The nature of academic librarianship is changing as librarians move away from the curation of material and into research support roles. Although this creates new opportunities it can be difficult for staff to learn the skills needed. The Office of Scholarly Communication at Cambridge University seeks to address this issue with the Research Support…

Mobile devices are being extensively adopted by health sciences faculty, students, and practitioners, but there is little evidence of how this technology is being used by health librarians in their own professional practice. In 2011, health sciences librarians at the University of Saskatchewan undertook a project to familiarize themselves with…

Customer service is a core component of user experience and an important element in making patrons feel welcomed and valued within our libraries. At the University of Maryland Libraries, we took on the challenging task of creating a customer service training curriculum for all staff working at public service points and offering a digital badge for…

Since the late 1970s, the access services librarian or equivalent position has become commonplace in academic libraries, and degreed professionals have been sought for these positions since the beginning. In 2009, David McCaslin, California Institute of Technology, examined the place of access services in American Library Association-accredited…

In the summer of 2012, the University of Arizona Libraries implemented an online training program to effectively train Access Services staff and student employees at a large academic research library. This article discusses the program, which was built using a course management system (D2L) and various e-Learning software applications (Articulate…

Describes a peer coaching program implemented at Temple University's Reference and Information Services Department to provide staff with support in fine-tuning and maintaining certain reference desk skills. The discussion covers the origins of the program, coaching basics, and the applicability of peer coaching to the academic library setting. (12…

This report proposes a program for orientation and training for public services staff at the Temple University Libraries. In the first section, orientation and training needs are assessed. Goals and an overview of the program are outlined in the next section. The third section describes the five program elements and objectives: (1) an individual…

This article examines staff training from a different perspective, as a means of transmitting organizational culture to student employees through a closer communication between career and student part-time employees. Results of a qualitative survey suggest communication supports multigenerational relationships and administrators who invest in…

Developed in response to a trend toward using hourly students and library school graduate students at the reference desk, this training manual provides basic training for library staff involved in providing engineering reference services. It integrates traditional and electronic resources into a 10-unit, 6- to 8-week program of instruction. The 10…

Discusses several factors that may improve staff training on integrated library systems, including the application of andragogic learning theory, using effective on-the-job training techniques, the selection of trainers based on competencies, and visible administrative support during all phases of the staff training project. (37 references)…

A 1977 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) survey showed that more than 80 member libraries had staff persons designated as personnel officers. In a series of in-depth interviews in the spring of 1978 with some of these personnel officers, the main factors contributing to changes in personnel functions were identified as: (1) a growing number…

Describes training for undergraduate student assistants working at the reference desk at the University of Northern Iowa library that changed from a traditional classroom format to one that combines worksheets, individualized instruction, hands-on learning, regular reviews, increased feedback, greater interaction with students and staff, and…

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Library participated in the statewide conversion to a new integrated library system in the summer of 2002. Prior to the system's implementation, various local and statewide committees coordinated efforts to train their staffs so as to ensure a seamless transition. This case study analyzes, in…

New technology and knowledge push organizations to upgrade and improve the skills of their staff. Paying for professional development programming is a common way of providing continuing education. This article describes a collaborative training program introduced to develop baseline competencies in Canadian academic libraries to support data…

Like most academic libraries, Purdue University Calumet depends heavily on student workers for its daily operations. After the investment of time and effort involved in training student workers, it is important to retain them from one year to the next. This case study examines training procedures that are designed to cultivate a sense of mutual…