Marilyn Shaver, Personnel Officer

Change is a fact of life for those of us who work in the IU Libraries, and most of us agree that we must do a better job of preparing ourselves to deal with that change. Training and continuing education can provide valuable support to employees faced with change in their daily work lives. There are numerous opportunities at IU and in the Libraries to participate in these kinds of activities. There are programs designed specifically to address change issues. For example, the IU Human Resources and Management's training and development department offers a session on "Managing Change: The Human Factor", which will be presented in March in the IUB Main Library. The purpose of this program is to prepare managers and supervisors to facilitate change in the workplace. There are other more general programs available from HRM that can prepare both managers and employees to deal with change. Because technology seems to be the driving force behind many of the changes in the Libraries, computer training is essential. Computer training offered in-house and at UCS is available to all library employees. Training and development programs offered by HRM, UCS, and the Libraries are publicized through e-mail, paper brochures and guides, IUL News, and web sites. Many librarians and other library staff take advantage of training and development activities. However, there are many others who do not participate in these programs. During exit interviews with transferring and terminating staff, the three reasons given most frequently for not participating are lack of time, little encouragement from the supervisor, and no need for training. Participation in training activities must become an expectation for all levels of staff. Experts agree that in our current environment of rapid and extraordinary change, ongoing training and education are becoming increasingly important to our success.