I have had a few opportunities to teach library skills to both patrons and co-workers and I have used a lot of the resources in this class to help with our reference work at the library. The most useful thing that we have implemented is the chapter on Reader's Advisory.We now have a icon on our desktop and we use the Iowa Reader's Advisory site. It is very useful because we don't have the time to review a lot of fiction and survey different genres. With this site we can look at romance, mysteries westerns, graphic novels and other different genres all in one place. We have used it from the very first day and we use it almost every day. I have also done webinars from Booklist and ALA and CLA. Booklists are usually sponsored by publishers but the information is usually pretty good.
For this blog exercise I think I will use a real life example. We have a lot of patrons who are doing job searches at our library. We have use various tools and teaching methods to help them with their searches. I think we take this very seriously and the most satisfaction that I have felt recently is when we have a person who used to come in the library on a daily basis finally stops coming in because they have found a job. We have Career Transition on our website and we recommend that site to patrons. We advertise the site throughout the library and once in a while someone will ask us about it. We have had a workshop on how to use the site. During the two one hour sessions we use Power Point to show the patron how to create a resume and save it onto the Career Transition website. Then in the second session we teach them how to write cover letters and how to use the site to actually search and apply for jobs.
I think that if a library worker just follows the reference interview there are going to be plenty of opportunities to teach patrons how to use the library as a reference resource. As they used to say in the X- Files the answers are out there. Finally I think that it may have been a good idea for us to have more practical exercises and have a chance to work with a classmate as a real patron who could give more immediate feedback in practicing finding information. Just a thought
One of my goals was to assist unemployed workers find jobs too. With the current state of unemployment, the increasing number of job seekers, and the limited number of opportunities, I would love to have instructional materials and courses geared to help people find jobs. I’ve never heard of Career Transition…another reason the public needs to be trained in how to look for, where to look, and what information to search for. Thanks for this information!
ReplyDeleteThat's a very responsible and meaningful approach, assisting people in need of employment, especially in these times. I applaud you!
ReplyDeleteThat is good information about the icon for the booklist site...I always wonder how to answer a question about what is a good thing to read
ReplyDeleteA webinar seems like a great way to get information to users who are unable to make it in person. I appreciate those types of services, as I live about 2 hours from campus.
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