The Learning Curriculum is a comprehensive learning plan that focuses on individual and organizational advancement. This plan is for all library staff to develop the skills needed to become members of teams and to improve the way we operate as an organization. The Learning Curriculum is comprised of ten components which in turn include a number of modules. The learning plan covers approximately 150 contact hours.

Components of the Learning Curriculum

• Introduction: Development of the Organization
• Defining Customer Service
• Measurement, Evaluation and Continuous Improvement for Planning and Decision-Making
• Development of Self, Teams and Workgroups
• Exploring Leadership
• Individual Improvement
• Computer Skills
• Library Basic Skills
• Leadership Development
• Train-the-Trainer

1. The UM Libraries' Customer Service Philosophy

What does quality service mean in the UM Libraries? The value of shaping effective customer service and the role staff plays in the delivery of service will be presented in this module.
Length: Two hours

2. Working with Each Other: The Internal Customer Relationship

Participants will engage in an in-depth look at the internal customers - who they are and how they work together. Key skills for developing effective interpersonal relationships will be practiced. Note: This workshop, offered from August 2002-June 2003 is being revised based upon participant feedback. The revised module will cover interpersonal communication and the Helping Relationship.
Length: Three hours

3. Learning From Each Other: Achieving Service Excellence in Dealing With External Customers

External customer service requires the ability to listen to customer queries and negotiate for a successful outcome. These skills in addition to the skills useful in dealing with difficult behaviors and resolving conflicts will be discussed and practiced. Note: This workshop, offered from August 2002-May 2003 is being revised based upon participant feedback. The revised module will cover issues dealing with difficult situations/individuals.
Length: Three hours

1. Creating a Culture of Assessment

This module will investigate the main forces influencing current library goals and work environments and how these forces demand the adoption of new attitudes and thinking and support for structures integral to assessment and evaluation. Participants will practice customer-focused data gathering, and integrating assessment into organizational systems and work activities.
Length: Three hours

2. The Basics of Measurement and Evaluation

Participants will examine the systems thinking approach to evaluation. This workshop will define the purposes of evaluation, provide tools and techniques to design the optimum evaluation strategy, and compare and select the most effective and efficient data-collection methods. Standards and guidelines for achieving results will be explored.
Length: Three hours

3. Measuring and Evaluating Series:

• Programs and Services
• Projects and Work Processes
• Team Performance

A series of hands-on workshops where participants will learn how to apply the tools and techniques of measurement and evaluation to a program, service, project, team performance or work process. In each workshop, participants will identify a specific case and will follow the steps to: design an evaluation strategy, establish an effective data-collection method, set benchmarks, determine reporting mechanisms, define results, and recognize important steps to take upon completion of the process.
Length: Three hours each

4. Grants 101: Grant Proposal Writing

What makes a good proposal? Good proposals stem from good concepts and must be written in sufficient detail to allow reviewers to understand the following: what the project hopes to accomplish, if the project personnel have the necessary expertise to accomplish the goals and objectives, the potential of the project and its cost effectiveness, and the evaluation and dissemination plans. Participants will learn what to do before they write the proposal, and understand the steps in writing the proposal, the review process, and other details that can make a difference. Discussion will include the grant award process and what to do if the proposal is not funded.
Length: Three hours

5. Evaluating Individual Performance

Participants will review the Performance Review and Development process and understand their role in it. They will also learn to write clear, goal-oriented performance objectives. Staff and faculty evaluation measures will be discussed. This module is addressed through the office of the Coordinator of Personnel Programs.
Length: Two hours

Understanding the work of teams and the roles and responsibilities of team leaders and members is an important development process. The Facilitators Team provides team building and group process support to teams, which includes forming ground rules, decision-making, problem solving and the use of tools to improve work efficiency and effectiveness.

2. Giving and Receiving Feedback

A part of the "Summer for Supervisors" series introduced in 2003, this session is designed to help supervisors improve their skills at both giving and receiving feedback. This interactive session will allow participants to experience different methods of giving feedback, as well as allowing attendees to create their own "action plan" for skills learned at the session. Although this presentation is designed with supervisors in mind, it is open to anyone interested in attending.
Length: Three hours

3. Conflict Management

Although conflict may be viewed as a destructive force, when it is managed effectively, positive outcomes can result. As part of the "Summer for Supervisors" series, this interactive session, introduced in 2004, focuses on ways supervisors and team leaders can address conflict observed between team members and individuals they directly supervise.
Length: Three hours

4. Rewards in Tough Times

Facilitated by the Staff Ombuds, this session is designed to assist supervisors in learning how to help their staff cope with stress in uncertain times. Techniques for showing appreciation to staff are also covered. Although this presentation is designed with supervisors in mind, it is open to anyone interested in attending.
Length: Two hours

5. Facilitation Skills

The Facilitators Team provides training for all library staff on the use of process improvement tools to assist teams in decision-making, consensus building, and problem-solving. A variety of tools are included: brainstorming, affinity diagram, fishbone diagram, force field analysis, interrelationship diagraph, and how-how diagram.

6. Secrets of Meeting Management

What makes a meeting effective? There are a number of roles that people play and techniques they can use that will result in better meetings. This module discusses ways to improve productivity at meetings, as well as reviewing ways to utilize meeting minutes and evaluations.
Length: Three hours

7. Tapping Creativity: Tools for Problem Solving and Decision Making

Participants will explore creativity and how to effectively tap into it for problem solving and decision-making. An understanding of how to nurture creativity and what can block it will be discussed. This module will also focus on tools such as brain-writing, mind mapping, and metaphorical thinking that can stimulate the flow of creativity.
Length: Three hours

8. Becoming an Effective Coach

The importance of being a good coach is the focus of this module. Participants will understand the coaching process and have an opportunity to practice the skills critical for this role.
Length: Three hours

9. Mentoring Others

Guiding and supporting others through their work and life choices can build an enduring relationship that develops both members. Participants will explore different mentoring styles and the key behaviors necessary for an effective mentoring experience. This component is addressed through the office of the Coordinator of Personnel Programs.
Length: Two Hours

10. Increasing Self-Awareness of Behavioral Style and Preferences

Understanding yourself and how you relate to others is the basis of this module. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is one tool that can be used to increase this understanding. Participants will create a plan for personal development.
Length: Three hours

11. Stress Management

What is stress and what causes it? This workshop will help participants identify signs and symptoms of stress, learn a variety of mental and physical techniques to better manage stress, and develop an action plan to improve stress management skills. Also covered is Wellness - what it is and how it can be achieved.
Length: Three hours

12. Time Management: Work Smarter, Not Harder

There are only so many hours in one day! How do you balance all of your priorities? Participants will discuss tools and techniques for setting and balancing priorities and planning the effective use of time.
Length: Two hours

13. Dealing with Difficult People in the Workplace

This two-part workshop is designed to teach participants to:

• Recognize the characteristics of common difficult behaviors
• Understand why certain behaviors persist, and
• Netralize the behavior in a positive and constructive manner.

1. Understanding Leadership

To be an effective leader in today's world, you must be one who leads others to lead themselves. In this workshop, participants will learn to succeed as a leader by examining the intrinsic leadership potential that lies within. Discussions will focus on qualities that make a self-leader, effective leadership practices, and understanding a preferred leadership style. What is a leader's role and work in a Learning Organization? What are the differences and similarities between leadership and management? Participants will also discuss various organizational structures that support self-leadership such as self-managing teams and distance working.
Length: Three hours

2. Leadership and Shared Leadership in the UM Libraries

This session explores the role and expectations of leaders, the relationship between leadership and followership, and ways to practice shared leadership in the UM Libraries. Participants will examine the range of styles and practices of leaders and followers and how leaders can effectively use power and influence in the organization. Participants will also gain an understanding of leadership as a process and as a relationship with others in the organization.
Length: Six hours

1. Understanding Your Learning Style and Preferences

The Learning Style Inventory will be administered to participants to determine individual learning styles. The test is a statistically reliable and valid, twelve-item assessment tool based on Experiential Learning Theory. It identifies preferred learning styles and explores the opportunities different styles present for problem solving, working in teams, resolving conflict, and communicating at work and home. The Four Learning Styles and their impact on career choices will also be discussed.
Length: Two hours

2. Improve Your Project Management Skills: Managing For Success

This session provides the practical knowledge needed for completing a project successfully. Participants will understand the principles and process of project management and knowledge areas as they are typically applied to the project life cycle. Participants will understand why it is crucial to focus on managing uncertainty and will be introduced to the nine principles "simultaneous managers" use to be more effective in decision-making.
Length: Three hours

3. Presentation Skills

This workshop focuses on stage presence, movement, expression, voice and improvisation. The goal is to expand your communication skills, increase comfort level when speaking to an audience, and to help people become more interactive with your audience when making presentations or providing instruction.
Length: Six hours

4. Safety and Security Measures

In this two-part workshop, you will meet University of Maryland Police Department Officers who will (1) discuss steps to identify problem situations as defined by the UMPD, (2) suggest strategies to institute within each library department to facilitate safety and security, (3) advise how to practice personal safety, and (4) describe limits for enforcing library policy, including knowledge of when to ask for additional assistance. In the second half of the workshop you will interact with members of the Libraries' Safety and Security Committee, who will discuss important safety information outlined in the Libraries' Safety and Security Guidelines.
Length: One and a half hours

5. Sexual Harassment Prevention

This is a required workshop for all library staff, Graduate Assistants and student workers, and is facilitated by the Campus Compliance Officer. In this session, you will learn how to recognize sexual harassment, document incidents, and define quid pro quo and hostile environment harassment as stated by EEOC. Included are issues related to employer liability and resolution procedures available at the University.
Length: Two hours

6. Professional Writing Series

A series of writing workshops is designed to sharpen professional writing skills. Individual classes focus on writing concisely, writing clearly and writing cohesively and avoiding grammar and punctuation errors. Participants will also learn to use an assortment of writing resources such as Strunk and White's The Elements of Style and Hacker's A Pocket Style Manual. Included within these sessions are:

• Straight to the Point: Clear and Concise Writing --updated workshop offered Summer 2003. Original workshop offered January 2001 and February 2002.
• Grammar and Punctuation--offered March 2002

The Learning Curriculum Resource Library, located in McKeldin Room 7111, contains over 40 books and reference guides on topics ranging from Web Development and office applications to public speaking and professional writing. Staff members may borrow any of these materials for quick trouble-shooting or more extensive self-directed training.

Staff Learning and Development provides computer training for staff, in partnership with the Office for Information Technology (OIT) and Library Web Services.

1. Windows Overview

Participants who are new to computers or who would like to understand more about the about the operating system, hardware, and software should take this workshop. The workshop will help participants become comfortable with the mouse and keyboard, the desktop and start menu taskbar, windows, and managing files and folders. Skill exercises follow each new topic and a self-assessment concludes the workshop.
Length: Two Hours

2. Microsoft Office

The following individual workshops comprise sessions devoted to Microsoft Office Suites: Basic and Intermediate Word, Excel Overview and Intermediate Excel, PowerPoint Overview and Intermediate PowerPoint, Publisher Overview, and Access Overview and Intermediate Access. Basic classes are open to people who have never used the program before as well as self-taught users who want to fill gaps in their knowledge. Handouts from these sessions are available online.
Length: Individual workshops vary in length.

Website Tutorials and Guides

Tutorials and guides currently available on the Staff Learning website include: Excel Basics, Internet Clockworks, PowerPoint for Beginners, Intermediate PowerPoint, Word for Beginners, and Intermediate Word. More tutorials will be added to supplement training workshops. A guide to Resources for Web Development is also available.

3. Web Design: HTML

HTML 101: Introduction to HTML teaches the basics of hypertext markup language: what its components are and how to use them to create a Web page. This class is for beginners and for people who are self-taught and want to fill gaps in their knowledge. Participants use HTML tags to create a simple Web page with headers, lists, paragraphs, and hyperlinks.
Length: Two hours

Intermediate HTML I classes are offered for people who already understand basic HTML and want to expand their skills. Intermediate classes focus on topics such as images, tables, nested lists, and named anchors. WebSpinner training is incorporated into HTML workshops on an individual basis.
Length: Two Hours

Library Web Templates teaches users how to work with the templates for the Library's website. Participants will work with three of the templates to learn what changes need to be made for each template.
Length: One and a half hours

5. XML

Presented in collaboration by Digital Collections and Research and Staff Learning and Development, the XML/TEI workshop covers the fundamentals of Extensible Markup Language (XML) as implemented by the encoding scheme used for the majority of humanities projects, the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI; http://www.tei-c.org). The workshop will consist of lectures and a hands-on exercise, and is geared to anyone interested in XML or who feel they might have (or create) an opportunity to work on an XML-related project.
Length: Two Days

4. Web Design: Graphics

Introduction to Adobe Photoshop teaches the basics of preparing a digital image for the Web: cropping, resizing, improving color balance, increasing contrast, adding text to an image, and removing flaws. Intermediate Adobe Photoshop increases participants' flexibility by teaching new options for image enhancement techniques. Participants also learn how to work with multiple images, create image files that appear non-rectangular, and create original graphic designs.
Length: Two Hours

Workshops and modules in this component will cover the variety of basic skills necessary for library staff to do their jobs. A wide range of topics is currently presented on an on-going basis in the area of database training. Tours of library facilities are also given. Workshops dealing with preservation issues will be offered. Future workshops will be offered as needs are identified.
Length: Individual time of sessions will vary.

This component will prepare managers to support organizational change by providing them with the opportunity to learn leadership skills in a collaborative context. Those supervisors and team leaders who have direct responsibility to implement organizational change initiatives will learn how to be more effective leaders. Clarifying individual values, beliefs and assumptions about effective leadership, and examining the new roles and expectations of leadership will be several outcomes of sessions focusing on leadership development. Supervisors and team leaders will identify ways in which they can be consistent in their leadership approach and allow for their individual styles and approaches.

One means of addressing Leadership Development is through the Summer for Supervisors Series, instituted in Summer 2003. Although presentations are designed for supervisors in mind, they are open to anyone interested in attending. Programs within this series include:

• Conflict Management (see Component IV: Development of Self, Teams, and Workgroups)
  
  
• Dealing with Differences (see Component I: Introduction: Development of the Organization)
  
  
• Do You Supervise Students?
  Offered in cooperation with the Career Center, this session is designed to assist supervisors in helping their students learn good work habits and teach them specific duties, as well as encouraging and rewarding them. Student supervisors are allowed opportunities to share best practices and ideas for improving the supervisory process.
  Length: Three hours
  
  
• Giving and Receiving Feedback (see Component IV: Development of Self, Teams, and Workgroups)
  
  
• Rewards in Tough Times (see Component IV: Development of Self, Teams, and Workgroups)

A group of staff will be trained in the basics of training design and deliver in a five-day program. Tom Goad's five-step process will be used as the basis for the program. As each of the five steps (analyzing, designing, developing, conducting and evaluating) is introduced, participants will work in a small design team to apply the key concepts and practices of that step. This will lead to the design of learning events that can be presented to library staff and will provide participants an immediate opportunity to apply the learning in the program itself. Participants must attend all five days.

Program Outline

• Principles and Practices of Adult Learning
• A Five-Step Model for Training
• Understanding Your Training and Learning Style Preferences
• Determining Learning Needs
  • Sources of information
  • Designing a training needs assessment tool
  • Analyzing results
• Defining Learning Objectives and Outcomes
• Designing the Training Workshop or Program
• Selecting Methods and Approaches for Optimal Learning
  • The range of approaches to consider
  • Assessing resistance
  • Determining complexity of the material
  • Choosing effective methods and approaches
• Conducting Training
  • Preparing the learner
  • Preparing yourself
  • Presentation skills
  • Staging a learning experience
  • Facilitating the learning process
• Evaluating Training
  • Kirkpatrick's Model
  • Designing Surveys
  • Analyzing and Using the Results

Length: Five days (30 hours)

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