Andy Jackson

Learning & Teaching LibrarianUniversity of Dundee

Health libraries at the crossroads :

on course or getting lost?

The way a Knowledge Café works

• Topics for conversation will be provided• Break into small groups – 5-6 maximum• Discuss for 30-40 minutes – no note-taking

required• Return to large group• Reflection on discussions, sharing of

thoughts, insights• Emphasis is on the conversation rather than

on reporting back

Your Topic :- Health libraries : do you have a clear picture of where you are going?

• Does your Library service have an identity? What is it?• Do you know where your Library belongs in your

organisation?• How well are you coping with the changes you are

facing?• What needs to happen for health libraries to move

forward?• What is the role of professional organisations like SHINe?

Reflection• What do you want to say about

what you have discussed?• Is there anything which stood

out? An idea, a challenge, a suggestion?• What will you take with you from

today?

We hope this session has been useful!