Rita Vine and Cheryl Stenstom are back this fall with their
popular courses for your professional development.
Did I Answer Your Question? Techniques to Recharge Your
Reference Interview
4
week online course starting Monday, September 20, 2010
Instructor: Rita Vine
About the course:
Wouldn’t
you like your library users to tell you what they really want when they ask you
for help? Do you ever spend time looking for an answer to the question the user
asked and then have to backtrack and start over when you discover what the real
question is? You will acquire ways to learn, observe, and practice the key
elements of a good reference interview so that you can have more satisfying and
successful reference encounters. You will undertake a variety of exercises that
will help you quickly size up your customer’s wants and needs. Emphasis will be
placed on creating and using different types of questions in different
scenarios. You’ll learn ways to guide users to solutions with advice,
recommendations, and negotiations. You will acquire new pieces of behavior you
can apply the very next day.
About the instructor:
Rita
Vine is a senior medical reference librarian at the University of Toronto.
Prior to returning to the University full-time in 2006, she was an independent
training consultant to corporations, libraries, and library associations,
specializing in effective Web and on-line search techniques. Since 2002, Rita
has developed and delivered both instructor-led and on-line courses related to
the reference interview. Rita's courses distill the research on reference
effectiveness into practical, learnable techniques that, when mastered, enhance
the reference process and make delivering information service more satisfying
and meaningful to both patrons and library staff.
Read more about the course
and register: Reference Interview Techniques
Supervisory Skills for Library Staff
6 week online course starting Monday, September 27, 2010
Instructor:
Cheryl Stenstrom
About the course:
For
first-time supervisors and staff new to the library workplace, supervising and
leading can be a daunting task. In addition to working with customers,
supervisors need to deal with administration, staff motivation and performance
management. This six week on-line course is a mix of practical exercises and
management theory and will give anyone new to libraries or those needing a
refresher a chance to strengthen their skills as a team leader.
About the instructor:
Cheryl
Stenström is a student in the San José State University's Gateway PhD program.
During the past decade, she has developed and delivered on-line and face-to-face
sessions in BC, Ontario and Nova Scotia on such diverse topics as on-line
safety and identity theft, Web development, legal information searching,
services for patrons with print disabilities, and public library management. As
a consultant, she has provided advice and support to public libraries and
academic libraries on management, board and technology issues, reference
database training, and services to persons with disabilities. Cheryl has been a
reference librarian, an audiobook publisher and the CEO of a regional library
and currently teaches in BC's Community Library Training Program and San José
State University's MLIS program. She is also a member of the Canadian Library
Association's Executive Council.
Read more about the course
and register: Supervisory Skills for Library Staff
Liz Kerr
Education Director
Ontario Library Association
50 Wellington St. E. Suite 201
Toronto, M5E 1C8
T. 416-363-3388, ext 32
F. 416-941-9581
Education Institute, Canada
Professional Education Network, United States