Mentors and Protégés: Creating Successful Workplace Programs (LE@D)

There’s a lot of common-sense planning that goes into running an effective, creative, dynamic mentor program. It really isn’t about magic — it’s about organization, details, and continual evaluation to help us stay on target and focus on our goals.

Throughout this course, we will be exploring how to create the best interchanges between mentors and protégés, with an eye toward positive results for all involved.

Strategic Planning: Quick, Cheap, and Decent (LE@D)

What happens if you don’t have time to research and write an A+ strategic plan? What if you have an impossible deadline, no budget, no experience, and no staff? Something has to give.

This is a class for when you need a quick, simple, short-term working strategic plan for your library or project; when your plan needs to be good, not great; when your existing plan needs a fast makeover; when your existing planning process is stalled and you need a jump-start; when you have a difficult planning deadline; when your library’s leadership and management have never created a strategic plan before, and they want to start small, simple, and doable; or when there is only one of you to do it all.

If you’re looking for a more thorough introduction to the strategic planning process, or a solution to long-term problems, please consider Strategic Planning: The Five-Minute Introduction

Strategic Planning: The Five-Minute Introduction (LE@D)

Strategic planning is about inventing a new future and creating a written plan for coordinating the steps and the resources to get there. That doesn’t sound so very terrible, does it?

But, poll a library audience about why they hate strategic planning, and the issues appear all too familiar. What if I could offer you a strategic planning process that was both reasonable and beneficial to your library?

This class is designed to introduce you to the skills and techniques necessary for developing a strategic plan and emphasizes two important concepts:

• Strategic planning works.
• It does not have to be a long, expensive, tedious, and basically useless process.

Why Five Minutes? Because that’s how long it takes to explain the main steps of this effective strategic planning model.

If you’re looking for more practical, hands-on information, or if you need a quick, simple, short-term working strategic plan for your library or project, please consider Strategic Planning: Quick, Cheap, and Decent

• Alexandra Tyle-Annen & Heather Colby
• Homer Township Public Library
• Joe Marcantonio, Plainfield Public Library
• Teri Rankin, O`Fallon Public Library
• Jennifer Lara, O’Fallon Township High School
• Virginia Freyre, Algonquin Area Public Library
• Amanda Ghobrial, West Chicago Public Library

Wednesday, April 7, 2010
9:30am – 12:30 pm
State-wide Library System Video Conference
Cost $10  (Please write check to Metropolitan Library System. The mailing address is 125 Tower Drive Burr Ridge, Illinois 60527. Attention: Attention: Christina Stoll)

Note: When registering, be sure to select the library system location where you will be attending the workshop.

Register on L2.

Part of what we discovered in our statistical analysis is that the LibraryU courses that are now available in the WJIL Course Catalog have been very popular, and the completion rate on them at 63% is astoundingly high for online learning. On the flip side, we found that over 45% of you have not yet found the time to start the WJIL course(s) that you enrolled in.

Although you do have a year from the time of enrollment to complete your WJIL course, the more you put it off, the less likely you will complete - or even start it. Here are some tips for motivating yourself to get back in there and launch your course!

1. Find a learning buddy. Ask them to enroll in the same course and give yourselves a deadline for completion. That way you have someone else to hold you accountable, and to provide discussion and feedback on the content.

2. Create a formalized timeline and plan for yourself to complete your course(s). It’s always hard to find time for the things you see as “extras.” So instead, incorporate a formal learning plan into your workflow that will help you to reach pre-defined goals for completion of your course. Use the Resources for Learners materials on WJIL to help you, including an E-Learning Approval Form,  Door Hanger and E-Learning Tips.

3. Be a learning “scout” and complete your course with the intention of making recommendations to colleagues and staff. After launching your course, you will see two additional buttons next to the course name in your “My Courses” list. Use these to “Add Your Comment” to the course or “Recommend to a Friend.”

4. Course Completion Status for UNT LE@D Courses. Courses provided by the UNT LE@D program are administered on their own servers, so WebJunction cannot accurately track your progress. Once you complete the course, click on the “Launch Course” button and read the instructions in the pop-up window on how to move the course into completed status.

So go forth and continue learning – but don’t put it off!

* Funding was provided by the Illinois State Library (ISL), a Division of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), under the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA)

Illinois libraries have the well-deserved reputation for leading the pack when it comes to innovation, service and creativity. In order to fuel the fire for continued leadership WJIL is launching a Focus on Learning. In this Special Edition of What’s New @ WJIL you’ll find free opportunities to learn more from content and colleagues with the added benefit of no travel. Prepare for the future by taking the time to learn today!

Contents: Resources | Courses and Learning | Community | What could I do with…? | What’s New RSS Feed

“What’s New” RSS Feed

Want the latest “What’s New @ WJIL” to come to you? Add the RSS feed to your blog reader.
[http://webjunctionworks.org/il/blog/index.php/category/new-wj-il/feed/]

Resources

WJIL Course Catalog Help

• Did you know that we’ve created a page in the WJIL Illinois Center specifically to help you with the WJIL Course Catalog? You’ll find troubleshooting guides for launching your courses, A WJIL Course Catalog Guide, and Course Registration Guidelines.    We want to make it as easy as possible for you to use this free resource.
• Path: [Illinois Center » Illinois Learning Center » WJIL Course Catalog Help]

WJIL Course Catalog Competencies

• Visit the course catalog and you will see a new tab that reads Competencies. WebJunction has been compiling an index of the full spectrum of library practice and service competencies, starting with library management. This index will lead you to courses and content that address the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to manage a library—such as budgeting and funding, strategic planning, and project management. Watch for additional sections of the index—including Technology, Library Services, and more—to roll out soon, and read up on how to use the Competencies effectively in your learning experience.
• Path: [WJIL Course Catalog]

Resources for Learners

• Having trouble finding the time to complete your online course? Need something to notify others in your office that you’re “In Training” even though you’re sitting at your computer? Visit the Resources for Learners, click on the Documents tab and find practical and relevant help for your professional development.
• Path: [Library Management » Training & Development » Resources for Learners]

Wimba Classroom Guides and Tutorials

• Most of the “live” online learning that WJIL and WJ deliver is via the Wimba Web conferencing software. All you have to do is make sure your computer is compatible with the software before attending the session. You can find a short video tutorial and other guides that will help you prepare yourself and your computer for a Wimba session by clicking on the link above.
• Path: [Illinois Center » Illinois Learning Center » Online Learning » Wimba Classroom]

CPDU Credits for WebJunction Courses

• If you are a school librarian or working on your certificate renewal, you can earn Continuing Professional Development Units (CPDUs) credit by taking WebJunction Illinois courses. Click on the link above to find out how.
• Path: [Illinois Course Catalog]

Courses and Learning

WJIL Course Catalog

• Where else could you find over 600 online learning opportunities in one place - for FREE? The Illinois State Library pays for this wonderful opportunity through the subscription cost for the WJIL site. Any employee or trustee of an Illinois library can be a registered user of WJIL and take advantage of the course catalog. We simply ask that you follow the course enrollment guidelines.
• Take advantage of a statewide learning cohort by joining the Course of the Month Group (see additional instructions below in the Community section). The selected courses for February are Dreamweaver CS3: Setting up a Site and Adding Content in Dreamweaver CS3 and Implementing and Evaluating Self-Directed Learning.
• Path: [Illinois Course Catalog]

LibraryU Courses in the WJIL Course Catalog

• A select number of the highly popular LibraryU courses have now been converted and added to the WJIL Course Catalog. These courses are free to all registered WJIL users, and do not count against the available course credits that we have on the site. So feel free to reaquaint yourself with an old friend (LibraryU) wearing a new outfit (different software).
• Path: [Illinois Course Catalog - Click on LibraryU under the Featured Course Providers]

WebJunction and WebJunction Illinois live online learning

• WebJunction Global offers an ongoing stream of free live online webinars and workshops. Upcoming sessions include topics such as “Spanish Language Outreach in Tough Economic Times” and “Technology Services for Children” as well as a “23 Things Summit” in March. Attend any session live online and get the chance to interact with the presenter and participants. Can’t make the scheduled time? Look for the archive of the session along with all accompanying materials in the Webinar Archives.
• WebJunction Illinois staff also offer select live sessions online. You can find all of these sessions listed on L2 by selecting the “Event Format” of Web Conference and scoping to the Illinois State Library as the sponsor. Upcoming sessions include WJIL: Welcome to 2.0 and WJIL: Intro to TechAtlas in Illinois.
• Path: [Member Center » Events » Webinars]

Community

Course of the Month Group: A statewide learning cohort

• Ever noticed how hard it is to motivate yourself to enroll and complete a self-paced course? We’ve all experienced it. In fact the average completion for online learning is only about 25-30 percent. That means that around 3/4 of us that enroll in any self-paced course don’t ever actually finish it. That’s why we’ve created the Course of the Month Group on WJIL. Follow the instructions on the Group page to join the group, enroll in the selected courses for this month, then use the Discussion tab on the Group page to share your experience and encourage others to complete their learning. For more tips on  how to use the Course of the Month effectively, see the “What can I do with…” section below or read the Course of the Month Instructions and Tips.
• TIP: When you go to the Course of the Month Group page, check out the selected courses and then decide if you want to join the group. You can then join by clicking on “Join Group” in the Group Members box if you choose to. When you want to go back to the Group page, log into WJIL and then click on “My WebJunction” from your “My Account” portlet. You’ll be able to access all of your Groups, Courses and other WJIL activities on your own customized page.

Jennie Alexander’s LibraryU module featured on WebJunction

• Some of you may have known Jennie Alexander the former Director of the Mt. Zion District Library. We are pleased that the WebJunction staff have chosen the LibraryU module that Jennie authored  – Directors ASK (Administrator Secret Knowledge) as their featured course of the month. We truly feel that this is a living tribute to Jennie’s willingness to share her expertise and mentor others in librarianship.

WJIL Course Catalog Survey

• Please share your experiences in browsing, enrolling and launching courses in the WJIL Course Catalog. Help us make your Course Catalog experience better by providing your feedback.

What Could I do with the Course of the Month Group?

Some of you are probably asking yourself how in the world you’re going to add one more thing to your already busy schedule. Where will you find time to take a course (even if it is online), much less talk about it with others? Creativity may be the answer. Find ways to incorporate this vital learning activity into your personal and organizational schedule. Here are some tips that might help:

1. Have all library staff take the course of the month and plan internal discussions around how it can be applied in your library.

2. Browse the member list on the Course of the Month group page and invite a group member from another part of the state to become a learning partner with you.

3. Plan a regional follow up face-to-face discussion session for those who take the Course of the Month to share mutual experiences and action plans. Meet at a central library location or your System headquarters.

4. Set aside focused and deliberate time to take the course you have chosen and remove distractions from your learning environment. Use the E-Learning Approval form to formalize your learning experience and the Door hanger for E-Learners to let others know when you are in a learning session.

5. Use the Discussion threads on the Course of the Month Group page to share how you plan to make the most of this learning cohort in your organization.

6. If you are not able to take one of the selected courses for February, go ahead and join the group and come back next month to see what the selected courses are.

7. Submit a suggestion through the Group discussion board for a future Course of the Month.

Please make sure you sign in! You must be a registered user to enroll in free courses. If  you have not registered, click on the “Create Account” and be sure to affiliate with Illinois.

Take a look at this fun video on how to sign in and set up your account or just read the how to. Once you are signed in, click on the Courses tab in the top navigation bar.

Browse the course topics and select one to see the offerings. The “cost” for courses should be $0 now that you are logged in and on the WJIL site, although there are some selected courses listed at a reduced price of $25 that can be purchased using your credit card.

After reviewing the Course Catalog guidelines on this page, click Add to Cart next to the course(s) you have selected.

Under My Account, below “Affiliations”, you will see that 1 item has been added to the shopping cart. Click on the Shopping Cart where it says (1 item[s])

Or you can click on the Go to Cart in the Shopping Cart Portlet on the Course Catalog page.

Click Proceed to Checkout button (near the bottom right corner).

Click Complete Order to finalize your course selection. 

How do you start taking your course?

You can always access your course by using the My Courses link, at the bottom of the My Account box on the right when you sign in to WebJunction Illinois. You will launch the course from there.

When you begin your course,  you will encounter some pop ups. The first one will be a Security Warning. It is OK to click Run. If you have additional security software installed on your computer,  you need to take extra steps to let your security software know that this software is not harmful. Make sure when you exit the course you use the Exit button so your place will be saved.

If you are experiencing any difficulty with launching your WJIL SkillSoft courses, try these tips:

• Visit SkillSoft’s site to run the SkillSoft Browser Capabilities Check
• Allow pop-ups on your browser from *.skillport.com
• If you are working in Firefox and this does not “stick”  go to Options – content, click on the Exceptions button for pop-ups and enter *.skillport.com
• Contact support@webjunction.org with any additional problems 

To maximize the efficiency of the system, you will need a headset and microphone ~ but you also have the ability to text message your questions in to the presenter.  Here is the calendar for the next few months.  Please feel free to contact ILLINET/OCLC Network Coordinators Debra Aggertt 217.558.1945 William Echelbarger 217.524.6313  for a quick  demonstration or suggestion for future workshops.

Registration for these workshops is via the ISL CleO.

• Date:  January 31       Topic:  Copy Cataloging with OCLC’s CatExpress
• Date:  February 5       Topic:  Introduction to FirstSearch
• Date:  February 13     Topic:  Beginning WorldCat Resource Sharing
• Date:  February 20     Topic:  Cataloging with the Connexion Browser Interface
• Date:  February 21     Topic:  Advanced WorldCat Resource Sharing
• Date:  February 29     Topic:  Cataloging with the Connexion Client Interface