Survey: Technology, Collaboration, and Learning: Perceptions and Effectiveness of Public Library Staff Professional Development

As long as libraries have had reference desks to staff, public librarians and library personnel have pursued learning opportunities for professional development (PD). Library personnel access PD through various channels, such as in-service learning days, conferences, face-to-face and recorded workshops and lectures, and auditing LIS classes. Now, 21st Century library personnel– whether full-time librarians or part-time paraprofessionals– can access PD via online courses, webinars, blogs, and social networking tools.

We are seeking public library professionals or paraprofessionals across the U.S. to participate in a survey regarding the availability, perceptions, and effectiveness of your professional development (PD) experiences. This study will contribute to a clearer picture of PD offerings for staff of public libraries across the US. Findings will provide insights for public library administrators and training personnel, identifying the challenges and potential for PD offerings, and identifying further PD opportunities across library systems, consortia, and associations.

Participation in this survey is voluntary, anonymous, and unpaid. Your response will be contributing to the research and improvement of professional development for public library staff across the United States.

This survey will take about 15-20 minutes, and will involve short answer and multiple choice questions regarding your personal professional development experiences. Your answers are completely confidential, and no identifiable characteristics, including IP addresses, will be collected.

Thank you for your participation in this study and for helping to advance the quality of professional development opportunities for public library staff.

Please use the link below to begin the survey. You may cancel the survey at any time, or skip any question you do not wish to answer.

https://sjsu.qualtrics.com//SE/?SID=SV_79giv4YlHsVXRBz

The survey will be open until April 25th. For further information about the study, please contact Michael Stephens at mstephens7@mac.com.

Thank you-

Michael Stephens, Assistant Professor, School of Information, San Jose State University

RuthEmily Zickau, School of Information, San Jose State University