Teaching & Training

Providing opportunities to teach and train patrons is an opportunity to promote your skills as well as the library, and to reinforce brand identity and messaging. Consider what level of knowledge and skill your target audience will already have, as well as the demographics of your target audience: for example, you may wish to target school groups, adult learners, or people who are experts in their field.

Below are some promotional methods, vehicles and activities which are recommended to promote library services and staff skills through teaching and training.

Learning materials
Produce learning materials based on collection items.

Outreach kits
Develop outreach kits or teaching collections to take to other locations containing facsimile reproductions of documents or non-rare copies of material which can be removed from the library and used for situations such as classroom instruction.

Point of difference
Use unique or unusual collection items as teaching moments which compel inquiry and discussion.

Presentations and workshops
Promote and impart staff expertise on topics relevant to services the library offers or items in the collection. For example, training could be offered on using subscribed databases or accessing eJournals; using the library catalogue; or advanced search techniques on Google.

Professional development
Develop a programme targeting a particular profession that could be considered as a professional development opportunity.

Talks
Offer to give talks to interested parties, such as local history societies and adult education classes.

Tours
Tours are an effective method of imparting knowledge to patrons.

Tutorials
Create screencasts or video tutorials guiding patrons through various aspects of your website, blog, or other online resource. Free tools are available, such as Screencast-O-Matic and Jing.

Videos
Create a training or informational video to inform and educate on topics relevant to services the library offers or items in the collection.

Webinars
Webinars are a useful tool particularly when many of your clients and patrons are remote to the library. Offer live webinars for online audiences, also make them available online or by request after the fact.