Building a Learning Culture for the Common Good

SUMMARY

Librarians are well positioned to embrace the journey towards a learning culture; we have resources and we have incentive! Teetering on the edge of information technology, libraries are committed to continuous change for the benefit of our customers. To fulfill this promise, staff must keep pace with new technologies, products, and an increasing demand for new services in an environment with shrinking human resources. There is more to learn and less time in which to learn it. This paper describes a proactive, team-based approach used to create a learning culture in one library. Staff act as peer learners and teachers to educate themselves and each other about all aspects of their reference work such as approaches to service, orientation for new members, learning and evaluating new tools, and discussing the development of new services. The whole is greater than the sum–this dynamic, shared learning environment embraces diverse learning styles including discovery, discussion, demonstration, presentation, homework, questioning, and hands-on practice. Analysis of feedback from students and challenging questions at the reference desk grounded the experience and made it immediately relevant and useful. This strategy furthers the goal of the learning organization where members share the responsibility of learning. The outcomes are an enriched collective knowledge and understanding, a sustainable model for continuous learning, social connectivity, and team experience.

KEYWORDS:

• Learning culture
• learning community
• team-based learning
• reference service
• librarians' learning
• learning organization