Continuing Education - Team Building & More...

Team building is an important part of a sucessful Library. This stite provides several great articles for team building staff motivation and much more! All free.
http://www.teambuildinginc.com/ei_news.htm

The story of the gees is one of my favourite...

Teambuilding Lessons We Can Learn from Geese
Fact #1 – As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird following. By flying in a "V"
formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent greater flying range than if one bird flew alone.
Lesson Learned – People who share a common direction and sense of community can get
where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the strength of one
another.
Fact #2 – Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and
resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage
of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front.
Lesson Learned – If we have as much sense as geese, we will stay in formation with
those who are ahead of where we want to go and be willing to accept their help as
well as give ours to others.
Fact #3 – When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position.
Lesson Learned – It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership.
Fact #4 – The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
Lesson Learned – We need to make sure our honking from behind is encouraging, and not
something else.
Fact #5 – When a goose gets sick or wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it is able to fly again, or dies. Then they launch out on their own, with another formation, or they catch up with their flock.
Lesson Learned – If we have as much sense as geese do, we too, will stand by each other in
difficult times as well as when we are strong.

Source Unknown (http://www.teambuildinginc.com/article_geese.htm)
Who are you? (Check all that apply. Then * the one that is most descriptive)
____ A lead goose ____ A backup goose ____ A honker from behind
____ Helper goose ____ Goose in need ____ Goose nurse
Considering your personality and experiences as a group member, which lesson best reflects your current role in the group? Have you learned all these lessons? In what ways could you
take on other roles?
Based on your experiences working with this team, which lesson is most important for the success of the group? Which lessons do the team need to learn?

ManyAnswers

A useful website complete with bilingual tags to help children with their homework, which compliments the "Anyquestions" website.
Due to the increasing demand on anyquestions website the National Library & McGovern Online have come up with "Manyanswers"
which has the:

The "latest question asked" ( with guided links to websites with the answers and other sources)
Most Popular ( with guided links to websites with the answers and other sources)
Hot topics ( with guided links to websites with the answers and other sources)

http://www.manyanswers.co.nz/

Web 2.0 Course with LIANZA

Web 2.0 to Library 2.0 - A Beginner's Guide
LIANZA are running Web 2.0 courses in our area soon...
This course will be presented in Napier, Gisborne, Invercargill, and Wanganui
Dates:
Napier - Monday 29 September 2008 - 17 places availableRegister here

Time: 10.00am to 3.30pm
Cost: $300 for LIANZA members & $390 for non members
Location: See registration links for individual venue details
Event Leaders: Paul Reynolds & Paul Sutherland. The Pauls will run most of these courses together except for Invercargill which will be run by Paul Sutherland and Wanganui which will be run by Paul Reynolds.
This is a one day learning event for library staff which focuses on the frameworks and tools of the participatory web - the Web 2.0 environment. Participants will be offered some thoughts and ideas and will be encouraged to explore and use some the tools which Web 2.0 offers and to look at the possibilities for their own Library 2.0. The event is practically based and will be constructed to ensure that participants are engaged and have fun.
Who should attend?
The day is aimed at people who have reasonable IT user skills i.e. they are familiar with the Internet, email and use of applications such as word processing. It is not designed for IT experts or those fluent in the use of Web 2.0 tools
Cost
The cost of attendance at the event covers lunch. Travel costs etc are the responsibility of participants or their employers.
Before the Event
No preparation is necessary
After the Event
Participants are expected to use some of the tools they have been exposed to and to contribute to an ongoing forum. These tasks will not be onerous.
Learning Outcomes
Participants will
understand the nature of web 2.0 tools and services as a framework of web based activity
understand the potential of web 2.0 tools for library activity
understand the potential of web 2.0 tools as devices to enhance personalisation, participation and collaboration
be able to demonstrate knowledge of a number of web 2.0 tools
be able to use a blog, find, access and use an RSS feed or live bookmark, and able to identify, evaluate and use other APIs
have set up a personal/professional blog
have an ongoing commitment to continue to use a number of the tools in collaborative ways with other participants
have identified potential uses of web 2.0 tools for their employing institutions
If you are a registered professional attending this seminar don't forget to record it in your Revalidation Journal under Body of Knowledge # 7.

Revalidation Continued: Four Domains of professional Practice

The Four Domains of professional practice
These domains represent the four areas within which continuing professional development activities can be applied. Activities should be conducted in at least three of the following four domains over the course of the three year period.
a) Currency of Professional Knowledge
Activities which help keep one’s professional knowledge and skills current and up to date, including identification of personal learning needs and methods used to address these needs, and effective acquisition of new knowledge to enhance practice. These activities might include for example attending courses, study, and reading.
b) Professional Practice and Responsibility
These are activities related to on the job practice, application and development of professional skills, including increased competence in a range of professional and management skills developed through professional practice. Examples might include: reports, research to develop and improve services, new initiatives, promotion to more senior roles, and service delivery examples.
c) Communication and Professional relationships
This domain relates to communication of knowledge and expertise, and the establishment of professional relationships and networks, including communicating effectively with others, sharing expertise, and utilising strong and effective relationships to enhance services. Specific examples might include delivering conference papers, publication, establishing networks, contribution to listserve discussions, and other sharing of knowledge.
d) Professional Leadership
All librarians or information professionals can display leadership in some aspects of their work. The context in which leadership can be displayed will vary according to the position. A librarian or information professional develops leadership skills to high levels and is respected for his or her expertise and innovation. Examples include leading and supporting other librarians and information professionals, mentoring, encouraging others to participate in relevant professional development activities or to enhance their individual skills, advocacy, contributing to improved professional practice, and taking initiative.

Revalidation Journal

Are you keeping your revalidation Journal up to date? Have you download the Journal template on the Lianza Website? http://www.lianza.org.nz/registration/files/revalidation_journal_template.xls

Keeping the Journal
A template for the journal is available on the LIANZA website. The journal can be downloaded to your own computer files and maintained on-line as an excel file. There is a separate worksheet for each of the 11 Body of Knowledge elements.
Alternatively the journal can be printed from the LIANZA website and maintained in hardcopy format.
Embedded links in the spreadsheet provide online explanations of the different categories.
An example of a completed journal has been created on the LIANZA website to provide guidance for applicants and is explained here.

Revalidation activities
Following are examples of continuing professional development activities that might be undertaken as part of revalidation. The list is not intended to be exhaustive.
continual professional development, eg courses
on the job training or retraining
promotion/professional recognition
networking
academic research or study
a specific work programme, project or report
mentoring
secondment or job swapping
involvement in a work and/or professional association committee
scholarly publication
list serve discussions
conference papers
Taken from the LIANZA homepage 8 Sep 2008

Continuing Education @ EIT

EIT offer a wide range of short courses which maybe relevant to you or your staff. From "Train the trainer" to Customer Service, Leadership, Accounting, Self development Computer Applications to Management.

Free Computer Training @ EIT Hastings, Falxmere, Taradale and Waipukurau

National Certificate in Computing Level 2 & 3
http://www.eit.ac.nz/study_programmes/national_certificate_in_computing_level_2.aspx

http://www.eit.ac.nz/study_programmes/national_certificate_in_computing_level_3.aspx

Management & Business

http://www.eit.ac.nz/short_courses/short_courses_default.aspx#managementandprofessionalbusiness

Customer service & Self Development

http://www.eit.ac.nz/short_courses/short_courses_default.aspx#CustomerServiceandSelfDevelopment

Publishme Seminar & Book Launch

Publishme.co.nz is holding free seminars at Havelock Northl Library on September 15th at 6pm and Tuesday 16th at 12noon It is also holding 2 seminars at Hastings Central Library Tuesday 16th at 6pm and Wednesday 17th at 12noon. They believe every Kiwi has a book in them and this seminar aims to assist people through the stages of planning, writing, publishing and selling their book.
Garry & Morag Lorrigan will be launching their newly published book "Coffee table musings on terrorism in New Zealand" with Publishme. The winners of the Publishme competition.

Continuing Education

Online Training Resources for Librarians
From Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
The Education InstituteThe Education Institute offers teleconferences, webcasts, one-day workshops and six-week courses on a variety of subjects of interest to information professionals. Ontario Library Association members receive a tuition discount.A sampling of courses includes:
Getting the Most Out of Blogs, RSS and other Web 2.0 Technologies (6-week course)
Making federated searching More Usable (Webcast)
Financial Management for Information Projects – 5 part program (Teleconference)
Promoting Your Library’s Services (Teleconference)
SOLINET - Southeastern Library Association SOLINET is a membership organization serving the Southeast as a partner in creating a future where all libraries are valued assets of their communities and cornerstones of the world’s information infrastructure.A sampling of courses include:
Cataloging for Non-Catalogers (Live Online)
Getting Graphic: Sequential Art (Live Online)
Introduction to the Authority File (Self-Paced)
Information Literacy Assessment (Live Online)
Risk Management: Knowing Your Responsibilities (Self-Paced)
Professional Learning Centre - Faculty of Information Studies, University of TorontoPLC offers a wide range of practical workshops for information professionals and others interested in information issues or in learning new information technologies. Ontario Library Association members receive a tuition discount.A sampling of courses includes:
Legal Research on the Web (7-week online course)
Mastering Web Searching (7-week online course)
Business Analysis & Information Management Solutions (2-day course)
Information Design: Principles and Practices (7-week course)

http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Online_Training_Resources_for_Librarians

or see the right hand side box for "Education Opportunities"