Library Staff Development Ideas, Training, & Trends

It’s a tough business, predicting the future. Without predicting any specific events, though, it’s a good practice to look at broad trends with curiosity and prepare yourself for what seems most likely. Wayne Gretsky was asked once why he was such a good hockey player. He replied that “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it’s been.” Based on prominent trends in the library world, you can make reasonable predictions about where the puck is headed for library services and train staff to address the needs they are likely to encounter.

Shifting Service Expectations

Many public libraries are seeing lower levels of foot traffic than they did pre-pandemic. Part of that may be that people are less inclined to visit public spaces. It seems also, though, that service expectations have broadly shifted. Patrons simply expect virtual services in a way and to a degree they didn’t before. Luckily, many libraries have learned how to deliver virtual services in new ways—programs, reference interviews, and even library instruction, are all commonplace now in an online setting. 

What training can you provide to help staff shine in online services? Here are three suggestions:

• How to do reference interviews in live chat. Chat services are part of the “online branch” of your library, so delivering the same levels of service online as you do at the desk is good customer service.
  
  
• Basic eResource training. All your public-facing staff can become familiar with your e-resources to know what problems they solve, the basics of how to access them, and when to recommend them to patrons.
  
  
• Basic online security. Staff should know about common risks of sharing information online and best practices for mitigating those risks—for themselves and to help educate patrons about online privacy and security.

More Staff Interactions with Patrons Who Have Trauma

Whether it’s from houselessness, food insecurity, stress-induced family conflict, or health impacts, staff will encounter people experiencing serious trauma. 

What training can you provide to amplify the positive impact of staff? Here are three suggestions:

• Trauma-informed services for libraries. Help staff learn to recognize the signs of trauma and become confident applying appropriate responses within their reach.
  
  
• De-escalating tense situations. Teach staff skills for diffusing problems before they become crises.
  
  
• Health, legal, and social services reference. Help public-facing staff become familiar with essential resources so they feel confident helping patrons connect with local services and advice.

A Greater Need for Library Staff to Combat Disinformation

Lots of people think they know how to find information online. What they don’t know is how to identify what’s trustworthy and what’s a conspiracy theory or a fraud. To address this, librarians can help introduce people to the basics of information literacy. They can occupy a position of trust and help people discover these critical skills.

What training will help staff teach information literacy? Here are three suggestions:

• Fighting fake news. Help staff learn how to explain common bad argument patterns like red herrings, ad hominem attacks, and straw man arguments.
  
  
• Research essentials. Help staff learn how to explain the difference between reliable and unreliable sources for specific questions.
  
  
• Building news literacy for tweens and teens. Teen brains have the abstract thinking capabilities required to process these concepts. It’s a great time to introduce them.

People are your most valuable resource. When they are well-trained, they can respond to challenges with resilience and imagination. They can rise to meet whatever reality comes their way. With sound training, they will make all the difference in your community.

Online Training and Development Made Easy

Niche Academy can help you quickly set up an always-available online training program focused on developing professional skills and more. You can create content or select ready-made tutorials developed by a global pool of experts—including Niche Academy’s learning design team. Start a free trial to explore all the ways Niche Academy makes online training and development easy.