Transforming Technical Services Through Training and Development

While not every problem faced by libraries can be resolved through staff development, training can and does provide a pathway for addressing some of the most challenging issues. Driven by ILS migrations, the swift shift to digital resources, budget cuts, staff shortages, reorganizations, or the sudden pivot to remote work due to the COVID epidemic, technical services units have had to and must continue to adjust practices and procedures while making resources discoverable and accessible. In this edited volume published by ALA Editions, the authors concisely and clearly provide both practical case studies and philosophical arguments illustrating the many ways in which training can be successfully planned and implemented. Topics include student training, project management, just-in-time training and continued staff development, information literacy instruction, e-resources training, and more. Although the majority of the 13 brief chapters are written by academic librarians, the problems and solutions discussed are applicable in any technical services setting.