Developing Library Staff Through Work-Based Learning

The topic of staff development is not new to the world of library work and its need in today's information organization is no less pressing. But how can a manager hope to attract and maintain a skilled workforce in the face of financial constraints, declining or flattened budgets, and downsizing initiatives? Developing Information and Library Staff Through Work-Based Learning presents not only the rationale but the tools and techniques necessary for adopting a Work-Based Learning (WBL) approach. WBL is centered on the principle that learning takes place in all areas of life, not just in the classroom, such that learning-on-the-job is not only rewarding for the staff but for the manager as well. Thus, claims author Barbara Allan, it is ideally suited to library and information organization settings. First published in the UK in 1999, Developing Information and Library Staff Through Work-Based Learning has been revised and updated for a North American audience by management expert Barbara Moran. Now, as then, it offers resourceful, alternative approaches to staff development, with a plethora of ideas to expand your staff's skill sets.

Barbara Moran is professor at the School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is also the co-author of the widely used textbook Management of Libraries and Information Agencies (Libraries Unlimited), the sixth edition of which was published in September 2002. Barbara Allan is a Senior Lecturer in student learning and management learning at the Hull University Business School, UK. Her previous experience includes management of academic and workplace libraries. She is also the author E-Learning and Teaching in Library and Information Services (Facet Publishing, 2002).