Consolidation of repetitive tasks related to student employment.  This provides uniform policies and procedures, and reduces staff hours allocated to these tasks.

Deliverable:

• User services student supervisors work as team to find commonalities in the process
• Document timelines (numbers needed, when, hiring process, training)
• Agree upon common payroll policy, scheduling tools, advertising, hiring, & training
• Identify areas of difference between work groups – and document these as well

Outcome:

• Stress reduction by providing redundancy & supporting one another
• Anticipate consolidation of service points
• Standardize process
• Resource sharing

Delivery:

Complete – Fall 2010

Milestones:

• Ongoing: Continuing customer service training
• February 2010:
  Spring hires – team consulting with one another during job posting, interview, hiring, paperwork process
• Summer 2010:
  Create a secondary training for overlaps in job descriptions

Resources:

1. Who is involved:
   Student supervisors for Library Circulation, branches, reserves, helpdesk, media services.
   Currently – Elin, Todd, Dan, Kellam, Shawn, & Stewart.
2. Time:
   mostly the same as in the past, but allow for initial organizational meetings, and a bit more time when advertising, interviewing & hiring.  Time required determined by team allocation of tasks to members.  Little if any additional money or materials – depending on team choices.
   Team approach will allow sharing of responsibilities with common resources – avoiding current challenges when staff are not available for these tasks.

Viability:

• We have already demonstrated part of this goal with the current shared customer service training.  The rest is an extension of the same concept.
• Challenges: buy-in of supervisors, finding shared time to work together
• Opportunity: use of common tools (e.g. scheduling)

Deliverable
-Develop an ongoing program to learn “FIVE NEW THINGS” in TEN WEEK time chunks
-Menu of FIVE THINGS” that evolves to match new tech trends and directions
-Self-paced; self-scheduled menu of learning platform choices to suit schedules and work demands – web-based; workshops; 1:1 and small group tutorials
-Menu of modules to choose from – with Liberal Arts model of distribution areas, requirements and electives; with a focus on tangible tools and practical, applicable know-how
-System to track accomplishments and incorporate into performance process

Possible menu of competency modules:
-Blogging – read, comment, publish; rss; tagging
-Wiki – add a page; edit a page; be able to seach and find documentation; tagging
-Library Resources -how to search Library data-bases and catalog
-Print/copy – troubleshooting
-Smart classroom – troubleshooting; how-to
-Personal computing
-Photo and image – search, edit, resources
-Web bookmarking tools
-Web-based/cloud applications and computing
-Podcasts, video, streaming, music
-Personal web pages -iGoogle; Drupal profiles ; College Directory
-Real-time trends – twitter etc.
-Geo and location
-Mobile computing
-Social Gaming
-Personal privacy issues
-Social web

Outcome
-Stay current with trends in library and information services
-Develop a “Change ready” attitute
-Gain confidence in ability to learn new tools
-Bridge LIS work areas
-Decrease fear of learning new things
-Open minds to new ideas
-Encourage discovery and innovation in the workplace
-Encourage staff to explore new tech with an eye to integrating into daily work
-Engage in activities to inspire imagination, curiosity
-Learning as its own reward
-Have fun
-Collaboration across User Services and LIS
-Foster team ethic
-Share knowledge – learn and teach
-Create an environment and have expectations for staff to work together
-Develop generalist knowledge of LIS resources and tools; and emerging technologies

Delivery
-Inventory skills; identify experts – May ‘10
-Develop the list of competency modules – July ‘10
-Create a system of MY FIVE THINGS to track individual and group progress – July ’10
-Every staff member in User Services contracts to accomplish at least 5 modules from menu – Sept ‘10
-Celebrate the accomplishments – Sept ‘10
-Evaluate and assess program – what worked/did not? Re-evaluate effectiveness of program, system, platform – go/no go of program – Nov ‘10
-If go –develop new menu offerings – Jan ‘11

Resources
-Align with newly formed Training Team to support leaning opportunities
-Partner with Web Team to learn about WordPress and Media wiki
-Curriciular Technology Team as a resource for identifying new technology learning meeds
-Internal “experts” identified to direct learning modules
-Collaborate with LIS Liaison program

Viability
-Minimum outcome – all US staff exposed to 5 new skills
-Maximum outcome – 50% US staff exceed goal – and go beyond the 5 new things
-Low cost – potential to tap into existing low cost/free resources and tools
-Flexible
-Partnering across User Services
-Non-threatening, self-paced, self-scheduled learning
-Realistic – 5 small steps at a time
-Allows participation by all
-Fun and productive; self-motivating
Possible barriers:
-Changing LIS org structure
-Time
-Pressing demands of day-to-day work
-Fewer staff resources