This Those of you who were in my Web 2.0 for patrons presentation might remember a woman in the audience mentioning the classes she teaches at her library. I promised to get with her and share the follow up. I emailed her and found out that Liz Hubert is a Adult Services Librarian at the Barrington Area Library in Illinois This is the information Liz shared with me. We do not currently have a wiki or a blog for our patrons, the program is entirely face to face and people can take (or choose not to take!) what they wish. Very shortly, we’re going to be putting videos of all of our classes on our webpage. Those will be linked with handouts so that people can watch the class and follow a written description at the same time. I choose classes to teach based on the popularity of the service or website, how often I have questions about it at the desk, and how useful I think it will be to our patrons. I take a very basic approach to all of these classes. Unless I’ve noted otherwise, in each session (usually an hour) I help students set up accounts and show them
Posts Tagged ‘ classes ’
Wednesday – A day in the life of a librarian
Wednesday 7/9/08 Tonight is one of my late days because computer/internet classes are tonight. Nikki & I take turns teaching a series of classes that vary from basic to advanced. Tonight Nikki is teaching Microsoft Word so I get to be Vanna, assisting, troubleshooting & helping patrons when they run into a problem. I get up and after making coffee, check all email accounts from home. Then since I don’t have to be at work until this afternoon I try to relax so I a play video game. When I get too frustrated because I’m dying I check FriendFeed and Twitter and see Lori Reed has created a wiki for the Day in the Life idea.! awesome! Apparently I do have the ability to start a meme. I pretty much waste the morning though, it’s hard to be productive in the mornings when I work that night. At noon I arrive in the office, check my email again, send replies, forward etc. I send an email to a database vendor thanking him for the personal training he gave our staff last month and ask him about database stats, Then I head across the street, (library staff work in two different buildings) to talk with the Head Reference Librarian. Just
Are other libraries teaching patrons about blogging?
I’m taking a break from the video game (PS2) I’m playing, to write this, because even though I tell myself the hard parts teach me patient and perseverance, they really make my head want to explore. Last night I finally taught the rescheduled Introduction to Blogging class I was supposed to teach in May. I really love these classes and even better, patrons love them too. They get hands on experience and one on one time with a library staff remember. I usually spend the first half hour explaining things and giving demonstrations, then for the last half we do hands-on. Nikki teachs half of the series so when we’re not teaching we’re assisting the other person, because hands-on time for 15 people really does require 2 instructors. The last half hour always turns into an hour and sometimes an hour & half. The powerpoint and handouts only tell part of the story, the rest is demonstration, answering questions and assisting people with account set up. Being flexible is the most important part, you don’t know the skill level of the people in the class and you can have a wide range, you’ve got to be able to cover enough so everyone feels like they are learning. I’m really
Computer/Internet Classes for Patrons
MRRL is getting ready to kick off it’s new serious of computer/internet classes for the public. I’ve agreed to teach half of them, so I’ve been busy working on presentations and plans. I wonder how this will be different from teaching other Librarians. Here’s my list of classes, any tips or suggestions? Introduction to Blogging: Learn the basics of blogging – We’ll cover, what is a blog, how to find blogs you’d like to read, how to start a blog and basic blog etiquette. Find Your Friends on Facebook :An introduction to Facebook, a social website used to find and stay in touch with old and new friends. Online Picture Sharing : Learn the basics of storing and sharing your pictures on the internet. Using an online photos site is a great back up of your digital pictures! Discover New Library Resources : Explore the many online resources the library offers access to. Introduction to many of our databases and the best way to search them. The Basics of Internet Safety : Want to be involved with the new, fun sites you’re hearing about but wonder how safe they are? Want to know more about the sites your children are
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