If You're Going to Do End User Training... How, What & Who

12(+) Steps to Developing a Training Program

1.	Determining the Need

Does training need to be done ? Can library commit to it ?

2.	Securing Administrative Support

Get management behind you .

3.	Information Gathering

4.	Instructional Needs Assessment

Get input from library staff , users , managers , etc .

5.	Discuss / Brainstorm / Consult / Prioritize

Sort out what needs to be done and ways to do it .

6.	Program / Session Design

Layout the overall program and course outlines , design materials , etc .

7.	Training for Trainers

Recruit trainers . Seek formal " train the trainer " instruction , practice in the library .

8.	Publicity

Let them know what ' s available , as many ways as possible .

9.	Infrastructure

Work out what ' s needed to support training — policies , procedures , forms , etc ., as well as facilities , training accounts , equipment , etc .

10.	Feedback

Get comments from trainers , library staff , students , student ' s managers .

11.	Evaluation

Analyze comments , review trainer experience , decide what needs changing , emphasis , improvement .

12.	Revision

Modify materials based on feedback , trainer experience , new material , etc .

13.	Support

Have a system to support users after training — phone " hotline ", email questions , on - site visits , refreshers , etc .

Range of Training Approaches

1.	Publications / Help Guides

2.	Online Tutorials

3.	Information kiosks

4.	Tours

5.	Reference desk one - on - one instruction

6.	Research Consultations

7.	Drop - in Routine Training

8.	One - shot classes

9.	[ Curriculum - integrated instruction for a specific class ; ie . customized ]

10.	[Stand-alone (for credit) course ; ie formal , long-term]

11.	Telephone/email support

Potential Trainers

1.	New/Junior staff

2.	Public service librarians

3.	Technical service Librarians

4.	Automation/systems librarians

5.	Collection managers/bibliographers

6.	Library Administrators

7.	Vendor's trainers

8.	Expert users (maybe)

(Based on material in Teaching the New Library by Cheryl LaGuardia , Michael Blake, Lawrence Dowler , Laura Farwell , Caroline M. Kent, Ed Tallent ; New York: Neal-Schuman, 1996; italics=comments added. Also worth a look: Barclay, Donald (ed.). Teaching Electronic Information Literacy. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1995.)

Machiavelli ' s Tips for Managing an End User Training Program

1.	Get management (library, organization) support for library's training program.

a. Make management aware that library-based or -sponsored training can help prevent users wasting time (Internet) or time and money (commercial services).

2.	Ongoing support of users is as important as training, perhaps more.

a. Whichever way training is provided, library should prepare to support users who are trained.

3.	Let commercial vendors train on their own systems.

a. Library acts as sponsor/coordinator/manager of training .

b. Lets library be seen as managerial rather than just operational.

c. Saves staff time/resources.

d. Library can provide context for use of vendors' systems in company/agency.

e. Funding issues: vendor training often charged to user accounts. Consider benefits of using "searching" vs. "training" funds to pay for training.

f. The "O" word...

4.	Turf wars

a. Find ways to make HR and IT your partners in training , rather than competitors .

b. Be aware of turf issues with internal/organization information (IT), vs. external/publication information ( library ).

c. *Remember that information literacy (content) is not the same as technology/computer literacy (access).

5.	Of all external systems library can potentially teach to users, the one to consider keeping is Internet/WWW.

a. No one else "owns" it, and library can stress the evaluation of information that other training usually leaves out.

If your library decides to do training...

1.	Don't assume every librarian is a natural-born trainer.

a. Send staff to "how to teach" classes.

b. Remember the universal fear of public speaking.

2.	Cautiously identify expert users of those systems among organization staff.

a. Consider recruiting and training as consultants, guest, adjunct, or regular instructors.

3.	Don't re-invent the wheel.

a. Mine Web resources*, listservs, ALA/ACRL/LIRT/SLA/educational psychology publications for adult-teaching techniques, as well as for shareable training materials (cheat sheets, etc.) that have already been created for systems. Then add your library's or organization's slant.

4.	Make users aware of training.

a. Use the organization newsletter, open houses , website , listservs, word of mouth, HR intros for new staff, organization admin. meetings, etc.

5.	Don't expect technology to solve all training problems; but it can help.

a. Consider tools like CBTs , Look @ Me , etc.

*Suggestion:

Teaching Research Skills: Innovative Strategies for Library Use Instruction (Presentation at SLA, Boston, 1996. http:// iti.acns.nwu.edu / slatran / teach.html ).

Includes speakers ' PowerPoint slides. Contains some interesting approaches, and lots of links to related sites.