ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 546 / C&RL News McKee said th a t there is virtually no noise prob­ lem in the new Burling Library because the pre­ vailing atmosphere is one of quiet reflection and study. “Students just come to the library to study,” he said. Birnbach herself listed the Grinnell Stu­ dent Forum , not the library, as the best place for “social” study. Ben Weese, partner-in-charge for the Grinnell project, has also designed W illiams College L i­ brary and is working on renovation plans for the Knox College and DePauw University libraries. The best way to conduct the renovation of an older building, he said, is to “combine the best features of the existing structure w ith carefully tailored renov- a tio n /re h a b ilita tio n techniques. A chieving th e most effective com bination of these elements takes the work of a team composed of architect, builder, and user, all in close collaboration. The strategy th a t results from this collaboration can be quick and efficient, producing results th a t not only sur­ prise but delight.” O ther notable features of the new library: rich red oak paneling, m uted color tones, conveniently located reference and circulation areas, a p rin t gal­ lery on th e basem ent floor, and m ore visibility along a central concourse. One m ajor task of bibliographic instruction is getting students into the library in the first place— Grinnell College seems to have at least half the b a t­ tle w o n .—GME. ■ ■ BI tip sheet for a cad em ic adm in istrators a n d support sta ff P rep ared by th e EBSS B ib lio g ra p h ie In stru ction for E d u cators C om m ittee Charles Thurston, Chair Planning an instruction program for a neglected category of users. C o l l e g e and university departm ental secretaries, clerks, and adm inistrative assistants are among the most frequent users of the library, yet their p articu ­ lar job-related library needs are rarely addressed. “BI Tip Sheet for Academic Administrators and Support Staff,” an ACBL com mittee project, raises points the librarian should consider w hen planning instructional and inform ational program s for such clientele. The reader is urged to consult the seminal articles in the bibliography for descriptions of suc­ cessful programs. Members of the Bibliographic Instruction for Educators Comm ittee of ACRL’s Education and Behavioral Sciences Section who developed the tip sheet are: Emily Bergman, Bobbi Collins, T ara Fulton, L aura H arper, Patricia McMillan, David Norden, Judith Pryor, Jean Thompson, Thomas T o llm an , Joan W orley, an d C harles T h u rsto n (chair). I. Needs assessment a. Learn from others. Read the literature on the topic and talk w ith other librarians who have pro­ grams of this kind. b. Review inform ation needs of the target audi­ ence by analyzing statistics at the reference desk, N ovem ber 1984 / 547 talking w ith reference, interlibrary loan, collection developm ent librarians and other m em bers of the staff. c. D eterm ine staff interest and availability, level of expertise, and train in g needs. d. Seek library support for this activity. A dm in­ istrative and staff backing m ust be present, as well as financial assistance. e. Survey potential users to gauge level of interest an d type of need. The survey form should be brief (preferably a single page) w ith an attractive for­ m a t; it should include a statem en t of purpose; questions should be phrased so th a t they can be a n ­ swered quickly. Use m ultiple choice, yes/no ques­ tions or ratin g scales. II. Logistics a. Designate th e lib rary contact person(s) who will answ er all queries from library staff and p ro ­ gram participants. b. Schedule th e sessions during norm al w orking hours. Check university and d epartm ental calen­ dars for conflicts. c. Avoid th e first and last few weeks of th e term . d. If you have m ore th a n one session, offer a v ari­ ety of dates and times, e. g. do not offer tw o sessions on th e same day or both sessions in the m orning. e. Involve any staff m em bers w hom th e library users are likely to encounter. Do not lim it involve­ m ent to librarians or heads of library departm ents. f. Be sure th a t the sessions are tangibly work- related, and respond to expressed interests of p a r ­ ticipants. g. D ecide on a m axim um n u m b e r of p a rtic i­ pants. Do not sacrifice effective instruction for ex­ posure to the library. h. E ncourage advance registration. III. Public relations Develop a comprehensive program of public in­ form ation. Consult sources listed in the bibliogra­ phy. Some specific points to consider: •A nnounce and advertise the program in cam ­ pus publications such as faculty and d epartm ental newsletters. • I n w riting the press release, rem em ber the b a ­ sic w ho, w h at, w hen, w here, w hy and how. C on­ ta ct the editors to find out about deadlines and other requirem ents. •D evelop personal contacts w ith m edia rep re­ sentatives. •U se com m ercially available products such as presstype and clip a rt to produce an attractive and interesting flyer. •In c lu d e a registration form w ith the flyer. • T h e flyers should be m ailed to targeted p e r­ sonnel, posted on bulletin boards, and placed at service desks in the library. •M ak e a follow-up call an d /o r send a letter to targeted audience, supervisors, and liaisons. •S e v e ra l days p rio r to th e program co n tact cam pus m edia to see if a representative can cover the event. IV. Program content a. D eterm ine length, form at and focus of the program . b. Display m aterials being discussed and allow tim e for individuals to look through them . c. D em onstrate skills and allow practice tim e. d. Include w alking tours of relevant areas. e. Use audiovisual m aterials to enhance th e p re­ sentation. f. Use refreshm ents as a draw ing card. Consider a brow n bag lunch. V. Evaluation a. Use a w ritten evaluation m ethod. b. Give th e evaluation form to the group after th e presentation and collect im m ediately for maxi­ m um return. c. Make th e evaluation form brief b u t cover a r­ eas such as the following: •H o w well did the program m eet th e group’s expectations? •W a s it useful? •W a s there new inform ation? •H o w will it be used by the participants? •W a s som ething missing? d. Talk w ith participants and ask for suggestions and comments. VI. Bibliography Borda, E va and M ary E. M urray. “Introduction to L ib rary Services for Allied H ealth Personnel,” B u lle tin o f th e M ed ica l L ib ra ry A ssociation 62(O ctober 1974): 363-66. D elacorte, Toni, Judy Kimsey, and Susan Halas. H ow to G et Free Press: A D o-It-Yourself G uide to P ro m o te Your In terests, O rg anizations or Business. San Francisco: H arbor, 1981. G illiam , Bodil H. “Beyond Bibliographic Instruc­ t i o n , ” S o u th e a s te r n L ib r a r ia n 31 (S p rin g 1981):8-10. Patterson, Thom as H. “L ibrary Skills Workshops fo r S u p p o r t P e r s o n n e l,” R Q 1 9 (S u m m e r 1980):351-53. BI Workshop in Florida O n N ovem ber 29-30 E ckerd College, St. Pe­ tersburg, Florida, will host a library use in ­ struction workshop jointly sponsored by Eckerd an d th e C ouncil on L ib ra ry Resources. T he 5 workshop will be conducted by E van F arb er of E arlham College and three classroom faculty from th a t institution. For m ore inform ation, contact L arry H ardesty, D irector of L ib rary Services, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, F L 33733; (813) 867-1166. 548 / C&RL News Poyer, R obert K. “Improved L ibrary Services Through User Education,” Bulletin of the Medi­ cal Library Association 65(April 1977):296-97. W hite, Donald J. “Orientation Course Aids Staff on the Jo b .” Canadian Library Journal 36(Fe- bruary/April 1979): 17-20. ■ ■ ACRL continuing education courses at Midwinter Conference The Association of College and Research L i­ braries will sponsor four continuing education courses at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Wash­ ington, D .C . Advance registration by December 15 is required. A late registration fee of $15 will be charged. A Certificate of Completion will be awarded participants in each course. Successful completion of 10 contact hours of continuing education is equal to one Continuing Education Unit (CEU). ACRL maintains a CEU record for each participant. To register, send in a completed registration form to Gail Russell, ACRL/ALA, 50 E . Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611-2795. Details of the courses follow: J o b T r a i n i n g : D e v e l o p i n g T r a i n i n g P l a n s f o r Y o u r St a f f C E 110 explains why initial orientation and training is critical to effective operation of library departments. The course covers: areas requiring training (for the new employee, for performance improvement, in operational problems or changes and for development of the employee) and the re­ sponsibility of the supervisor in planning, conduct­ ing and evaluating training. The course reviews learning principles. Participants will work on de­ veloping a training plan and/or materials for their own em ployees and w ill p ra c tic e giving feedback— both criticism and praise— to their trainees. Evaluating the effectiveness of the train­ ing program will also be covered. Instructor: Anne Lipow, D irector of Library Education, University of California, Berkeley. Date: Friday, January 4, 1985, 9:00 a .m .-5 :0 0 p.m. F ee: $95 ACRL members; $135 non-members. C E U credit: .7 What past participants have said about C E 110: “Excellent course.” “Lots of good practical ideas to