Benchmarks for the Future

Introduction

In the spring of 1997 the Peoria Public Library mailed a survey to a sample of 1,500 Peoria households. Administered for planning purposes, the survey sought views on the importance of various technologies that were available or being considered at the Peoria Public Library. The survey revealed that technology at the Peoria Public Library is important to Peoria residents. More than 70 percent of survey respondents identified the availability of word processing and Internet connections at the library as very important or somewhat important to their households.

The log kept for the library's public Internet station reflects ongoing heavy usage. Volunteer-run Internet training classes offered over the past 18 months have filled quickly after being announced. Reference desks throughout the library report continued requests for increased Internet access and the availability of word processing software for public use. Additionally, many information products have migrated to networked CD-ROMs and the Web. Taken together along the survey results, these factors demonstrate an urgent need for the Peoria Public Library to develop a uniform minimum level of technical expertise, allowing for efficient job performance and the effective mediation of technology to the public.

In the summer of 1997 a survey of the staff was conducted to determine technological literacy. The survey demonstrated a broadly varied set of computer-based skills. Barely half of the staff used a word processing program and fewer than 50 percent were able to search the Internet using browsing software. Additionally, very small portions of the staff were familiar with spreadsheets and database software.

The low levels of confidence indicated a high level of need among the staff for training aimed at acquiring skills and building confidence. Without knowledge of the relevant software, Peoria Public Library staff were not capable of maximizing the advantages of software and hardware upgrades for library patrons. Librarians not versed in word processing functions cannot provide trouble shooting or training for a novice Word 97 user. Staff members lacking experience with Web browsers cannot aid in a search for medical information on the Internet. If the staff does not have the ability to facilitate software issues for users, then formalized training of non-users is out of the question. For these reasons the Peoria Public Library committed to providing comprehensive training for staff on Internet use and Windows software.

The urgency of the need spelled out by the two surveys was compounded by the acceleration of the library's five-year technology plan. Under the auspices of the Illinois State Library and the Gates Library Foundation, the Peoria Public Library anticipated the addition of 19 public access computers on a dedicated local area network (LAN), the replacement of 17 outmoded workstations, and the conversion of the LAN connecting the library's staff workstations to a wide area network (WAN), which would enable Peoria's three branch libraries to receive full networked services, including access to the Internet and CD-ROM databases.

Plans considered for advancing the skills of the staff to a uniform minimum level included training through the Alliance Library System; training a group of people who would then train the rest of the staff; onsite training; and training through the Professional Development Institute, a branch of Illinois Central College. An analysis of the scheduling requirements, costs, and the availability of training resources, along with the library's previous experience with each method indicated that training through the Professional Development Institute would be most effective.

Benchmarks for the Future was proposed with the intention of providing Peoria Public Library staff with training from the Professional Development Institute, which would raise the basic level of proficiency with specific software. The project, which has been completed with LSTA funds, represents a part of a larger initiative to offer even more staff training, add a position

* Scan O'Hanlon and Ann Phillips, Librarians, Peoria Public Library.

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for the specific purpose of maintaining and developing the skills of library staff and orienting new staff, and the addition of a small computer lab for the training of both staff and the public. The library's goal of developing technological proficiency among the staff coincides with the stated goal of the Illinois State Library to "develop training methods and activities that will allow library personnel and Illinois citizens to become technologically literate and have full access to information available through libraries."

Program Execution

The plan for training library staff at the Professional Development Institute was not complex. The training facilities supplied room and computers for 12 students, and the Professional Development Institute offered several classrooms and several instructors for courses in Microsoft Word 97, Internet training, and Microsoft Access. The availability of these resources allowed the Professional Development Institute to be flexible in scheduling the full and half-day courses required. It was apparent from the early stages of planning the project that scheduling would be among the foremost challenges presented by this method of training. Ensuring that departments were appropriately staffed while training was taking place would require careful planning.

The resources and availability of instructors at the Professional Development Institute allowed a degree of variation in the content and level of each course as required by the trainees. As the contract initiation date for "Benchmarks for the Future" approached, it became apparent that a second survey of the staff could enhance the experience by making certain that appropriate training was given to each individual. The project team would be best able to take full advantage of the flexibility offered by the Professional Development Institute if it had a reasonable picture of the abilities of each individual staff member.

Although it was not included in the program plan, the project team decided to conduct the second survey of the staff in May 1998. The survey, which went to 84 staff members, addressed comfort and competence with computers in general, Microsoft Word 97, and Internet use. The survey consisted of a series of statements that could receive responses based on a 3-point scale. Possible responses to each statement included:

1 =Yes, I agree!
2=1 agree somewhat
3 = No, I disagree!

Survey statements examined the ability, comfort and desire of users in the performance of certain very specific or general tasks. Some examples of statements included in the portion of the survey measuring aptitude with Word 97 include:

I use word processing programs often	1	2	3
I do word processing at home	1	2	3
I do word processing at work	1	2	3
Underline a word	1	2	3
I am comfortable with Microsoft Word 97	1	2	3
I can:
Get into a word processing program	1	2	3
Open a Word document	1	2	3
Write a letter on the computer	1	2	3
Underline a word	1	2	3
Run a spell check	1	2	3
Change the margins on a document	1	2	3
Create a file for my work	1	2	3
Turn off the grammar check	1	2	3
Insert a table into a word document	1	2	3

The following charts depict the levels of comfort and familiarity staff claimed in the use of various applications.

Figure 1 Familiar with Windows 95

As shown by Figure 1, a large portion of the staff was not entirely familiar with Microsoft Windows 95.

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Figure 2 Confidence in Ability to Demonstrate Web Browser

As shown by Figure 2, the majority of the staff reported that they did not feel confident demonstrating how to use a Web browser.

Figure 3 Comfortable Using Word '97

Figure 3 demonstrates the level of confidence claimed by staff members in the use of Word '97.

Although the survey provided only a crude measure of comfort and ability with computers and certain software programs, it served the purpose of allowing staff to be grouped into broad categories based on experience and need. In this manner, we were able to offer novice, intermediate, and advanced level training for Microsoft Word and Internet browsing skills. Most participants in the single Microsoft Access course were in the advanced groups for the other courses.

Once the survey had been administered, the project team assembled to begin scheduling the courses. Departmental schedules, vacations, library events and hours of availability were considered for each staff member. Classes of as many as 12 students each were developed based on skill level as determined by survey responses and availability.

Between June 15,1998, and September 15,1998, 83 library staff members attended appropriate level training in Word 97. During the same three-month period, 83 library employees also received training on Internet browsers and the use of the World Wide Web. Over the same 90-day period, 12 employees received basic training in Microsoft Access.

Project Evaluation

The most meaningful measure of the effectiveness of the Benchmarks for the Future project will be the degree to which it enables library staff to mediate technology to the advantage of library patrons. Hardware and software upgrades are in process and the additional public access computers are not yet available to the public, making it difficult to fully apply this measure.

Measures that can be used at this time include the relevance staff claims that the training has had to job duties and the degree to which the information received at the classes is new to the attendees. To this end, a survey was administered to each employee after attending each class at the Professional Development Institute. Statements relating to relevance and the novelty of the material allowed answers in three categories: No (meaning not relevant to job duties or not skills new to the employee were introduced), Partly (meaning partially relevant or containing some elements new to the employee), and Yes (indicating that the skills taught in the course were extremely relevant to job duties or contained entirely new elements).

Survey Results - Word 97

The follow-up survey to the Word 97 classes received 63 responses (76%). Forty-two respondents (67%) claimed that the training was extremely relevant, and 20 (32%) thought the training was partially relevant to job duties. One respondent claimed that the training was not relevant to the job.

Figure 4 Word 97 - Job Relevance

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Twenty-four (38%) claimed the training was entirely new, and 34 (54%) claimed it contained some elements they had not encountered before. Five respondents (8%) claimed that the training was not at all new.

Figure 5 Word 97 - Novelty

Survey Results - Internet Training

The follow-up survey to the Internet training classes received 76 responses (92%). Thirty-one respondents (41%) claimed it was extremely relevant, while 32 (42%) identified the training as partially relevant to job duties, and 13 (17%) claimed it was not relevant to the job.

Figure 5 Internet Training - Job Relevance

Thirty respondents (39%) claimed that the training was entirely new, while 34 (45%) claimed it contained some elements they had not encountered before. Five respondents (7%) claimed the training was not at all new.

Figure 7 Internet Training - Novelty

Survey Results - Access 97

All 12 staff members who attended training in Microsoft Access 97 responded to the follow-up survey. Ten of the 12 rated the class as highly relevant to their jobs, and two rated the class as partially relevant to their jobs. Five respondents claimed that the course material was new to them, six claimed that the material was partially new, and one claimed that the material was not new.

Figure 8 Access 97- Job Relevance

Figure 9 Access 97 - Novelty

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Survey Results - Discussion

The results of the follow-up surveys demonstrate that the training that took place under the Benchmarks for the Future project was needed and successful in introducing staff to skills that had not been encountered before. Comments returned with the surveys indicated strong desire on the part of the staff for additional training, especially with regard to Word 97and Access.

Several of the class members who attended the Access course had used the software before and had begun projects involving the use of the software. For this reason, some of the material covered was not entirely new.

While still relevant and at least partially new to most library staff members, the Internet training courses did not receive the same high ratings for novelty or relevance as the Word and Access courses. In part, this can be attributed to the fact that the Internet courses lasted only a half-day. Additionally, because the library provides Internet access to patrons already, and because many staff workstations are Internet-capable, a portion of library staff have experience with the Internet. Comments returned with the follow-up surveys indicated that while the Internet classes where informative, the content and perspective offered may not have been tailored for the library setting where the Internet is used as a reference tool rather than as an object of entertainment.

Conclusion

As the follow-up survey demonstrates, Benchmarks for the Future is a project that has succeeded in giving Peoria Public Library staff valuable exposure and confidence in the use of a set of specific software programs. The value of this project will become increasingly apparent as new hardware and software is added to the library's collection of public access computers.

As a training initiative, Benchmarks for the Future represents a strong initial step that will be followed by continued staff training on-site and off-site training as needed. Elements of the initiative, which continue beyond the scope of the "Benchmarks for the Future Project," include plans to hire a technology assistant who will facilitate public access to the hardware and software now available at the library. A training lab of four dedicated workstations has been installed and will be used to train both staff and the public beginning in December. The Friends of the Library have conducted training seminars for the public, and will step up their efforts as the increased number of workstations creates increased demand for orientation on the Internet use and the operation of specific Microsoft software.

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