Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks - An ILL Cross-Training Program for Access Services Staff

Abstract

The Waidner-Spahr is always looking to streamline and improve customer satisfaction. We have established processes to maintain speedy, high quality services that our patrons have come to know and expect by cross-training staff. As a result, Circulation and ILL Specialists are freed to work on more difficult, complex, and obscure problems. The need for appropriate training and support is essential to help staff feel empowered rather than overwhelmed. We identified core functions and processes for each service area, and developed an ongoing cross-training program. We implemented individual training sessions that allowed us to observe individual progress and troubleshoot problem areas. Group sessions were held to receive feedback and address issues common to everyone. This poster presentation will demonstrate the results of the collaborative efforts of the specialists to implement a training program to achieve and provide consistent services.