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Contents of this page:

• Introduction
• Background
• Guest Host Discussion
• Books We are Reading
• Conclusion

 

Introduction

Hi, and welcome back to Linking Our Libraries!

We are from Central Minnesota Libraries Exchange, and our mission is to support libraries. That means we are here to help libraries and library people to find information they need, to build skills, and to share ideas about all the things that make our profession great!

You can check out our website and hit the Subscribe to Us link to subscribe to everything we have, including this podcast, our online book groups, our social media, and more! We have tons of information available on our website, for any library to use; and we will be adding more webinars and training opportunities to help you.

 

This week we are talking about Staff Development, and we have a Guest Host: Elizabeth Proell, from St. Cloud Public Library.

This is the flip side of our material on Instructional Design, from Episode 202 In that episode, we talked about setting up classes and training yourself; in this one we are talking about strategies for you to receive training!

 

 

Background

You know that to do any job in a library means you have to keep building and honing your skills. Everything we do changes, develops, and evolves – and this will never stop.  If there ever was a time in libraries where we could just coast along on skills we learned twenty years ago, those days are long gone! Technology, automation, and streamlining of all organizations and workers means that we are constantly looking for better, faster, cheaper ways to do all the work we do every day. And what that really means for all of us is that we have to not only keep up with things happening around us – but we need to be out there ahead of our patrons so we are ready to help them build their skills! It’s not just embarrassing to not be able to answer a question on email or web design or VR technology – it is bad practice.

We know it is a challenge!! Your budget is stretched to the max already, your time is also filled as full as you can get it. So we are here to help you! CMLE’s website is filled with information and links to all kinds of great places to go to help you build your skills.

• We maintain a Continuing Education calendar.
• We share all kinds of places to take classes, either for free or at a reduced cost – and we offer up to $300 in scholarship money to offset the cost of any training you can identify!
• We are building webinars and in-person training sessions for you, to work though any time.
• We are also available to come to your library (or archive, or history center, or other organization) and talk with you about some training ideas, or to do some training based on your individual library’s needs.
• We have material on our site for this episode; and we also have material all kinds of useful library-related skills, available in our Skills Toolbox section of our site.

Nobody can keep up alone – but we are a team! If you are listening, you are part of our team! The very best thing about being part of the library profession is that we can all work together to achieve great things -and skill building, continuing education, and training of all sorts are so much easier to do as a group.

Now, let’s talk with Elizabeth about the work she does to help her library system’s many staffers to stay current with their job tasks!

 

Guest Host Discussion

Discussion with Elizabeth Proell, from St. Cloud Public Library.

 

 

Books We are Reading

Mary

Endangered Species (Anna Pigeon #5), by Nevada Barr “Was the crash of the drug interdiction plane on an isolated Georgia island an accident – or sabotage? Park ranger Anna Pigeon investigates. Though the “experts” are called in to evaluate the crash, Anna can’t let the investigation rest solely in their hands. Her inquiry causes her to stumble into shady dealings that question the integrity – and honor – of her own crew.”

 

Angie

God Help the Child, by Toni Morrison “At the center: a young woman who calls herself Bride, whose stunning blue-black skin is only one element of her beauty, her boldness and confidence, her success in life, but which caused her light-skinned mother to deny her even the simplest forms of love. There is Booker, the man Bride loves, and loses to anger. Rain, the mysterious white child with whom she crosses paths. And finally, Bride’s mother herself, Sweetness, who takes a lifetime to come to understand that “what you do to children matters. And they might never forget.”
A fiery and provocative novel, God Help the Child—the first book by Toni Morrison to be set in our current moment—weaves a tale about the way the sufferings of childhood can shape, and misshape, the life of the adult.”

 

Elizabeth

Lore of Running, by Tim Noakes “Lore of Running gives you incomparable detail on physiology, training, racing, injuries, world-class athletes, and races.

Author Tim Noakes blends the expertise of a physician and research scientist with the passion of a dedicated runner to answer the most pressing questions for those who are serious about the sport:

-How your body systems respond to training, the effects of different training methods, how to detect and avoid over-training, and genetic versus trainable potential

-How to train for the 10K up through ultra-marathon with detailed programs from Noakes and several leading running experts

-How to prevent and treat injuries, increase your strength and flexibility, and use proper nutrition for weight control and maximum performance

You’ll also find a candid analysis of supplements and ergogenic effects and training aids. The book includes new interviews with 10 world-class runners who share their secrets to success and longevity in the sport. Features on legendary figures and events in running history provide fascinating insights.

And that’s just scratching the surface. Lore of Running is not only the biggest and best running publication on the planet. It’s the one book every runner should own. ”

 

 

Conclusion

Libraries are great places to work – and part of the fun is that things keep changing. This means we need to keep up with our skill development, and that will never change! Continuing education will always be an important part of working in any type of library, doing any type of job.

Remember: CMLE is here to help you with this. You can read all kinds of useful information on our website, or set up an time for us to come visit your library and do some training that is personalized to your needs. No matter where you are and what you do in a library – CMLE is here for you!