{"id":36236,"date":"2026-08-06T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T04:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/?p=36236"},"modified":"2026-07-31T09:52:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T13:52:12","slug":"learn-a-new-skill-creating-meaningful-staff-training-and-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2026\/08\/learn-a-new-skill-creating-meaningful-staff-training-and-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn A New Skill: Creating Meaningful Staff Training and Support"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This year, I’m viewing “traditional” New Year’s resolutions through a library lens<\/a>. This year’s resolutions include ways to exercise more<\/a>, live life to the fullest<\/a>, eat healthier<\/a>, lose weight<\/a>, save money<\/a>, and get organized<\/a>. <\/strong>This month, we’re focusing on ourselves and different ways to learn new skills. Library programs are all about connecting patrons to ideas and resources to build their skills, but are we doing enough to support ourselves and our staff? Staff does their best work when they feel supported, prepared, and empowered to learn. We must create cultures that support continuous learning and meaningful growth beyond mandatory training. We’ll discuss ways to find and build meaningful, actionable training that inspires your staff and helps your library thrive. Learning doesn’t stop when we have a particular title or have hosted a certain program. Thoughtful training opportunities create more resilient staff, stronger programs, and better experiences for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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This “Just One Thing” activity helped staff identify one thing to easily share with patrons. They could immediately apply this concept at the desk or in outreach. Photo courtesy of Jaime Eastman, ALSC member.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Why Staff Learning Matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Strong library services start with staff equipped to learn, experiment, and grow. In light of limited budgets, changing community needs, and evolving technologies, existing expertise alone isn’t enough. Empowering training should offer more than just compliance and onboarding. Moreover, it shouldn’t be an extra you consider occasionally. Skill-building improves overall services, builds staff confidence, and supports innovation. When done well, it also addresses consistency concerns, helps staff adapt to changing needs, and reduces anxiety. Staff learn actionable skills that address immediate needs, mitigating fears of not knowing enough. They hesitate less around new program ideas. Capitalizing on interests also builds on natural enthusiasm, making staff more likely to engage with and retain learning concepts. When staff feel supported, they try new ideas, adapt services and programs, and engage meaningfully with patrons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Build training around real needs.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For training to resonate, staff must see themselves in it and know how they will apply it in their everyday work. To find your starting point, take some time to evaluate. Where do you see recurring questions? What workflow struggles hinder your day-to-day operations? Good training addresses identified gaps, improves processes, or creates targeted support for challenges. Look for any opportunity to offer clarity or address recurring confusion. Possible topics include building confidence in programs, troubleshooting technology, or reader’s advisory. The topic matters far less than finding what your staff needs. Our phone reference training is one example. We started with an identified problem: staff didn’t know how to apply our service model or set boundaries respectfully on the phone. Our content clarified expectations and provided sample language. Then, staff felt empowered to address challenges. The best training solves real problems your staff actively experience and creates better patron experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Our Digital Creation Space lets staff and patrons build new skills. Photo courtesy of Jaime Eastman, ALSC member.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Differentiate between essential and optional.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While you want empowered, excited staff, not everyone needs to be an expert in everything. Differentiating between essential and optional learning provides context and clarity. Essential training, often required by predetermined deadlines, should focus on skills and knowledge for successful job performance. Optional learning, on the other hand, allows staff to focus on their interests and goals. By honoring their interests and strengths, you recognize staff as valuable contributors. Fostering professional curiosity also reduces overwhelm and burnout. In my library, all staff complete foundational program training to introduce basic concepts. However, they choose programs to present, with additional training to help build specific skills. From there, they also opt in to additional training about developing content. By allowing them to focus on their interests, individual staff are more engaged, and teams are stronger because everyone wants to participate. As you curate training opportunities, create pathways, not pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curate ongoing opportunities.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For any topic, learning should be ongoing, accessible, and manageable. Sustainable professional development happens when we embed learning into our workflows. Whether a monthly or annual goal, consider giving staff tangible targets. Then, let staff choose opportunities that excite them. Don’t limit yourself to internal trainings. Instead, consider options like webinars, ALA classes, conference sessions, podcasts, and mentorship. However, not every opportunity needs to come from outside. Staff-led and peer-to-peer learning sessions highlight your existing internal expertise. Plus, they create leadership opportunities and reduce costs. To avoid overwhelming staff, share information clearly. Options include resource hubs, emailed learning highlights, or internal newsletters. My library shares both weekly information updates and a monthly staff newsletter. Both are great opportunities to share quick tips and more formal recommendations. Help staff identify quality, relevant opportunities they can explore immediately. Every new skill expands the library’s ability to serve its community.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Not all trainings need to come from library staff. Consider where outside presenters or opportunities can help build skills, too. Photo courtesy of Jaime Eastman, ALSC member.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Make learning practical and actionable.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While not every training lends itself to hands-on exploration, the more ways you connect learning to practice, the more successful it will be. Staff need to not only see themselves in the training but also how it applies to their daily work. Without the why, staff are unlikely to invest in learning new skills. Consider various learning styles. Hands-on exploration allows firsthand skills practice. Mock programs, peer demonstrations, and observation opportunities introduce different techniques. Tools that staff can adopt or adapt help build confidence. Consider where sample language, templates, and peer demonstrations offer support. At my library, we embed these practices in our trainings. During program training, staff first observe a live program. From there, practice with a mentor builds skills through role play and other techniques. New presenters pair with seasoned presenters for their first program, where both serve equal roles. Staff confidence grows through practice, not just information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create space for questions and growth.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To learn any new skill successfully, staff need space to ask questions, fail forward, and grow. First, focus on reducing shame around not knowing. Make questions the norm rather than the exception. Not only does it help you understand where staff struggle, but it also helps staff feel less alone in their questions. These moments can also become collaborative learning opportunities. Staff learn in many ways, so offer different options to access information. Further, build in refreshers without judgment. When staff opts in on refreshing skills, celebrate the initiative without penalizing the desire. Our phone reference resources highlight responsive staff training. Staff received training on handling challenging patron interactions in the library. However, questions remained on how policies and practices translated to phone inquiries. Therefore, we developed resources to answer questions and provide sample language. Staff support should be proactive, not punitive.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Picture Book Tie-In: The Most Magnificent Maker’s A to Z<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When learning, it’s important to keep perspective. The Most Magnificent Maker’s A to Z <\/a><\/em>by Ashley Spires provides a beautiful overview of skills you need when trying, failing, and making. From help to patience, many of the skills resonate with staff skills growth. In addition to creative words, different tools and resources form each letter. Definitions are short and accessible. While the companion titles<\/a> in the series are likely more popular storytime choices, this alphabet book is sure to delight children and adults alike. Spend some time appreciating the detail and feelings depicted in the illustrations as you build your learning vocabulary. The creativity, persistence, collaboration, and problem-solving will resonate with library staff’s own learning processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you build staff learning opportunities, remember that curiosity and enjoyment are equally important to competency. For more inspiration, check out this post<\/a> on professional development that actually sticks. Remember, your library thrives when your staff has the confidence and support to keep learning (and growing) alongside your patrons. Stay tuned next month as we reduce harmful habits by reviewing, revising, and retiring programs that don’t work. What new skill will you explore this month?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This post addresses ALSC Core Competency<\/a> <\/em>#6: Administrative and Management Skills <\/strong>and ALSC Core Competency #7: Professionalism and Professional Development<\/strong><\/em>. Featured image created by Jaime Eastman, ALSC member.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jaime Eastman is a senior Public Services Librarian and Early Learning Coordinator at the Harrington Library, one of the Plano (Texas) Public Library locations<\/a>. Jaime is also working on at least two ambitious cross-stitch projects, dreaming of future travel plans, and reading far too many books. As a child, she wanted to grow up to be an author. Writing for the blog and publishing with Children and Libraries<\/em> feels like a good start, and she regrets nothing about her adult decision to be a librarian doing storytimes, who didn\u2019t have to grow up too much.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This year, I’m viewing “traditional” New Year’s resolutions through a library lens. This year’s resolutions include ways to exercise more, live life to the fullest, eat healthier, lose weight, save money, and get organized. This month, we’re focusing on ourselves and different ways to learn new skills. Library programs are all about connecting patrons to ideas and resources to build their skills, but are we doing enough to support ourselves and our staff? Staff does their best work when they feel supported, prepared, and empowered to learn. We must create cultures that support continuous learning and meaningful growth beyond mandatory training. We’ll discuss ways to find and build meaningful, actionable training that inspires your staff and helps your library thrive. Learning doesn’t stop when we have a particular title or have hosted a certain program. Thoughtful training opportunities create more resilient staff, stronger programs, and better experiences for everyone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":378,"featured_media":36521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1612,2650,1613],"tags":[1003,119,3329,2846,320],"class_list":["post-36236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-administrative-and-management-skills","category-blogger-jaime-eastman","category-professionalism-and-professional-development","tag-continuing-education","tag-professional-development","tag-staff-development","tag-staff-training","tag-training"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/378"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36236\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}