Flickr as a Training Tool-- I'm too Excited!

I just listened to "Flickr as a Training Tool" by Lauren Pressley and I am ready to go!

I struggle, at some times more than others, with the level of instruction and supervision that it takes to train new students, new employees, and new users-- but I think this may have revolutionized the way I do business! Here's how:

1. Training new student workers: as those of you who supervise student workers know, the turnover rate is high... We have a relatively low turnover rate, but that means I only have to hire new students once/term. Of course, this means training new students... Normally, I walk them around for an hour and tell them everything I can think of that they need to know; predictably, training time is limited because I need them to cover a shift from yesterday and they stopped listening to me @ 4 minutes into the tour. I don't blame them, it's boring when you don't know how to use it and it's overwhelming! I'm certainly not going to give up the tour, though I often try to spice it up a bit by showing them the compact shelving, but I do think that having a companion tool like this would be fabulous. Student supervisors know that before asking a question, student workers usually start the sentence "I know you told me this on my first day, but..." Imagine the possibilities: when I get the email at 4 on a Saturday (confession: yes, I do check my work email on the weekend) asking where the Sanborn Insurance maps are or how to fix the smoking microform machine, I can point them to the visual tour and fire department.

2. Getting feedback and opinions on projects: we use our students for projects-- a lot-- and we've started using our departmental wiki for posting instructions for projects, but I'd like to see how we could use something like the Microtext Task Log for tracking student projects. I don't want to be too controlling, but this would help me sleep at night!

3. Offering instructions after hours: we staff our Reference Desk nights/weekends with students (no access to Archives, but reference for maps/microforms), but only until 9PM. The library is open much later than that. I don't know how many people are flummoxed after 9, but having a big sign that says: "If you are confused go to our Flickr page" might really help some late night lost souls!

4. Showing researchers how to use the Archives: this branches out a bit into instruction/user education realm, but I'd love to explore how we could create a page with textual AND visual information about how to do research in the Archives. We could post information about basic strategies for finding information in the Archives, research tips, and subject guides, but also incorporate photos of tours, pointing out the location of materials, useful screenshots, and my smiling and encouraging face. Okay, that last was a joke, but I think opening up our Reference Room, at least visually, really helps orient researchers before they get here. I, for one, always like to "practice" first! Here's a great example: Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC) is a unit in Washington State University's Holland and Terrell Library of a tour like the one I'd like to do. And with Flickr, I could post comments and point out all the random things I find interesting.

Hmmm... I may smell a proposal here... I think this would make idea #37.