Amanda Wilk from Haliburton County Public Library shares how her library is keeping staff up to date with technology knowledge. Presented at Keeping Up With Library Technology (KULT) November 1, 2013 at Hamilton Public Library.

1. KEEPING STAFF UP
TO DATE WITH
TECHNOLOGY
Amanda Wilk
Public Services Librarian
Haliburton County Public Library
awilk@haliburtonlibrary.ca
http://elatededu.wordpress.com/

2. HALIBURTON COUNTY
 Home to ~18,000 year-round residents, but during the
summer months our population grows to more than
45,000
 4,025 square kilometers in size (slightly smaller than
the province of Prince Edward Island)
 27% of our year round residents are over the age of
64, and 57% of the population is over the age of 50

3. Our remoteness means that people want to
take advantage of tools like social media and
Skype to feel connected
Inclement weather affects the use of our
physical collection, and makes digital services
all the more important
However, as more than half of our population
is over the age of 50, most library users were
not „born digital‟ and might be unfamiliar with
or uncomfortable using technology

4. WHY DO WE KEEP UP TO DATE
WITH TECHNOLOGY?
1. To provide patrons with increased access to our services
2.
3.
4.
5.
and provide the best service possible;
Learning and using technology can be a fun and
rewarding way to connect with our users;
Technology has the potential to make our lives easier
through information, automation, and collaboration;
The use of technology can be easily measured and
provide us with user statistics (eg. Web hits, posts,
circulation, etc.);
Technology can also help connect our eight branches,
and create a greater sense that we are one library.

5. STAFF AND TECHNOLOGY
Most staff see the value in keeping up with
technology, and some might even enjoy doing
it
But unfortunately, the predominate emotions
related to working with new technology from
our staff are fear and/or the feeling of being
overwhelmed
Staff want to know why we are using the tools
we are, how they relate to the library‟s mission,
and how they will help them do their jobs

6. 5 THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN
WORKING WITH STAFF ON TECH
SKILLS
1. Everyone is different, and may best learn in
2.
3.
4.
5.
different ways;
No one wants to feel incompetent;
People fear the unknown;
Change is hard and information overload can be
paralyzing;
Generally speaking people enjoy taking pride in
their work and feel a sense of accomplishment
when they succeed.

7. START SMALL
 Working in small groups or on a one on one basis is crucial
 Ensure that core skills and problem solving are known or
taught first
 What is a search box?
 What is a web address? What is a hyperlink?
 How do I get back to home? (What does home mean?) How do I go back?
 Can I conduct an advanced search? How?
 Where can I look for help?
 Use resources like GC Free Online Learning Computer
Training, (http://www.gcflearnfree.org/)
 Empowerment is key!

8. GC FREE ONLINE LEARNING

10. You can‟t know where you are going,
unless you know where you are!
http://www.highlandseast.ca/article/haliburton-highlandsland-trust-protecting-our-lands-for-generations-to-come

11. TECHNOLOGIES AT THE HCPL
 Website with an integrated OPAC
 Novelist Select imbedded catalogue feature
 Novelist NextReads Newsletters
 Databases
 Overdrive
 Adobe Digital Editions
 Workflows
 Kobo e-readers
 Goodreads
 Facebook
 Twitter
 Pinterest
 Wordpress blog
When working
with staff, make
sure that you
can justify the
use of these
technologies,
and explain how
they will help
staff do their
jobs!

12. ASSESSING TECHNOLOGICAL
COMPETENCIES
To discover the tools staff members feel
comfortable using on a individual basis, we
used a survey that was distributed at our
annual Staff Training Day
The survey was handed out in person so:
 Staff knew that they were not being judged & that
this was not a test
 I could better explain why knowing about certain
technologies is important, and how it will benefit
them

13. Let‟s take a look at the survey!

14. RESULTS
I Feel Comfortable Searching the Library's Website
Disagree Completely
0%
Slightly Disagree
25%
Completely Agree
69%
Slightly Agree
6%

15. I Feel Comfortable Searching Overdrive
Completely
Agree
13%
Disagree
Completely
31%
Slightly Agree
25%
Slightly Disagree
31%
Quantitative data
can be great for
looking at the big
picture. But when
working with staff, it
is important to treat
them as individuals
with unique
strengths and
weaknesses.

16. SURVEY FEEDBACK
 “A lot of the information that we talked about today, I was
not really familiar with. I found it very interesting.”
 “Can the passwords for our databases be on the opening
page of each database?”
 “I would like to learn more about these readers’ advisory
sites.”
 “I was not aware that the Library has so many sites
online [social media]. I would like to try to get caught up.”
 “Will explore databases further.”
Focus on the
positive!

17. WHERE WE ARE
We have an understanding of our Library‟s
background
We have a comprehensive inventory of the tools
we are using
We are beginning to put together a big picture of
our staff‟s technological competencies, and also
have a record of individual strengths and
weaknesses

18. WHAT‟S NEXT?
Set goals for the future! 6 months, 1 year, 5 years…
Visit branch staff on a one on one basis, and work
with them on the areas they identified
Focus on empowerment and make training fun
Continual learning is important!
 Peer to peer training
 Online tools like GC Free Online Learning Computer
Training, (http://www.gcflearnfree.org/)
 Digital scavenger hunts

19. DIGITAL SCAVENGER HUNT
 List two titles highlighted in our Teen Scene newsletter
from October
 List two titles highlighted as read-alikes (You Might Also
Like These) for The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern that
we have in our collection
 What immunizations are required and recommended to
travel to Honduras? Bonus point if you can find the
information using a library database, and list which
database you used
 Name three of our Library‟s Pinterest boards
 What is our Library‟s Online Book Club theme this month?
 How many print materials by James Patterson that were
published in 2013 does the library own?

20. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
Contact:
Amanda Wilk
Public Services Librarian
Haliburton County Public Library
awilk@haliburtonlibrary.ca