Return to Work Safety Videos and Quiz

In preparation for returning to the library we are asking all staff to view a series of videos that will help keep you and everyone else safe while at work.  

View the videos below, and then complete the quiz and send it to your supervisor to show that you completed this requirement.  If you have any questions, please speak with your manager or supervisor.

Wearing a cloth mask properly  (1 min 42 sec)  

Hand washing ( 1 min 26 sec) 

Glove removal (1 min 12 sec)

Preventing Coronavirus at work  (2 min 28 sec) 

Clean your workspace (1 min 16 sec)

Quiz:  to access the quiz, click on the link below.  Once you are in Google Drive, Select File, then Download, and Microsoft Word. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uyOv9tEKyil5Hcd6GcoI2yfyKz87D6WBZ6mubJiapXI/edit?usp=sharing

Top Five Qualities of a Successful Goals and Intentions Statement

Your Goals and Intentions Statement doesn't have to be long, but it does need to have all of the necessary information.  Here are the top five aspects of a well-written Goals and Intentions Statement:

1. The statement briefly describes the event, its intended audience, and its purpose (2-3 sentences maximum)
2. The requesting staff member clearly demonstrates their interest in the event/program and why they wish to attend.
3. A clear connection is made between the purpose of the training/conference and the position of the staff member.
4. The statement includes information about what the staff member hopes to learn at the program.
5. The staff member explains what she/he/they want to do with the information learned at the event once they return to the library.

Here's what it might look like all together:

I would like to attend the MLA/DLA Joint Library Conference in Cambridge, MD from May 1-3, 2019  The MLA conference brings together library staff from across Maryland to discuss relevant topics and issues. 

There are many programs offered at this year’s conference that would benefit the library, the HR department, and the SD&T office.  On Wednesday morning, there is a pre-conference on making sense of library management.  This program will be very helpful when we start to plan the new EPFL leadership program.   

On Thursday, there are programs supporting inclusion at the library, as well as creating engaging multimedia and updates on statewide MLA programs.  There is also a program discussing methods for teaching adults, which might offer new information that would support our program offerings.  

On Friday, there is a program about teaching online, which is something I’d like to start doing in the future to expand SD&T programming, as well as a program on getting staff to advocate for their library.

The sessions offered at the MLA conference this year will support and contribute to the programs offered by SD&T in the upcoming year.  I will also be sharing the leadership program information with other HR staff at an upcoming meeting, and updating them on various state-wide issues we've been discussing this year.

Five Laws of Library Science

Siyali Ramamrita Ranganathan was a mathematician and librarian from India.  In 1931 he proposed the following:

1. Books are for use.
2. Every reader their book.
3. Every book its reader.
4. Save the time of the reader.
5. The library is a growing organism

Not being a librarian, I was unfamiliar with these.  If you are too, check out this article  on Wikipedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_laws_of_library_science

Also, there is this infographic from USC:  https://librarysciencedegree.usc.edu/resources/infographics/dr-s-r-ranganathans-five-laws-of-library-science/

Better yet, read the original:  https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b99721;view=1up;seq=11

Goals and Intentions Statements - Guidelines and Suggestions

If you are going to request funding for a conference or outside learning event, you need to submit the "Request for Authorization for Leave and-or Expenses to Attend" form (354).  Along with this form, you must submit a "Goals and Intentions Statement," that explains why you want to attend this event.

Your statement may be brief, but should include the following:

1.)    What is the purpose/focus of the conference or training?  Who is the intended audience?  Put this in your own words and connect it to the library, don’t just copy and paste from the website (1-2 sentences are usually fine).  

2.)    Why do you wish to attend the event?   How is it relevant to your job and/or the library?  How will the library benefit from your attendance?  What skills/ideas do you expect to gain from attendance that will improve your job performance and/or customer service? (this section should be the longest and contain the most detail).  Avoid statements that would be true of any attendee at any conference (e.g. “at this conference I’ll represent the Pratt library”) and focus on why YOU should attend this particular event.

You might include:

• Experiences/information gained from prior years' attendance that you have used in your job.  If this is your first time attending you might include information you received from others who attended or what you expect to bring back from the event.
• Specific information/training offered at the event that you cannot receive elsewhere.
• Lists of specific sessions at the event which are relevant to your job, or which prompted your request to attend.
• If committee service is part of your request, you need clearly describe the committee and its goals, and explain how service on this committee benefits the library, the staff, or our customers. 
• If you are a member of the sponsoring organization, or have a membership that entitles you to a discount in registration or other fees, include this information and your membership number in your statement. 

Remember that the goal of this statement is to give the reasons why you wish to attend the conference and how the library staff or customers will benefit from your attendance.   Be specific.  

If you have any questions about your statement,

please contact Staff Development and Training before you submit your paperwork.

Dress Code Basics

If the CEO came in and invited you to a lunch meeting,

could you go as you are?"

Marilyn Feldstein,  Job Coach

What is unconcious bias?

The term unconcious bias refers to a bias of which we are unaware and over which we have no control.  It is unintended, subtle, and completely unconcious, and also made by everyone all of the time.

When we educate ourselves about different types biases it is easy to see them in other people, but we don't often see them in ourselves.  Our brains see things the way it wants to see them, and we really can't do much about that.  Your brain is more active when you speak with someone it sees as being "like you" in some way, equating that person as being "better" than others.  The more people "like you" that are around you, the more comfortable you will feel.  Again, this is your brain making its own decisions, regardless of the choices we might make consciously.

There are several qualifiers our brain uses when it makes these distinctions, but if we want to try and neutralize our unconcious biases (which is extremely difficult) we can use these qualifiers to identify our biases:

• Similarity - a person like me is better than person not like me  You can use this by focusing on the similarities between you and other people when you interact with them.  Find shared traits/goals/characteristics and focus on them.  Physical similarities are the easiest and quickest to see, but job, education, political viewpoint, and other factors can be points of similarity.  Even something small like a shared favorite television show can make this connection.

• Expedience - easy and quick, it feels right to me  We look for evidence to support our impressions and get an answer quickly, but we need to unlearn this because the quick answer is often the wrong answer..  For example, if you tell people that  a bat and a ball together cost $1.10, and that the bat is $1 more than the ball, and then you ask them how much the ball costs they will say 10 cents.  However, the correct answer is that the bat is 1.05 and the ball is 5 cents.  Our brains do the quick division for the answer, but our brains are wrong because they go for the quick answer.

• Experience - my perceptions are accurate so it must be true  This assumes that our perceptions are always accurate, but perceptions are highly subjective and therefore suspect.  An example of this is customer service.  If you have bad service the first time you go into a store then you will expect bad service the next time you go into the same store.  Even if you receive good service the second time, you will be more critical and less satisfied because of your previous experience.  You may also receive bad service because your attitude will be bad and you may be rude or annoying.

• Distance - closer is better, familiar is better  This is one that people have difficulty recognizing, but it can easily be seen in meetings, particularly if some of the participants are attending remotely (either calling in on the phone or by video).  The people in the people focus on each other, even if the person speaking is not in the room.  Those in the room are taken more seriously and given more time to speak then those on the phone or video.  Those attending remotely are often cutoff or not included at the same level, and may be less comfortable speaking up or raising questions of the group.

• Safety - bad is stronger than good   This can certainly be seen by watching any news program.  The stories included are usually tragic or negative in some way because these stories are seen as more "serious."  In the workplace, this creates atmospheres where threats are stronger motivators than rewards.

How can we work against our unconcious biases in the workplace?  The first step is to acknowledge that we have these biases.  It is almost impossible to rid ourselves of them, because our brains do a lot of thinking on their own, but we can create habits and procedures to minimalize the effects of these biases.  This can take some effort, because people like it when others conform/perform to our stereotypes and beliefs, and when this is not true our brains have to work harder.

First, we can try to create new "in-groups" that are more diverse and using our similarities to create a positive bias.  Anyone with whom you feel similar can become a part of your new group.  By making a deliberate effort to expand our "group," our brain finds it easier to make the connections with different types of people.

If possible, create policies and procedures that support this in your workplace.  When forming teams, it is important to remember that diverse teams are smarter and more effective. Limit the size of the teams so that everyone can be heard -- 5 to 7 people allows more inclusion than 30.  When hiring, it is important to remember that organizations diversity generates more profits.  In meetings, the leader of the group can limit the amount of time each person speaks or can ensure that those not in the room, or those who haven't spoken yet get a chance to participate in the discussion.  We can't take the biases out of the people, but we can take them out of the processes.

Once we learn to recognize our own biases, we can create procedures, policies, and practices to mitigate their effects.

Copies, Copies, Copies

Just a friendly reminder, that you should keep copies of all paperwork you send to SD&T, especially conference requests.  These all go through several offices before they come to us, and somethings things get lost along the way.  If you need to recreate any paperwork it's easier to start from a copy then from nothing.

CEU forms from non-library programs

We received some questions lately about getting CEU forms for programs offered by other organizations. If you attend programs offered by SD&T, SLRC, MLA, or other Maryland libraries, you can expect to receive a completed CEU form at the end of the program.

Any other programs, including those from ALA or OCLC, will not provide ready-made forms for attendees.  Not all library systems require certification supported by continuing education, so they don't provide these types of forms for their programs.

If you attend a program/webinar that is approved by SD&T where a CEU form is not provided then you will have to create your own. The blank form is available on the Vine, and you will need to completed the form, including the program description and learning goals.

When you submit the form, be sure to include a copy of your completion certificate, "thank you for participating" email, or other proof that you completed the program so that the SD&T coordinator can approve your hours.

Any forms submitted for programs which do not meet the minimum requirments for continuing education credit will not be added to your file.  It is best to check with SD&T for approval of CEU hours before participating in a program.

If you have any questions about this issue, please contact SD&T.

Guidelines for Goals and Intentions Statements

If you are going to request funding for a conference or outside learning event, you need to submit the "Request for Authorization for Leave and-or Expenses to Attend" form (354).  Along with this form, you must submit a "Goals and Intentions Statement," that explains why you want to attend this event.

Your statement may be brief, but should include the following:

1.)    What is the purpose/focus of the conference or training?  Who is the intended audience?  Put this in your own words and connect it to the library, don’t just copy and paste from the website (1-2 sentences are usually fine).  

2.)    Why do you wish to attend the event?   How is it relevant to your job and/or the library?  How will the library benefit from your attendance?  What skills/ideas do you expect to gain from attendance that will improve your job performance and/or customer service? (this section should be the longest and contain the most detail).  Avoid statements that would be true of any attendee at any conference (e.g. “at this conference I’ll represent the Pratt library”) and focus on why YOU should attend this particular event.

You might include:

• Experiences/information gained from prior years' attendance that you have used in your job.  If this is your first time attending you might include information you received from others who attended or what you expect to bring back from the event.
• Specific information/training offered at the event that you cannot receive elsewhere.
• Lists of specific sessions at the event which are relevant to your job, or which prompted your request to attend.
• If committee service is part of your request, you need clearly describe the committee and its goals, and explain how service on this committee benefits the library, the staff, or our customers. 
• If you are a member of the sponsoring organization, or have a membership that entitles you to a discount in registration or other fees, include this information and your membership number in your statement. 

Remember that the goal of this statement is to give the reasons why you wish to attend the conference and how the library staff or customers will benefit from your attendance.   Be specific.  

If you have any questions about your statement,

please contact Staff Development and Training before you submit your paperwork.

City of Baltimore Registration Form and Process

If you are interested in taking one of the classes offered by the City DHR, you need to print the registration form, complete the first page, and get your supervisor to sign, and then send it to SD&T.  If the relevance of the class to your position is not obvious, you also need to submit a goals and intentions statement as well.

The form can be found here:

 http://humanresources.baltimorecity.gov/sites/default/files/Registration_Form_0318_0.pdf

As always, if you have questions contact SD&T.

CEU Requirements and Guidelines - An Overview

The decision regarding the appropriateness of any activity focuses on the following questions:

     Does the activity meet the minimum requirements for CEUs?
     Is the activity appropriate for library staff?  Is it appropriate for the attendee's position?
     What are the learning objectives of the activity?
     Will participating in the activity improve the skills of the attendee and improve library services?

Minimum Requirements for CEUs:

• The program must pertain to the person's position (current or future) or improve library services.  For example, a course on databases, or a course on supervision if looking at a future position as a supervisor.
• CEUs will only be given for activities that have clear and appropriate learning objectives.  Attendees need to be able to obtain behaviors, skills, or knowledge from the activity.  These may be new or an update of existing skills (for instance, reference interview skills or renew CPR certification).
• Credit will only be given for full contact hours and half hours beyond the first hour, not including lunch and breaks.

Approved program formats (from State Guidelines):

• Attending academic courses and accumulating semester hours (in appropriate fields)
• Attending a seminar, or library-sponsored or commercial workshop
• Participating in e-learning course and earning continuing education credit through contact hours as defined by the e-learning course sponsor
• Serving on the Blue Crab Award Committee or the Maryland Author Award Committee (Credit for this activity can only be earned once every five-year period)
• Creating a workshop, seminar or class that meets the criteria for receiving CEU credits (Contact hours for this activity can only be earned once for each training created and are limited to the number of contact hours awarded to the actual training)
• Creating and implementing a learning portfolio activity

Formats NOT approved:

• Meetings and/or committee service (except as above)
• Webinars or programs where the purpose is not specifically training/education (e.g. sales presentations)
• Preparation for programs/classes except as part of a learning portfolio.
• Any program/presentation that fails to meet the minimum time and/or learning objectives requirement(s).

Please Note:

Not every activity qualifies for CEU hours, even if it seems to be educational.

All CEU forms for programs offered by EPFL staff will have the signature of the coordinator.  If your form does not have a signature then the program may not be eligible for credit.

All programs/webinars/training from non-Pratt sources must be reviewed and approved by the coordinator.  If you aren’t sure if your activity meets the requirements, ask the coordinator before participating in the activity.

The Staff Development Coordinator must review and approve all continuing education activities that are submitted to meet state certification requirements.