Nurturing IT Skills: Strategies for Success in Technical Services

1. Ingredients for Success: Growing IT Skill Sets Within Technical Services Departments Paul Gallagher, MLIS Associate Director Discovery Services Wayne State University Libraries

2. Paul Gallagher, MLIS • Associate Director for Discovery Services, WSULS • Adjunct Faculty for WSU School of Library and Information Science • Ten years of I.T. experience including application development, technology education, and systems administration • Graduate of WSU’s School of Library and Information Science

3. pub B61 silver bullet fusion bomb by Greg Goebel – Public Domain

4. *bri* @ flickr

5. Collections Management & Discovery Services Acquisitions & eResources Discovery Services Digital Library Publishing

6. CMDS: Overview • Aggressive switch to electronic resources • Summer 2011: New Vision • Creation of several new teams • Highlyexperienced staff

7. 1997 – 502,660 2011 – 111,284

9. Discovery Services Experience • 10 FTE • 210 years combined experience • Average 21 yearsexperience

10. Means two things…

11. 2 1 Kate e. did @ flickr Neils Photography @ flickr

12. What can we do? What we can do! icanhascheezburger.com

14. What we can do:Needs Analysis • Incrementally add skills for individual tasks • Task analysis • Staff interviews

15. What we can do:Infrastructure Development • Do staff have the right tools? • Do staff have access to emerging software? • Where does documentation go?

16. radco@flickr

17. Staff Interviews • They don’t know what they don’t know • Pride

18. What we can’t or shouldn’t do ant.photos@flickr

19. What we can’t / shouldn’t do • Make I.T. staff from other or non-professional roles • Not try to create new skillsets in areas with established expertise • Union / job ranking concerns

20. Kate e. did @ flickr/dizfunctshional@flickr

21. What we can’t / shouldn’t do • Not try to create new skillsets in areas with established expertise (i.e. cataloging) • What is the value of converting a good cataloger into an entry level I.T. staff member?

22. What we can’t / shouldn’t do • Union / job ranking concerns • CANNOT have Library Assistants do I.T. work

24. What we’re doing kateboydell@flickr

25. *bri* @ flickr

26. What we’re doing • Leverage existing training resources • Professional Development Coordinator • Cross training workshops • Improving documentation/intranet • Onboarding • Culture shift

29. thetherapist@flickr

31. What we’re doing:Professional Development Coordinator • Designed to help provide learning and development resources for all staff • Currently focused on management & leadership training

32. What we’re doing:Cross Training Workshops tripp@flickr

33. What we’re doing:Cross Training Workshops • Each staff member will have to do a training session in an area of interest/benefit • Monthly sessions • Management too! • Ideas so far: • MARC Management w/ MARCEdit • Basic scripting w/ I.T. staff • ILS data loading review

34. What we’re doing:Onboarding • Progressive Projects Training • “New Librarians Round Table” • Getting started meetings

35. What we’re doing:Documentation/Intranet

37. What we’re doing:Develop a culture of learning

38. asdf Tips for success Jeff Hester@flickr

39. pub B61 silver bullet fusion bomb by Greg Goebel – Public Domain

40. *bri* @ flickr

41. Tips for success: • Identify needs based on workflow and task analysis (remember ADDIE! & iterate)

42. Provide Tools for Success • Provide tools for employees to learn • Make part of evaluation process • What training & development resources do YOU already have available?

43. Don’t make silos from I.T. • Integrate/Collaborate • Identify barriers to success

44. Develop a culture of learning

45. Paul Gallagher Associate Director Discovery Services Wayne State University Library System paul.gallagher@wayne.edu