Victorian Public Libraries Network
Strategic Review of the Statewide Training Project
December 2004
I & J MANAGEMENT SERVICES /

Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1.STRATEGIC REVIEW

2.THE STATEWIDE TRAINING PROJECT

2.1.Background and past reviews

2.2.Impact of the STP

2.3.Key features of the STP

3.FUTURE OPTIONS

3.1.Principles

3.2.Scope

3.3.Funding and delivery models

3.4.Training calendar

3.5.Delivery options

3.6.Alternative funding sources

3.7.Partnerships

3.8.Governance and administration

4.RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1.Summary

4.2.Operations and implications

APPENDIX A.2003-04 STP PROGRAM, EXPENDITURE AND USE

APPENDIX B.TRAINING PRIORITIES

APPENDIX C.BROKERAGE AND ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS

The Strategic Review of the Statewide Training Project was conducted for the Victorian Public Libraries Network and the State Library of Victoria by Ian Phillips and Carol Oxley of:

I & J Management Services Pty. Ltd.

P.O. Box 845, Sunbury VIC 3429

Telephone: 03 9740 4222

Email:

We would like to acknowledge the guidance of the Statewide Training Project Advisory Committee and the significant contribution of the State Library of Victoria’s Public Libraries Unit – notably Debra Rosenfeldt and Wendy Quihampton. We would also like to acknowledge the contribution of library service managers and training personnel who provided insights on collaborative training approaches through participation in focus groups, interviews and completion of the Review survey.

Strategic Review of Statewide Training Project / Page 1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Over the past seven years the Statewide Training Project (STP) has provided low-cost library-specific quality training and professional development opportunities to managers and staff of Victorian public libraries. The STP is currently funded to the order of $300,000 per annum from the Statewide Public Libraries Development Projects and managed for the Victorian public libraries network through the Public Libraries Unit (PLU) of the State Library of Victoria (SLV).New guidelines for the Statewide Public Libraries Development Projects mean that there will be no funding for the STP beyond 2004-05. Collaborative training must now be funded from within the resources of library services.

A Strategic Review of the STP has found a high level of support for continuation of a collaborative approach to training of library staff in order to retain the benefits demonstrated through the STP in terms of cost-efficient course delivery and administration, access to quality trainers and opportunities for networking among library staff. The Review has also canvassed options for funding of a future collaborative approach.

The Review recommends the establishment of a Statewide Training Program. The specific recommendations of the Review as described in this report are as follows.

  1. VICLINK should be responsible for the Statewide Training Program.

-VICLINK should appoint or retain a Steering or Advisory Committee to provide strategic oversight of collaborative training activities.

  1. The Statewide Training Program should offer a full list of training courses through a training calendar that is constantly updated to respond to expressed training demand. Training should be delivered when and where there is sufficient demand to warrant this on a cost-recovery basis.

-An online booking system should be maintained and supplemented with library services having the facility to register interest in training courses identified on the course list and express interest in new training courses.

-Library services should be free to organise their own training through service providers identified on the course list.

  1. Training course fees should be set under a user pays model.

-Fees should ensure full-cost recovery taking into account all costs for training delivery, catering and venue hire, as well as the anticipated course attendance.

-Course fees for each type of course should be set to maintain consistency regardless of whether the training is delivered in metropolitan or regional Victoria.

-All course fees should include a 5% loading to support equitable professional development of staff across the library network.

  1. In 2005-06 VICLINK should seek one-off seed funding of $60,000 from the Statewide Public Libraries Development Projects to facilitate the transition from the STP to a fully-funded collaborative approach to training.

-From 2006-07 the funding of brokerage and administration functions should be through a fixed contribution per library service dependent on its user, staff and/or training profile. This function would cost approximately $50,000 annually and should be indexed in line with relevant wage and salary increases.

  1. In 2005-06 the brokerage and administration functions should be located in the PLU in SLV.

-From 2006-07 VICLINK should continue to locate the brokerage and administration function in the PLU unless there are strategic and financial benefits for public libraries from an alternative arrangement.

  1. VICLINK should explore further cost efficiencies in the delivery of statewide training or revenue generating opportunities.

-Funding for training associated with new statewide ‘project’ activity should be incorporated into the initial bids for project funding.

-Training courses should be open to library personnel outside the Victorian public libraries network.

1.STRATEGIC REVIEW

Since its inception in 1997-98 the Statewide Training Project (STP) has provided low-cost library-specific quality training and professional development opportunities to managers and staff of Victorian public libraries. Periodic evaluations of the STP have shown it to be a highly regarded and valued project due to its cost, relevance and quality, as well as for the global networking opportunities it affords library staff. The STP has been organised and delivered as a total package administered by the Library Network Unit (LNU) at the State Library of Victoria (SLV) until June 2003, then by the Public Libraries Unit (PLU) at SLV. In 2003-04 the STP received funding of $300,000 from the Statewide Public Libraries Development Projects.

New guidelines for Statewide Public Libraries Development Projects mean that there will be no funding for the current model of the STP from this source beyond 2004-05. Collaborative training must now be funded from within the resources of library services.

The State Library of Victoria and the Statewide Training Project Advisory Committee sought the services of a consultant to explore alternative models and funding sources for the continuation of the Statewide Training Project beyond 2004-05.The information to be gathered in the Review was to focus on:

  • the extent to which Victorian public libraries are able to commit to the continuation of the Statewide Training Project
  • the most significant training needs to be met through a continuation of a statewide approach to professional training needs
  • sources of funding (external to the Statewide Public Libraries Development Projects) and the relevant conditions that may assist in the continuation of the Statewide Training Project.

I & J Management Services was engaged to undertake the Review and determine the extent to which Victorian public libraries are able and willing to commit to the continuation of the project, training priorities, funding sources and alternative models of training administration and delivery. The methodology adopted involved:

  • desktop review of previous evaluations of the STP
  • analysis of the funding, revenues and costs associated with the delivery of training through the STP
  • consultation with library services managers and staff to determine their level of use and support for the STP, preferred future options for training delivery, and level of in-principle support and financial capacity to participate in future collaborative training activity [N.B. This consultation occurred through workshops, an online survey and telephone interviews.]
  • consultation with other library stakeholders and current and potential training service providers
  • consultation with the PLU and discussion on the operational and administrative functions currently involved in supporting the STP and options for future conduct of these functions.

The Review was guided by the Statewide Training Project Advisory Committee and managed by the PLU.

In undertaking the Review I & J Management Services operated on the basis that continuation of the STP in its current form through statewide project funding was NOT an option. Although there were a number of library services that expressed a strong preference for the status quo, the Review proceeded on the assumption that future collaborative training must be funded from within the resources of library services or other sources external to the Statewide Public Libraries Development Projects.

2.THE STATEWIDE TRAINING PROJECT

2.1.Background and past reviews

The Statewide Training Program is an initiative of VICLINK and the State Library of Victoria. The STP is administered by the Public Libraries Unit at SLV and an advisory committee with representatives from metropolitan and country library services oversees the project.

The STP has been operating since 1997-98. It aims to develop a highly skilled and flexible workforce capable of delivering quality library services to Victorians through the provision of low-cost library-specific quality training and professional development opportunities. The project also facilitates staff networking and assists with the issues of continual professional development and succession planning that Victorian public libraries are facing. Training provided through the STP is intended to support and enhance training provided to public library staff from other sources including through individual effort, library schools, library services and most importantly member Councils.

Training courses are offered in-house and in a variety of metropolitan and regional locations each year. They cover four main areas of professional development: librarianship or technical skills, customer service, management and IT skills. The STP includes courses which develop basic library competencies (e.g. Reference Interview Skills, Library Display, Supervision Skills, Middle and Frontline Management) and supplementary and pilot courses that offer more specialised training (e.g. Events Marketing, Presentation Skills, Cultural Awareness). A number of courses offered through the STP provide accreditation towards the Certificate IV Assessment and Workplace Training and the Diploma of Library and Information Services. Most courses attract a small fee for each participant.

An online training calendar provides information on upcoming courses and allows public library staff to register to attend or be included on a waiting list for future courses. The training courses on the calendar are based on meeting training requirements and priorities identified through training needs analysis. Courses are introduced to meet new demands as they arise. Aproject officer employed by the PLU works with the advisory committee to determine and deliver annual training needs. They are responsible for co-ordinating the calendar, selecting courses and trainers,promotion and communication of training services, course administration and support, and general budget expenditure.

The project seeks to reduce the barriers of professional and geographic isolation for regional library services by providing places targeted to equity groups with particular reference to rural staff. Assistance with travel and accommodation costs is also available for staff participating in training courses delivered through the project.

In 2003-04, 23 unique courses were provided through the program, representing 61 courses in total. These courses are listed in Appendix ATable A1. This table also shows course costs (a total of $157,000) and fees charged (a total of $25,000). During the year 1,040 library staff undertook training funded through the STP – 70% were full time staff and 30% were part time. About one half of those undertaking training were librarians, 23% were senior and middle managers, 8% technicians and 18% other staff. Course evaluations show a high degree of satisfaction with training design and delivery, with 90% of staff rating the courses they attended in 2003-04 as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’.

One training course is offered in-house to each library service each year. This is the same course for every service, and offers library services the ability to have a trainer present at their site and have as many of their staff attend as possible. In 2003-04 the Visual Merchandising Course was offered and over 422 staff from across the state attended at a cost of $77,000 ($183 per head).

The STP has also provided IT Skills Training Grants, offered to every library service to the value of $2,000 per annum. Each library service can either seek reimbursement for IT training they co-ordinate or use training vouchers through a service agreement organised with an external training provider. In 2003-04 the IT Grants program saw 350 staff trained at a cost of $67,000 ($191 per head).The focus of the IT Grants program was changed in 2004-05 to offer public library staff training on the 'Virtual Library' with IT skills that provide direct public benefit (e.g. through use of on-line databases, Internet skills, and image, cataloguing and digitisation skills). This program is different to that in previous years in that there is no longer training support for software or hardware where training should be supported by the proprietorial distributor or parent organisations.

Other components of the STP include:

  • Subsidised enrolments and travel costs for the Aurora Leadership Institute.
  • Professional development seminars targeted at all Victorian public library staff. In 2003-04 175 staff attended professional development seminars at a cost of $73 per head.
  • A Human Resources Guide which provides a practical framework for public library managers and has been distributed to all library branches across Victoria.
  • A Staff Exchange and visits scheme that seeks to enable library staff to widen their skill base and obtain new ideas through exposure to a different library environment and work practices.

Funding for the STP comes from Arts Victoria grants for the Statewide Public Libraries Development Projects, through the Library Board of Victoria. $300,000 was allocated to the STP in 2003-04. This did not include funding of the project officer’s salary and on-costs. This position is also funded through the Statewide Public Libraries Development Projects fund but as a separate line item.

A substantial proportion of library service training occurs through the STP. Responses to a survey carried out as part of the review indicate that training activity through the STP varies from a maximum of 100% to a minimum of 2% of an individual library’s training activity. This reflects similar findings from previous training needs analyses and STP evaluations. The proportion of training budget spent on the STP varied from a maximum of 90% to a minimum of 2%. As shown in the last column of Table A2 in Appendix A, the ratio of training activity to budget spent on the STP varied from 6.4 to 0.4. For most library services this ratio was greater then one, indicating that they have a higher proportion of training activity through the STP than they outlay as a percentage of training budget. That is, they receive a relatively good return on expenditure.

As shown in Table A3 of Appendix A, the uptake of training opportunities and the reliance for training on the STP varies considerably across library services. This is due to factors such as the size of the training budget, staff skill profile, access to alternative training sources and the relevance of training offered relative to a library’s professional development needs at the time.It is notable that the STP’s aim of ensuring equity of access for all library services, and therefore targeting delivery in regional areas, has seen country libraries become clearly higher users of the project on an EFT basis than metropolitan libraries.

Training plans and reviews

Regular reviews and evaluations of the STP have ensured that the project has been able to evolve to meet changing requirements and that training programs reflect the needs of library staff.

The first strategic training plan, Steps to Success conducted by AIMA in 1997, was a precursor to the STP and laid the foundations for its development. This review noted the challenge facing libraries as they shifted into new markets with new customers and new technologies, requiring awareness of what customers wanted and monitoring to ensure that quality library services were delivered. The review concluded that there was a clearly and frequently expressed need for priority training in information technology and the Internet, advanced customer services, marketing skills and market research and customer need analysis. A 1998-99 review also identified courses in strategic leadership and management as a priority and recommended introduction of the Staff Exchange Program and development of the Human Resources Manual. It was recommended that the plan should provide training centrally and in regions (i.e. Shepparton, Hamilton, Traralgon, Swan Hill), noting the:

  • high level of travel costs for libraries if courses are only delivered in Melbourne
  • networking benefits gained from bringing librarians from across the state together
  • cost constraints inherent to particular types of programs (e.g. specialist technical skills training may not attract the numbers to be economically delivered at regional locations).

A 1999 review by AIMA produced a three-year training plan which was the basis for the provision of the STP in 2000-01. This plan built on the courses provided over 1998-99 and established as priorities training in communication, team management and interpersonal relationships.

IJ Management Services’ training plan for 2002-2005 made suggestions for a number of changes to the STP. These included:

  • identification of core or baseline training courses that provide for the basic competencies required by staff across the Victorian public library system, and that once adopted as baseline training these courses be provided on a regular basis
  • inclusion in the training calendar of supplementary and pilot courses that are highly valued by participants but not considered part of baseline training
  • adoption of one or two themes each year and delivery of a range of training courses related to that theme across the spectrum of staff from senior management to library officers. This approach was seen as useful for addressing emerging training issues where benefits would arise from all libraries acting as a group.

Recommendations from each of these reviews have largely been accepted and adopted by the STP.