August 2002 Letter From the Coordinator: Martha White, Assistant Director of Extension Services, Columbus Metropolitan Library

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1 Human Resources and Trainer Development Division Welcome to the Human Resources and Trainer Development Division! We are a group of people interested in, and focused on, human resource issues and staff training. We want to share our knowledge and experience and to learn from you as well. We hope you find our newsletter informative. If you are interested in networking and/or participating in division activities, please mwhite@cml.lib.oh.us We want you! August 2002 Letter From the Coordinator: Martha White, Assistant Director of Extension Services, Columbus Metropolitan Library As a relative newcomer to Ohio libraries (I moved here in 1998) I have once again been taught the lesson that it's who you know that counts! After getting involved in OLC and meeting people who are experts at doing what I was trying to learn to do, I realized that networking is one of the most important benefits of being involved with OLC. And the people who work with me on the Action Council of the Human Resources and Trainer Development Division are some of the smartest people I know! And they are nice! They love to give advice and help keep me from making the same mistakes they did. So where do you go when you need to know something? I'd start with the list of people involved in OLC divisions and committees. They really are friendly and helpful. Make use of this wonderful resource. For our division this means: Barbara Lough Toledo-Lucas Co. Public Library blough@toledolibrary.org Candy Burkhamer Meigs Co. District Library burkhaca@oplin.lib.oh.us Nancy Foth Toledo-Lucas Co. Public Library nfoth@toledolibrary.org Nancy Ostrander, SPHR Lorain Public Library Nancy.Ostrander@lorain.lib.oh.us Kathy Stengal Middletown Public Library kstengel@mail.mpl.lib.oh.us Martha White Columbus Metropolitan Library MWHITE@cml.lib.oh.us Though she is not on the Action Council, Wendy Crosby (wcrosby@cml.lib.oh.us) Training and Development Manager at Columbus Metropolitan Library is an excellent resource. Our division leans a little heavily to the HR side of things (I'm hoping to bring more balance with new members) so Wendy is willing to talk with anyone interested in training issues. In this edition of our newsletter, our goal is to give you "newbies" ideas of where you can go for information on HR and staff training issues. In addition to calling any of the Action Council members, the articles that follow will give you some ideas of where to get started. Maybe this will be helpful information for those of you who have been around longer, too. And don't forget to look for us this fall at the OLC Conference. We will have a time and place set aside just for networking. Check the conference schedule and stop by to see whoever is there. Introduce yourself and tell us what your expertise is! We'll put you to work! Or if you have questions and need advice, we'll put you in touch with someone who can help. Anne Hackman Portsmouth Public Library ahackman@mail.portsmouth.lib.oh.us

2 WE CHANGED OUR NAME Barbara Lough, Past Coordinator Human Resources and Trainer Development Division Toledo-Lucas County Public Library During the time I served as Coordinator for what was the called the Staff Development and Personnel Concerns Division, it became clear that we had an identity problem. The staff development program ideas we discussed often seemed better suited to the interests and expertise in other divisions such as Reference and Information or Management and Administration. At the same time there was growing awareness among us that more and more libraries were hiring or assigning personnel to deal with the increasingly complex and important issues surrounding human resources and staff training. In our discussions, Action Council members came to the conclusion that our division could better serve Ohio s libraries by focusing exclusively on the professional development and networking needs of those working in human resources and training positions. So we decided to change the name of the division to better reflect our new focus. The name Human Resources and Trainer Development Division was proposed to the OLC Board of Trustees in November of 2001 and was approved. We welcome any feedback from division members about the name change. Is Your Customer Service Training Fun? By Connie Kuns, Staff Trainer at the Columbus Metropolitan Library "Boring" is one word that is often associated with customer service training. So, how do you spice up your program and add fun to a customer service training program? Check out the book, The Big Book of Customer Service Training Games by Peggy Carlaw and Vashudha Kathleen Deming (McGraw-Hill, 1999), to find out. This book provides 50 games (including instructions and pages to copy) to use in customer service training. These games are grouped into 10 different topics, including: Games for Developing a Customer-Focused Attitude Verbal and Vocal Skills for Customer Service Success Training Games for Telephone Success Games for Dealing with Difficult Customers Games for Improving Service to Your Internal Customers At first glance, I tagged at least a dozen games that I would like to implement and can easily adapt for a library setting. I can hardly wait for my next customer service training session so I can try some of these games! A fun training session is a training session well remembered. There are other training game titles in the "Big Book of" line to browse, including: The Big Book of Presentation Games by John W. Newstrom, Edward Scannell (contributor) The Big Book of Business Games by John W. Newstrom, Edward Scannell (contributor) The Big Book of Team Building Games by John W. Newstrom, Edward Scannell (contributor), The Big Book of Motivation Games by Robert Epstein, Ph.D. The Big Book of Humorous Training Games by Doni Tamblyn, Sharon Weiss Give them a try and have fun in training!

3 Training & Development Resources By Wendy Crosby, Training & Development Manager at Columbus Metropolitan Library When asked to write this article, I pondered over what to include, where to start, etc. Then I came across this quote, "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance" (Derek Bok). One could change that statement to, "If you think staff training and development is expensive, try poor customer service, low reference accuracy, or a lawsuit due to untrained managers". Now obviously I am biased because I am in the training profession; however if you make good choices about training your staff and spend your money wisely, you will find that even those who are "anti-training" realize the benefit to the organization. Here are a few of my favorite resources that may help you make good choices regarding staff training and development. Professional Organizations: ASTD (Training & Development) National and Local Chapters. Find more information at SHRM (Human Resources) National and Local Chapters. Find more information at: Websites: Training Supersite = SHRM = ASTD = Train the Trainers: Langevin Learning Services. The Bob Pike Group (Creative Training Techniques). Vendors: Development Dimensions International (DDI), competency-based soft skills training courses for managers and staff. Find more information at: Lominger, research based competency assessment tools for managers and individual contributors. Find more information at: Crisp Learning, off the shelf training programs. Find more information at: Franklin Covey courses on time management. Find more information at: Trainer Supplies The Trainers Warehouse. Find more information at: Books/Magazines: Creative Training Techniques Handbook by Robert W. Pike T & D Magazine published by ASTD. 50 Activities for Diversity Training by Jonamay Lambert and Selma Myers published by Human Resource Development Press, Inc. Other topics are also offered. The Big Book of Customer Service Training Games by Peggy Carlaw and Vashudha Kathleen Deming published by McGraw-Hill, See article. NETWORKING WITH PEERS There is nothing quite like real-life networking, the kind that can only be done at a SHRM event. Ohio State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Presents the 30th Annual Ohio Human Resource Conference HR: The Road Ahead September 25-27, 2002 Columbus Hilton at Easton, Columbus, Ohio

4 Contact Nancy Ostrander at for more information, or just click on m for details. A listing of SHRM chapter conferences and seminars is also available at this web site. Future Problems for the HR Professional Nancy Ostrander, Human Resources Manager, Lorain Public Library System What are the top issues HR professionals face in the next two years? A survey of the Human Resources Management Association of Chicago (HRMAC) members list retention, organizational change, and benefits costs as the top three. (See the complete list below.) At the bottom of the list were OSHA issues, sexual harassment, and the cost of other benefits. Note: This does not mean these issues have less weight, just that HR managers believe they have a better handle on them. Top Issues HR will face in the next two years: Retention 57% Organizational change 51.3% Benefits costs-health care 41.49% Recruitment 35.8% Succession planning 33.1% Total rewards (comp & benefits)29% Coaching and mentoring 29% Employee Relations 28.4% Source: Human Resources Management Association of Chicago THOUGHT FOR THE DAY "Sometimes I get the feeling that the two biggest problems in America today are making ends meet and making meetings end." --Robert Orben HR Message Board Info. at Your Fingertips! Nancy Ostrander, Human Resources Manager, Lorain Public Library System Do you have ALL the answers as you face the myriad of HR situations in your day-to-day dealings with people? Most of us don't, and it can be VERY frustrating trying to find the answers. Wouldn't it be great if there was a place where you could ask HR related questions and have them answered? And for FREE??? This resource does exist! At a recent Ohio State Council SHRM event I met Steve Browne who is the current VP for the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. GCHRA is a fellow SHRM chapter in Ohio. He started an /internet message board system that allows you to post HR related questions and have over 1,050 people from all over the country see your questions and respond to them. Before you panic and think that you are going to be flooded with s, you won't. All of the messages are on the Internet message board. You receive one (1) per week from Steve. He keeps things light hearted and informative! It is FREE and open to all HR professionals. If you're interested in being a part of the HR Net, just Steve and give him your address. He makes sure that your address is NEVER given out!! This system is not like some list serv's. It is much cleaner and really a lot of fun. Please remember that Steve is very informal and he brings a lot of life and energy to this project.

5 I'm a member of the HR Net and encourage you to check it out. Please contact Steve for more details at: sbrowne@cds-assoc.com If you haven t done so already, check out these sources of useful HR and HR-related information: - Society for Human Resource Management - State Library of Ohio Job Descriptions - Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio - Department of Labor - Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service - Employers Resource Council info on HR topics, training, salary surveys - American Bar Association (employment law articles) - Bureau of Labor Statistics - Human Resource Services HR LISTSERV TRIAL RUN! You can sign on to the new OLC HR listserve by going to You will need to fill out the necessary information and select the Human Resources listserv. Remember that this is an open listserve, and although it presents us with an excellent opportunity to share best practices, views and concerns, we should be circumspect about the information and inquiries we post to this listserve. Let's try it and see how it goes. Thanks to OLC for giving it a shot! How Can We Serve You Better? What would you like to see in this newsletter? Is there a section in this first issue that you do not feel is necessary? What did you find most helpful? What would you like this newsletter to do for you personally, professionally, and as a member of our division? Provide your feedback by to mwhite@cml.lib.oh.us Please forward this newsletter to anyone you think might find this information useful, or who may be interested in joining the OLC Human Resources and Trainer Development Division.