12th ALIA National Library Technicians Conference
9-12 September 2003
Bridging services - embracing reality

Training the trainee and learning myself

Jennifer Parker, library technician, Southbank Institute of TAFE

Introduction

Lifelong learning is synonymous with the library industry. It is something that has increased in importance to me, particularly in the past couple of years. My library technician studies commenced late in life, when I was working as a teacher aide in a primary school library, as a result of others urging me to study. My goal was to increase the number of hours that I was employed. Halfway through the course, our family relocated to Brisbane and so I applied for library work here. Southbank Institute of TAFE offered me a temporary position for four days a week which I happily accepted. After another two years of part time study, I graduated from Edith Cowan University and was looking forward to more leisure time. I was offered a full time permanent position which I reluctantly, at first, accepted. Now, I discovered that I had a desire to learn and be challenged. Opportunities of attending various professional development sessions came my way. I joined ALIA Queensland library Technicians Group and attended many of the activities offered. Eventually I took office, becoming treasurer and subsequently convenor of the group. Some of the librarians at work were undertaking Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training and I became interested in the course as I had some vague idea that I could contribute to the education of library staff. For a number of years I put this course down on my professional development requests. One of Southbank's libraries employed a trainee and I lobbied my campus manager to investigate the feasibility of employing one on our campus and offered to be the supervisor. I was eager to try something new and challenging. This paper addresses my experience as a supervisor and where that has led me.

Supervising a Trainee

At the beginning of 2002 the Southbank Campus library engaged a library trainee for two reasons

• To have another person to help with customer service thus allowing the library technicians to become more involved in reference work and other projects.
• To give someone the opportunity of experiencing work in general and working in a library in particular.

The process started a few months before when I was involved in determining what the position would entail and what skills and characteristics were required of the trainee so the GTO (Group Training Organisation) could advertise for and interview candidates. As Southbank TAFE would be the Host Employer I also needed to liaise with our Human Resources department. The GTO actually employed the trainee and looked after the time sheets, pay and leave records and furnished us with an invoice. A panel interviewed a number of candidates and we chose our trainee being careful not to choose someone who said they loved reading books. Our main criteria were that they really wanted to help people and use computers. Also involved was the Southbank library Studies Unit because Southbank TAFE was the SRTO (Supervising Registered Training Organisation) who would provide the supervision and assessment so that the qualification, Certificate II in library and Information Studies, could be attained. This was my first learning experience: Finding out what roles all these people played so that a trainee was able to commence.

My role as supervisor required me to mould the teenager into a valuable library worker. This was different from supervising work placements of library students who had some study behind them. I was aware that I must not overwhelm but keep the interest of our young worker.

Shelving

I had to find ways of teaching the intricacies of Library of Congress shelving. This was the first job to be mastered, as it was to be the first job of every day. I resorted to asking for suggestions on the library technicians e-list and received replies directing me to web sites of universities which were explaining the Library of Congress classification system to their students. There was even one that had a self-assessment which was more what I was wanting to use. So our trainee started shelving in one section of the collection and by lying down the books I was able to follow her later, put them upright and check her accuracy. In this way I was able to find the areas that were giving difficulty and explain again and more fully the traps within the system for making mistakes. Gradually we moved through the collection until I was confident that our trainee could shelve as accurately as I could and would tidy and straighten the collection and reshelve the whole shelf if that was what it needed, to our high standards. Our trainee shelved a trolley a day which after a few months was taking about 40 minutes. I had asked our library technicians to make sure they left this amount and they had to curb the instinct to get in and do it themselves and get it completed early. I limited the amount as I did not want to turn our trainee off shelving and indeed there was plenty of evidence early that this was not her favourite task

Technology

Many of our queries are for assistance with technology. Our trainee quickly learned how to help our clients with photocopying and also how to add value to their account using their student card and the 'auto loader'. The system at Southbank Libraries uses a multi-function device for photocopying and printing from the internet computers. Students all needed help to print, at least the first time, despite detailed instructions being displayed. This was something our trainee was able to assist with and also with the times when the system was erratic or just not working and clients need to have alternative solutions or at least sympathy. Like most young people our trainee was computer and internet savvy and was able to assist our clients with logging on using their student number and changing their password. Again there were signs displayed but clients just prefer a person to help or better still do it for them. So our trainee had to be restrained from doing it and encouraged to instruct the clients. With searching the internet, I found that her experience was mainly recreational and she needed to be directed towards more educational and academic type search engines and sites and needed to assess the value of the information found. Southbank Libraries also have electronic journals and databases and an electronic reserve collection for which a password is required so our trainee was able to help our clients log into these. Again all this had to be instructional so that our clients would become better researchers.

The library system - C2

I also had to demonstrate the use of the library computer system and have her shadow me on the circulation desk, observing what I did technically and how I interacted with the clients. We started with returns and the importance that they be performed accurately so as not to give our clients any cause for complaint. The flags and the necessary procedures to be followed were explained as they arose. The peculiarities of the library system were explained and experienced and the physical procedures that are followed for reservations, invoiced and missing items and those requiring repairs were learned. At the front desk, we moved on to Issuing and an explanation of how the system was programmed to issue a different number of items and different items to different clients. The relationship between the borrower database and the items database was discussed and amendments made to the borrower database to keep it current. The overdue and reservation traps were the first to be encountered, so this lead to renewals and reservation processing. Other traps followed and our trainee needed to understand the system and deal with the exceptions and problems. Along the way our trainee had learned to search the database to locate material and had been introduced to the library catalogue, which is available over the web, and now she was able to assist clients with its operation. After about four weeks of working with me, she was rostered on to two circulation shifts a day for approximately two hours each but always with another library technician who would be working alongside her ready to assist if needed.

Customer Service

During this time our trainee was observing my performance with our clients so I was particular to be a good role model. I hope I always give good customer service but I was extremely aware that she was learning my phraseology and mannerisms. At Southbank Campus library we have a very diverse student population. There are many for whom English is a second language, so very often one has to repeat oneself, preferably in a different way so that mutual understanding is reached. We have to remember that some of our migrant students are well educated, highly qualified people in their homeland and they are learning English to enable them to gain work in Australia. We also have to remember that many of our ELICOS students (English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students), like all young people will push the boundaries and see what they can get away with in the library. Some of our students are returning to study after many years and are extremely daunted by the idea of using a library, let alone technology. Our clients also include the teaching and administration staff who have different expectations of the library. Another aspect of customer service to be mastered was answering the telephone and responding appropriately to the caller. This was one task she did not want to perform but eventually after some strong encouragement and some books and videos on telephone technique she was able to do this very well.

Policy and Procedures

The library website was thoroughly investigated to learn about our circulation policy, staffing, opening hours, links to the information available for different courses, electronic course material, etc. Relevant sections of the C2 manual which came in 1998 with the system, were examined and compared with the system at present which has been upgraded many times. The Circulation Desk Manual was also examined and we were able to locate areas where I could identify that the lending policy had changed but the manual was not up to date. Once she had received her log on to the computer system, our administration files had to been explained so that she could perform Word, Excel and e-mail tasks.

Knowledge of Southbank Institute of TAFE and its culture

The Institute website also needed to be examined so that our trainee was familiar with Southbank Institute of TAFE and what we offer to our students. By looking at the range of courses offered, she was able to appreciate the differences between the campuses and the students. She attended an induction day for new staff learning about the vision of SBIT, the organisational structure, the Code of Ethics, occupational health and safety responsibilities and staff associations. A photo identification badge made her feel like a 'real' employee. Our trainee also learned how to make enquiries of the student records database so she could check for information which our library system had not downloaded correctly.

End Processing

Obviously, our trainee would not be shelving and serving clients for the whole day, so we embarked on the end processing of our new items and repairs. We located the Technical Services Manual and the end processing instructions for the varying item types that form our collection and starting with books she was introduced to security bugs, stickers, stamps, spine labels and covering. Subsequently, she became familiar with processing videos, audio cassettes, CD-ROMs, CDs, DVDs and kits. This was something that she enjoyed doing and very soon we were getting into trouble for moving items or equipment and she took ownership of that task and the area where it was performed. The repairs involved stapling, gluing, taping, drilling, sewing, rebinding and repackaging. The emphasis was on getting them back into use. As a TAFE library we do not preserve or conserve because our collection is required to be current to meet the needs of the courses.

Certificate II in library and Information Services

We had been supplied with a logbook (the official record of the traineeship) and a competency information extract which looked like the same information in a different form. I became somewhat familiar with the terms 'units of competence', 'elements', 'performance criteria' and 'critical aspects of evidence' from the logbook. From the extra information in the competency information extract i read about things titled 'range of variables' and 'evidence guide'. I decided the important section was the 'method and context of assessment' which listed the types of evidence of competence that we needed to collect so that our trainer and assessor would be able to sign off the units in the logbook. Our Morningside campus library had experience with trainees and I was given the programme that had been used there. I made some minor adjustments to fit in with our campus library and after the probationary period and when our trainee was comfortable with her tasks I introduced the study and assessment programme to fulfil the requirements of the logbook. The trainee did not attend classes so she was entitled to at least that time as study time. So we rostered into her timetable a three-hour block for study.

The seven units of competency in Certificate II are

• Assist clients to use an information service effectively
• Assist with the maintenance of service area
• Develop own information literacy skills
• Manage own work performance and learning
• Prepare, process and store resources
• Assist with circulation services
• Assist with programs, activities and promotions

We were lucky to have easy access to training material from Morningside campus library which holds the collection for library trainees and the library technician's course. Of course, all trainees can borrow from our libraries but for us it was available via the daily courier box. Other general training material on such topics as customer service, telephone technique, teamwork, interpersonal skills was readily available in our own library. So our trainee progressed through the course. We provided worksheets, supervisor's reports, observation checklists, questions and her answers and reports prepared by our trainee as evidence of her progress. These were assessed by the library studies area of Southbank Institute of TAFE at various intervals and in the end she was deemed competent and was awarded the qualification. I felt I was deemed competent as a supervisor as a consequence, so we celebrated together by going out to lunch. We both had learned so much in the twelve months. I was indebted to the other staff members who supported me as the supervisor and never tried to usurp my authority with our trainee. The sad part was that there was no possibility of employing our trainee at the end of the twelve months. All parties right from the beginning understood this and so we held a farewell morning tea and said goodbye to our trainee who was looking forward to a holiday.

Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training

Towards the end of 2002, I was given the opportunity of completing Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training. How I wish I had done it earlier, although all that I had struggled to learn along the way now made it easier for me to understand the requirements of the course and in particular the Training Package.

In the training classes I was to complete units of competency called

• Train small groups
• Plan and promote a training program
• Plan a series of training sessions
• Deliver training sessions and
• Review training.

We were encouraged and required to speak to the class, and use a white board and an overhead projector while presenting our personal information and findings of our group work. My first training session was a one to one demonstration and practice session of rebinding a book. It went over time because everyone in the class was so interested they asked many questions. My second training session was entitled 'How to design great looking materials for promotion' which incorporated a PowerPoint presentation. These training sessions were directly related to two elements from Certificate II in Library and Information services - repair material and assist with the preparation of information and materials for promotion.

The assessment side of the course sounded like it would be easier as it only had three units

• Plan assessment,
• Conduct assessment and
• Review assessment.

The role of the assessor was discussed along with dimensions of competency, key competencies and the three performance levels. The importance of documenting evidence of assessment and all that passed between an assessor and a student was emphasised so that the organisation for which the assessor works has proof of how decisions are made for audit purposes. So we planned assessment of a unit of competency. I chose prepare, process and store resources. We were to use three methods of assessment - workplace observation, questioning and 3rd party report from employer, which were suitable evidence for the unit, I had chosen. We prepared templates to be used for recording the information and wrote fifteen questions in a variety of forms (multiple choice, true/false, short answer, rank order, matching) making sure they were open and probing and not closed and leading. We also prepared much more documentation for many different purposes. So armed with all this paperwork I prepared to conduct the assessment the correct way that I had learned. I contacted my workplace and organised to visit the trainee to observe her work and administer the questions and collect the 3rd party report from management. As a result, I decided that she was competent and consulted with a fellow assessor on the result. I reviewed the assessment, made some alterations and followed the procedure again with another staff member who also proved competent which was to be expected as she is a fully qualified library technician. For the 'review assessment' unit we were given a review process to follow and exhausted by this time I doggedly followed the outline provided reporting on the assessment. A copy was supplied to the employer of the candidates and I was finished the course. I was deemed competent and received my Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training and was extremely thankful for the wonderful support that I had received from my colleagues at Southbank Campus library.

A new challenge

Not long after I had finished this certificate, Southbank Institute of TAFE advertised for a workplace training officer in the library studies area. Having just passed through a busy time of work and study, I tried to ignore the position as it would involve a lot of work writing to the selection criteria which were not necessarily library based and also learning about the trainee system more fully and from another angle. I wrestled with myself as I was very happy in my position at Southbank Campus library and really looking forward to supervising another trainee with the experience gained from supervising the first and the assessment and workplace training experience. On enquiring about the position, I learned that I would be visiting trainees in libraries in South East Queensland and helping them and their supervisors complete either Certificate II or Certificate III in library and information studies by offering training and advice about how they could fulfil the requirements and assessing the evidence that they presented. The other side of the job was organising the industry placements for the diploma students and visiting them while they are doing the placement. I felt fairly confident about Certificate II having spent the last twelve months learning to understand it. Using new skills gained from my recent course I examined Certificate III on the training package website, http://www.ntis.gov.au and learned that students were required to complete twelve of the thirteen units in this certificate. With my working experience, I felt I could become confident to train in and assess these units. They are

• The first five units from Certificate II,
• Participate in a work team,
• Use bibliographic methods,
• Use multimedia equipment,
• Train small groups, in which I had just been deemed competent,
• Accession and process resources,
• Contribute to promotional programs and activities for clients,
• Process orders,
• Respond to requests from other information providers for material.

As for organising industry placements, well this had obviously been done in previous years, so I would be able to follow the system. I had enjoyed my placements as a student and felt I could encourage the students and check that they were receiving the opportunities they needed to complete their logbooks. I finally decided to throw my hat in the ring as I felt that in a few years I might regret not trying for what was a promotion and a career change.

So I embarked on a new learning area and found out about project management, user choice, NACs, and QAS. A good weekend was spoilt by writing to the selection criteria explaining my highly developed project management skills, proving my problem solving skills, my highly developed communication, negotiation, consultation and interpersonal skills as evidenced by significant achievement in networking. The hardest selection criterion for me to address was on about User Choice. To do so I asked for help from staff within Southbank Institute such as the user choice co-ordinator and another workplace training officer. They provided me with the multi-paged desk manual on procedures to be followed and brochures and directed to a website http://www.training.qld.gov.au. So I learned about the User Choice Agreement in Queensland and read all the Fact Sheets and FAQs. By adding an updated version of my previous OHS, EEO, quality assurance and anti- discrimination answers my application was ready to be submitted. When I received a call about attending an interview I was very satisfied. That meant that I had done a good job at responding to the selection criteria. At the interview, I tried to recall all this new terminology and knowledge and also convince the interview panel that I would represent Southbank Institute of TAFE well in my dealings with libraries. Naturally, I have no idea what my competition was like but I was offered the job.

The 2003 trainee

The Southbank Campus library had been through the process of interviewing candidates for the trainee position and when the new trainee commenced at Southbank Campus library I had an idea that I was being considered for the workplace training officer position, as my referee had been contacted. So it was February, probably one of the busiest times of the library year with new students commencing their studies and I have a new trainee and possibly a new job. Thankfully, our new trainee is a wonder girl. I talked, demonstrated, illustrated, gave practice opportunities as I had learned in the Certificate IV course and felt like I was downloading selected parts of my fifteen years of library knowledge in three weeks. At that time, I was able to feel confident that our trainee could shelve, serve customers on the circulation desk, assist them to find information and help with the technology and very importantly record the required off-air broadcasts which was something I had not included in the workload of the previous trainee. Apparently she has risen to the occasion and been wonderful at filling the gap I left until a replacement was engaged and has progressed in all areas of library work. I will enjoy continuing her training and deeming her competent for her Certificate II when the time comes.

Workplace training officer

So I have been seconded to the position of workplace training officer, library studies unit, Morningside Campus of Southbank Institute of TAFE with a long list of trainees to advise, train and assess including the one I had just left at Southbank Campus library. Our trainees are employed in public libraries, State library of Queensland, university and TAFE libraries, government department libraries, high school and primary school libraries. The requirement is that there is at least one library qualified staff member to supervise the trainee and that they have the facilities to provide training. My brief is to visit the trainee and supervisor five times during the year and contact by phone every other month thus providing advice and training for them and signing off the units as they are completed. During the year I receive worksheets for marking and feedback.

Signing up

Southbank Institute of TAFE are requested to be the supervising registered training organisation (SRTO) to work with the trainee and library and often a group training organisation as well to ensure the trainee receives full training and eventually the qualification. The first visit is the sign up visit when the official paperwork is completed and signed by all parties. I then explain to both the trainee and the supervisor how to use the logbooks and workbooks that are supplied. The first questions asked are how to complete the Logbook and what evidence needs to be produced to meet the requirements of the performance criteria. They are urged to read the Competency Information which explains the Range of Variables suggesting how the training can be undertaken in all kinds of libraries. As you can imagine, there are very different clients, equipment and procedures in different types of libraries.

Visits

So the subsequent visits are at three monthly intervals at approximately the 3, 6, 9 and 12 months mark. I have found that often the same information needs to be repeated as the supervisor or trainee is uncertain how to proceed for a particular element or performance criteria. It is satisfying for all to see the units progressively completed and signed off. The last visit signals the end of the traineeship so all the units of competency and the underpinning knowledge and skills need to be completed so the certificate can be issued.

Some of our trainees are school based and are attempting Certificate II in library and Information Services while completing Years 11 and 12 at high school. They generally work in a library one day a week and often do extra work during school holidays to complete the required number of days for the traineeship. So I communicate with these trainees for two years and I am looking forward to observing how they have developed and matured as library workers over that period.

It is rewarding to telephone and receive enthusiastic reports on progress. Trainees often answer the telephone and when I identify myself they very often tell me how much they are enjoying their work and how happy they are that they have the traineeship. Supervisors mostly sing their praises emphasising how valuable they have become. Sometimes, they report of some difficulty or problem and how it has been solved. Supervisors usually have taken on the role as an extra workload so it is important they feel that it is a job worth doing and that it gives them sense of achievement too.

At the end of the traineeship, some have gained employment or part time employment with their training library. Some have decided that they are now ready for further study and proceed to university. Some have to join the unemployed looking for work but at least they have proved that they can hold a job for 12 months and have earned a qualification. Customer service, teamwork and attention to detail skills gained throughout the traineeship will help in many other industries besides libraries.

Industry placements

Another part of the job is organising industry placements of three weeks duration for the Diploma students and visiting them while on the placement. This I am working on currently and enjoy helping the students decide the type of library in which they wish to do the placement. The first placement is a general familiarisation with how a library operates and is most often completed in a school or public library. The second placement involves commencing a project and seeing it through to completion and is often completed in a special library, university library or the State library of Queensland. While the students make preliminary enquiries about a workplace I need to negotiate with library managers the details of our requirements. During July 2003 I will be visiting their placements and checking on their progress and helping with any difficulties that may have arisen. I am sure that this will provide me with more valuable experience and information to enhance my ability to perform in this position of workplace training officer.

Conclusion

So my journey of lifelong learning has continued. I am amazed when I think about the past eighteen months and how much I have experienced. I have learned about supervising a trainee and how that makes you examine and question every detail of every job you perform. It was during this time I needed to use my coaching, counselling and motivational skills. I have proved that I can study and complete a very intensive course to gain Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training. This developed my assessment, presentation and questioning skills. I have learned that I need to rely on assertiveness, feedback, listening and negotiation skills when dealing with a variety of people with different requirements of me in my current position.

I have certainly learned a lot about libraries. Firstly, I have learned to find them in areas of South East Queensland with which I am unfamiliar. Secondly, I enjoy looking at the library while I am visiting and discovering how the same things are done so differently in different libraries and how hard people work to keep their library attractive to clients. Thirdly, I have found the supervisors and the managers to be extremely helpful, friendly people who are very interested and concerned in the education of library workers so that clients receive excellent service. I suppose that is what we as a profession do so well - help people.