Good things to learn, before you return: Public libraries
If you’ve taken a career break of two years plus, you’ll find that the traditional skillset of the public librarian has expanded. All the same, it’s unlikely to take you by surprise that part of that development has been in relation to information technology (IT), even if some of the tools that are being used at the moment may not have been part of the public librarian kit the last time you were in the workplace.
Digital skills and public librarians
Strong IT skills are closely aligned with the role of public librarians. Before lockdown, perhaps that affinity with technology rested with technical skills in particular areas, e.g. familiarity with the user interface of library management software and the ability to teach others basic IT.
Lockdown and putting events online
However, during the periods of lockdown public library staff have been encouraged to develop and deliver much of their regular face to face events online. While some staff may have had some specific digital skills experience for the majority this was the first time to produce their work, straight from the kitchen table, sofa or attic room.
Photo by Susan Mends on Instagram
Different libraries have also had different approaches. Some have required the content to be sent somewhere to be edited or managed first, while other libraries have been happy for their librarian producer to place content straight up to a platform unadulterated and unaltered. Indeed, some producers have been filmed, watched and experienced live.
Lockdown has widened the usual audience too as any given public library’s digital service is not only accessible by the regular readers of a local public library but by anyone else who happens to have access to a computer and internet service. Likewise interacting with any number of assorted public libraries’ online book clubs, rhymetimes, Lego clubs and storytimes is now a reality. As well as the contribution this makes to people’s lives, this is turn affords us, as library returners, with a wealth of informal peer training opportunities as we can dip into sessions run by our library colleagues across the world to see what works well and what skills we’d like to brush up upon.
THREE digital skills library returners can pick up today
We have witnessed the speed and scale of response from many generalist public library staff to shifting their usual work practices online. For library returners to keep up with the pace of change, it is wise to become familiar with certain technology packages before applying for positions in the public library service.
Upskilling before the interview
From my experience of working in public libraries currently, good things to learn for most generalist positions and covering a wide range of responsibilities are:
1. Graphic design tools
2. Expanding your MS Office knowledge
3. Video editing packages
1. Graphic design tools: Canva
What is it?
Canva is a graphic design tool, often put forward as being a more professional product than Microsoft Publisher but a lot less frightening to use for the novice than Adobe Photoshop. Many people find it easy to use and it’s a good way to enhance your design skills.
How are they using it?
Before you decide where to start your tutorial, think about the areas of activity the library might be looking to use Canva in the first place. If you aren’t working at the moment, try to find out what public library authorities do via their website or on their social media outlets. You’ll probably conclude that most authorities use Canva to make their social media posts and website look a million times better. The great thing for library returners is that it’s possible to register for an account without having to remember to cancel it when the free trial ends and truth be told, the free account is pretty good!
We have used it in our local authority for all sorts of reasons, from bespoke social media posts on Instagram and Facebook to creating eye-catching Infographics. You can play around with larger pieces of text too, not just use it for announcements. Click on the image for an example of a recently written book review collaboration between Swansea Libraries Operation Manager, Kerry Pillai, (Canva graphics) and I (book review words) for Libraries Week 2020.
Screenshot image taken from Swansea Libraries video recording with permission.
Where can I get more information?
There are quick tutorials on the actual site and as usual you will find 100s of demonstrations via YouTube. Although made a few years ago now, Sarah Clark pitched a lovely tutorial of Canva aimed especially at librarians and it is still relevant. Please see Everyday Tools for Library Leaders: Canva – Sarah Clark.
Alternatives?
2. Expanding your MS Office knowledge – MS Sway
Job applications will expect you to be proficient in MS Office, in particular Word, Excel and PowerPoint. However, if you have access to the full range of MS Office software at home, why not take some time to explore some of the other applications which are being used in different ways in the library workplace? For instance, you could take some time out to study more about Sharepoint or Teams. Lately, I’ve been learning about a little bit more about Microsoft Sway.
What is it?
Sway is an online presentation package, promoted as an alternative to PowerPoint. It appears to be good for developing topic-based presentations, where the theme or idea evolves naturally. You can bring a range of other content; text, media, images, videos and so on, together to tell your story.
How are they using it?
Public libraries are preparing Sway online content in a variety of ways. For outreach, librarians have used it to create newsletters, e.g. as an alternative to a book display, I created a Sway for new books recently as we didn’t have browsing in our library at the time. We’ve decided to continue to advertise new titles in this way while we run a limited service. You can see an example of this month’s Sway promoting the new adult fiction stock at the link below:
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It can also be used to present interactive reports internally e.g. when you have a story to tell and there is a need to use qualitative data to share value and to report what Stony Evans calls the ‘library stories’. It would also be useful for preparing instructional materials.
Where can I get more information?
Not much has been written about the use of Sway in the public library field, yet academic librarians have been using the tool for quite some time now. Read the Creating Teaching Resources: Microsoft Sway blog post by Librarian in Training blogger Claire Sewell, as it is a great overview to Sway. As you will see, at the bottom of the post, Claire has put together some of the main resources she used to master the tool. The whole series on ‘Creating Teaching Resources’ is very useful for all library returners; as you will see there is also a supplement post on Canva, albeit how it is applied in an academic setting.
Alternatives?
PowerPoint? Sways are often touted as the natural successor to PowerPoint, though at the start I couldn’t really imagine someone engaging with a Sway in the same way. PowerPoints are primarily used for someone to present ideas to an audience but Sways are used to best effect online. This example however from Lucy Keating shows how Sways can be used in an onscreen presentation. “Making an Impact With Sway: BIALL Virtual Conference 2020.”
Even more alternatives, Prezi.
3. Video editing packages
What is it?
Video editing software helps turn your film from an awkward, nervous, amateur effort into something almost professional. You achieve this through picking up a few techniques, like learning how to edit out all the pauses and those irritating, repeated phrases and adding cool aspects like animations, backgrounds, music, and text.
How are they using it?
For all sorts of things. Video creation became incredibly important during lockdown to deliver virtual events. During this time, library staff produced and delivered storytimes, rhymetimes, arts and crafts, reading/book groups and Lego clubs straight from their homes. In a matter of weeks, librarians with little or no skills transformed into amateur film editors overnight and while they may have some way to go before they get to compete with the professionals, they certainly gave it their best shot, using the items they had to hand and even seeking the assistance of a member of the household or two.
Click on the screenshot to open this example:
Screenshot image from Swansea Libraries rhymetime with permission.
Where can I get more information?
Choosing which video editing package to use can be difficult. During the initial lockdown I decided to film my rhymetimes on an iPad and edit them via iMovie. After seeking advice, I picked iMovie because I was told it was straightforward to use (it is), I wanted to have text on screen (my rhymetimes are bilingual, Welsh and English), I’d envisaged adding pictures and music and, well, this was the equipment I had. But my iPad was pretty old and I suffered with storage issues and file transfer. Rhymetime bloggers have promoted the merits of Da Vinci Resolve and Libraries Connected have added a step by step creating video pdf for the Splice app here. If you are a complete novice, a quick read through this will give you an overview of the key stages involved regardless of which application you eventually use.
Alternatives?
Photo by Richard Haywood on Unsplash
What’s next?
Well we haven’t discussed podcasting, digital support, live events and so on. Libraries Connected held a digital bootcamp in November 2020 which offered the chance to learn new skills and to see the range of online activities public libraries had delivered over the past year. The event sold out quickly but recordings of the afternoon will be available on it’s YouTube channel soon. It’s wise for library returners looking to upskill to be aware of events such as these in order to keep current.
This post is part of the category ‘Re-skilling for the library workplace‘. Posts in this group suggest practical ways for career break librarians to try to help and enhance their professional skills.
Resources
Clark, Sarah, “Everyday Tools for Library Leaders: Canva.” Vimeo. 20 July, 2016.
Dority, Kim, “Technologies Librarians Need to Know: Current and Emerging Library Technology Trends in 2017.” LibGig. No date.
Evans, Stony, “How I Use Microsoft Sway For Our Annual Report.” Library Media Tech Talk. Saturday 18 June, 2016.
Fast, Karissa, “Tips for Recording Virtual Storytimes due to COVID-19 – Ontarian Librarian.” Ontarian Librarian. 30 March, 2020.
Grassi, Renee, “Getting Started with Virtual Storytimes.” Webjunction Webinar. 16 June, 2020.
Keating, Lucy, “Making an Impact With Sway: BIALL Virtual Conference 2020.” YouTube. 2 July, 2020.
Sewell, Claire, “Creating Teaching Resources: Microsoft Sway.” Librarian in Training. Saturday 30 May, 2020.
Added since original blog was written:
Purdy, Liza, “Embracing Technology: You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks.” ALSC Blog. 17 December, 2020.
Cassandra, “Librarians Excel – Teen Services Underground” Teen Services Underground. June 17, 2022
