EIFL photo: Kaltuma Sama, Head Librarian at KNLS / BuruBuru Public Library, lead the cascade training on re-designing library spaces in Mombasa, Kenya  (2018)

In 2018-2020, EIFL (Electronic Information for Libraries – www.eifl.net) developed and implemented a new CPD strategy in four African countries. The strategy is sustainable, country-wide, and affordable, using skilled local trainers. In the previous two blog posts we presented the assessment tools and methods, and the activities designed to transform local librarians into skilled trainers. In this post, we will share the results and learnings from the implementation of the CPD programme in Kenya, Namibia, Zambia and Uganda, and will discuss the sustainability of the programme in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

All in all, 62 librarians and ICT officers completed the EIFL supported CPD programme in Kenya, Namibia, Uganda and Zambia, and are now being deployed in ongoing staff development for public libraries in their countries. By the end of 2020, the 62 trainers, who had learnt subjects critical to introduction of modern library services as well as generic training and facilitation skills, had cascaded their knowledge to over 1,400 librarians and other information professionals, including public, community, school, government librarians and volunteers, who run community libraries.

The training did not stop even during the pandemic – some trainers in Kenya managed to successfully adapt the training to an online format and continued enabling their peers with new skills. Namibia Library and Archives Service (NLAS) is also building an online training strategy, which includes monthly online training sessions on different topics. To support the network of trainers in all four countries, EIFL initiated virtual T-breaks, regular informal online meetings, which serve as an opportunity to learn new topics, discuss training experiences and share ideas with others.

To assess the impact of the programme, we applied an extensive methodology which consisted of: 1) Pre- and post- skills audits of local trainers to capture the improvement of their skills; 2) Feedback surveys immediately after each training session to evaluate how well the training was received by the participants; 3) Impact survey of the public librarians who participated in cascade training to find out what changes they had made in their libraries after the training.

The impact evaluation found that the CPD programme had positive outcomes for the local trainers. First of all, the programme improved the way the trainers perform their daily duties as library staff. It also made them better leaders and stronger advocates, which led to increased recognition of senior managers. As one of the trainers, Kaltuma Sama from Buruburu Library in Kenya, put it: “Continuous professional development has had such a huge impact on me as a person and also on my career. As a person, I have come out of my shell, I feel more confident than before. My career has also changed for the better, I have realized my potential as a leader too.” For details on the programmes and impact evaluation findings, please read the reports for Kenya and Namibia.

EIFL photo: During hands-on design thinking training Letta Shivute Librarian of Mariental Community and NLAS trainer showcased a prototype for new library service (2019)

However, the most important outcome of the CPD programme was the way in which it benefited librarians who participated in the cascade training conducted by the local trainers. For example, EIFL’s partner, NLAS, conducted an impact survey of all 51 public libraries where staff had participated in cascade training. The survey showed that all participants were very satisfied with the training and almost 90 percent of respondents found training to be very relevant for improvement of service delivery. After participating in the training, many libraries managed to start new services, for example weekly teenage games club (Luderitz Public Library), cooking club (Okahandja Library), creation of user interaction platform on WhatsApp (Otjomuise Public library), organizing training for street children (Omaheke Regional Library) and others.

The impact survey in Kenya revealed very similar results and showed that the cascade training had opened the eyes and shifted the mindsets of librarians, who became more proactive in seeking solutions to their libraries’ challenges, rather than waiting for solutions to be found by library authorities. Many libraries in Kenya also introduced changes or new services in their libraries, for example coding for children (Muranga Library), redesigned the junior section with input from the children on painting, murals, and quotes for the walls (Karatina Library), smart farming (Meru Library), lending mobile devices with educational material to children (Kibera Library), digital wellness for youth (Thika Library) and many others.

Reflecting on this CPD approach in general, EIFL and partners concluded that it is a sustainable and cost-effective way to strengthen CPD of public librarians in countries with fewer resources. This model can be replicated in other countries that have strong national institutions responsible for public library development, and in bigger public library systems that have several hundred staff. Our experience has also taught us that partners engaged in CPD initiatives need to have a shared vision for public libraries, and that the trainers need to buy into that vision with enthusiasm and pride. Finally, we learned that when an international organization (like EIFL) engages with an in-country partner (for example, NLAS), the more control the national partner and local librarians have over the project, the better the results. In fact, even before the project in each country ended, we knew that we were no longer needed. We could move on to future projects with smiles on our faces.

To find out about other activities of EIFL’s Public Library Innovation Programme, please visit: www.eifl.net/plip

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Authors:

SUSAN SCHNUER, EIFL’s Public Library Innovation Programme, Capacity Building Manager

For over 27 years Susan Schnuer has trained librarians, in developing and transition economy countries, to be agents of change in their communities. Her passion is to identify and coach talented librarians, helping them to explore their potential as leaders and trainers in their communities. Her philosophy is to ‘tread lightly’ by co-developing training programmes that are tailored to meet the unique needs of librarians in different countries or regions.

UGNE LIPEIKAITE, EIFL’s Public Library Innovation Programme, Impact Manager

Ugne Lipeikaite’s expertise in developing impact evaluation methodologies and tools for measuring the outcomes of public library services has grown over a period of 15 years. Ugne has contributed to the design and implementation of major international research projects to measure the impact of public internet access in libraries and the role of libraries in providing connectivity and digital skills in communities. Ugne has developed training courses and trained public and community librarians in several countries in Africa on how to assess the needs of communities and the impact of library services.

EIFL photo: A moment from the Performance and Outcome Evaluation training workshop in Kenya (2018)

In 2018-2020, EIFL (Electronic Information for Libraries – www.eifl.net) developed and implemented in four African countries a new continuous professional development (CPD) strategy that is sustainable, country-wide, and affordable with the use of skilled local trainers. In a previous blog post, we discussed the importance of assessment of training needs to this strategy. In this post, EIFL details the programme that helped develop the training skills of the local librarians.

The question on the mind of the EIFL’s Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP) team before starting the pilot programme in Kenya was: how do we work with public librarians to develop their skills as trainers so they can help their colleagues develop innovative library services for their communities? The team extensively discussed the building blocks of running the new project in partnership with Kenya National Library Service (KNLS). While some of the elements were obvious, it took careful deliberation and discussion to identify other important components.

EIFL photo: Trainees at the EIFL and KNLS mobile information literacy workshop in Kenya (2018)

Identifying relevant content was easy to do with the help of the KNLS team, and through in-depth needs assessment. Our focus was on introducing practical skills and knowledge that librarians could then easily use in their library. While some of the content was developed by the EIFL team, to save time and resources we invited several trusted international partners to join the project and bring in relevant material that they had created for other countries. While we included a train-the-trainer (ToT) component, we also covered a number of subject modules core to development of library services such as mobile information literacy, leadership, library spaces, design thinking, project management, performance and outcome evaluation, and communication and advocacy. The training took place over 18 months, with different modules offered every 2 – 3 month. Between modules, trainees prepared and facilitated workshops, cascading their subject knowledge to other librarians.

Less obvious to the project partners was how to handle the librarians’ concerns, and perhaps, lack-of-confidence in their training skills. We did a lot of brainstorming and experimenting to get this aspect tackled. We knew that practicing their training skills, and peer support were critical. So we formed training teams for each subject module. Each team comprised up to four trainers who would together prepare and conduct cascade training, and support each other. We also piloted individual coaching sessions. The coaching turned out to be incredibly successful and important to the librarians on the path of becoming trainers. They wanted to talk, in a safe environment, about their new roles and concerns. Coaching then became part of CPD projects in Namibia, Zambia, and Uganda.

We also wanted a safety net for all the training teams. KNLS and EIFL project coordinators attended all first cascade training sessions, mainly in a mentoring role.  We had a very important rule about our participation: the KNLS and EIFL staff would only intervene if they were invited in by the training team. Our role was to support and assist when needed, and keep quiet the rest of the time (which was most of the time). We also did a debrief after each training with each team, and individually with each trainer. We asked two questions: What went well and why?  What would you change if you ran this training tomorrow?

The combination of quality training sessions, coupled with coaching and mentoring, was extremely effective (read Blog 3 for more details about the results).  Richard Atuti, the (now former) Director of KNLS, paid tribute to the programme: “The continuous professional development/training of trainers programme has introduced a unique perspective for improving knowledge and skills of library staff. Developing a pool of internal trainers in critical areas of library operations enabled KNLS to conduct regular training at different levels. This partnership transformed our human resources and the quality of service delivery.”

Our experience showed that equipped with relevant skills and supported through mentoring and coaching of professionals, local librarians can become effective trainers for their peers. With lessons learned from Kenya (see the project impact report), EIFL applied the same CPD/ToT strategy in Namibia, and a modified CPD/ToT strategy, taking into account contextual differences, in Zambia and Uganda.

Watch for our next blog, which will look into the results and lessons learned!

To find out more about EIFL’s public librarians’ capacity building initiative in Africa, please visit: https://www.eifl.net/eifl-in-action/capacity-building-public-librarians-africa

Authors:

SUSAN SCHNUER, EIFL’s Public Library Innovation Programme, Capacity Building Manager

For over 27 years Susan Schnuer has trained librarians, in developing and transition economy countries, to be agents of change in their communities. Her passion is to identify and coach talented librarians, helping them to explore their potential as leaders and trainers in their communities. Her philosophy is to ‘tread lightly’ by co-developing training programmes that are tailored to meet the unique needs of librarians in different countries or regions.

UGNE LIPEIKAITE, EIFL’s Public Library Innovation Programme, Impact Manager

Ugne Lipeikaite’s expertise in developing impact evaluation methodologies and tools for measuring the outcomes of public library services has grown over a period of 15 years. Ugne has contributed to the design and implementation of major international research projects to measure the impact of public internet access in libraries and the role of libraries in providing connectivity and digital skills in communities. Ugne has developed training courses and trained public and community librarians in several countries in Africa on how to assess the needs of communities and the impact of library services.

Greg: The Library Land Project is a 501(c)(3) whose mission is to explore, document, and promote public libraries. It started, really, as a lark. In the fall of 2017, my friend and business partner Adam Zand and I started a PR agency, SharpOrange, and needed a place to work. Rather than renting an office, going to a coffee shop, or using WeWorks, we decided to meet at the Newton Free Library outside of Boston. It was terrific. Plenty of parking, fast wifi, nice study rooms – we loved it. We loved working in libraries  so much that we decided to do it again – but at another library.

That led to another and another and another.

After five or six, we started noticing little differences: this one had more parking, this one had a really nice reading room, this one was super friendly and we began keeping informal scores and notes. After a dozen or so, we decided to try to visit all of the libraries in Massachusetts. After a few dozen, we realized that libraries were doing amazing things in their communities and that most people didn’t appreciate the essential work being done by public libraries. By the end of 2018, we had visited 100 libraries around Massachusetts. It was fantastic.

Because we’re PR guys, we decided we could help tell their stories – but initially we weren’t sure what that meant or would look like. We kept visiting libraries. We came up with a more formal rating system, we took photos, made notes, and began spending more time talking with library workers.

One of the directors we met with – Jennifer Harris (now retired) of the Plymouth Public Library – suggested we attend Library Legislative Day at the State House in Boston. We decided to use that day to launch the Library Land Project with a website. It was a great opportunity to meet folks from around the state and to start to understand the infrastructure and organizations that support libraries.

We also began talking with the media. The hook was two quirky guys traveling around the state looking at libraries. The story we told was about libraries and the work they were doing – and things snowballed from there. Over the course of 2019, we went to more than 200 libraries and started speaking about what we were seeing and learning.

As 2020 started, life was good. We drove out to Bloomington, Indiana to speak at a staff training day. We had plans to speak in Missouri. I was working as a part-time substitute librarian at the Dover Town Library, and was hoping to start working on my MLIS degree. When COVID happened, all that changed. Library visits were on hold, Dover closed, I didn’t get into grad school. Blah.

We decided to use the time to convert Library Land into a nonprofit, which was a way easier process than we’d expected. I also rethought my plans for grad school (I’m now one semester away from graduating from the University of Alabama – which I have absolutely loved). We moved forward and life goes on in wonderful ways.

That was a really long answer. The bottom line was that when we needed libraries, they were there for us. Now, we want to be there for them, to help tell their stories and to reframe the ways people think about them.

Ray: Very neat! The site is full of wonderful information from stories to rankings! What do you encourage viewers to explore first?

Greg: People should read the stories first and foremost. Or the reviews. The stories are recaps of our visits and the reviews are deeper dives into specific libraries. We love libraries and really hope that comes through in what we share. We started doing in-person visits again in May and the pace is quickening. The creativity, resilience, and commitment to community we’ve been seeing during our recent travels have been amazing and we’re happy to be sharing them.

Ray: The ranking system is very interesting – how did you decide on these factors?

Greg: Ah, the rankings. Sometimes we wish we’d never created them! We’ve fielded some complaints about them, but at the same time, we’ve heard from a lot of libraries saying how they’ve used them to make the case for more resources. They’re something we spend a lot of time thinking about.

The original criteria  reflected the things that mattered to us for our visits – parking, wifi, study rooms, etc. We tuned around the edges here and there – parking, for example, became transportation. We began talking to more people in the library community to get ideas and feedback. We have expanded the criteria to include things like accessibility, programming, and services. We’ve tried to make it more objective so other people can use it to rate their libraries.

That work continues and we’ve started leaning toward a pretty major change. We’re thinking about publishing a framework for thinking about libraries from the patron perspective – but without a reliance on the rankings. We think it’s important to think about libraries critically but without the stark judgement of a number. We think that could be a good compromise and could provide a way to get other people involved. We are always open to suggestions though!

Ray: Any plans to include libraries outside of the United States in the future?

Greg: There are 16-17,000 public libraries in the United States and around 250,000 around the world. We started way too late to try to visit them all. That’s why we’ve thought about ways to open-source Library Land. We think the framework will help other people participate – and that includes beyond the U.S. for sure. We’d love Library Land to be a clearing house for stories about public libraries and the work they’re doing here and around the world.

Ray: Anything else you’d like to talk about that we didn’t get to discuss?

Greg: Public libraries need to find more effective ways to tell their stories. So many are doing such amazing and impactful things, but too many people still think of them as buildings filled with books staffed by “Marion the Librarian. Now, more than ever, libraries are making critical contributions to their communities. That point gets lost or ignored way too often. Be proud of the work – and the commitment behind that work – and don’t be afraid to talk about it loudly and often!

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Greg Peverill-Conti is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Library Land Project. Since 2018, Greg has visited more than 300 libraries around the U.S., with many more to come. He is also a principal at SharpOrange, a communications consultancy. Greg has been helping organizations tell their stories since 1992. He has his B.S. in American Culture and Communication from Emerson College in Boston and is currently working on his MLIS at the University of Alabama. Greg lives in Medway, Massachusetts.