DETERMINING AND MEETING PERSONAL TRAINING NEEDS.

OCCUPATIONAL training; LIBRARY personnel; JOB descriptions; PUBLIC libraries

NEWPORT News (Va.); VIRGINIA

The article describes the process undergone by the Newport News Public Library Center, Virginia in developing and designing its training modules. By using job description analysis and supervisory input, the library was able to determine the processes that staff members used to accomplish their duties. A comprehensive analysis allowed it to specify the level of technology training needed for each classification. Many of our staff members entered the world of libraries from different occupations, so their mastery of computer skills was different from classification to classification. Even within the same branch, individuals' computer abilities varied widely. After determining the knowledge, skills and abilities that were needed for each job classification, the training curriculum was developed. In developing the course objectives, which are outlined on each curriculum, particular skills that trainees needed to master for each individual course that they completed were defined. The training objectives were also used to create the pretest and post-test assessments. By administering pretest and post-test assessments, the library was able to evaluate the percentage of change in each individual's performance. Finally, the library maintains records in a Microsoft Access database which were kept for reporting purposes.