Help, I Have to Teach an Internet Class!
By Karen G. Schneider
American Libraries Columnist
Coordinator of the Librarians’ Index to the Internet.
kgs@bluehighways.com
Column for December 2001
I almost never review books in this column—a wry irony for a columnist for American Libraries. But unless you completely outsource training or have dedicated staff to provide it, for the vast majority of librarians the shortest distance between two points—at least with respect to planning, conducting, supervising, and evaluating classes about the Internet for staff and the public—is a good book.
Naturally, there are many excellent Web sites with training materials. My favorite is Searching the Internet Effectively from Alastair Smith of the School of Information Management at New Zealand’s Victoria University. It’s an unadorned, well-organized site linked to core resources, from a review of the day’s objectives to criteria for evaluating Internet resources.
Another good resource, this one for teaching virtual reference, is the Librarian’s Online Manual from the QandANJ service in New Jersey, “a network of experienced New Jersey librarians offering free live, interactive search assistance,” powered by the New Jersey Library Network. As a librarian-administrator managing a virtual office, I can appreciate the special guidance provided by QandANJ. In addition to providing Internet-intensive reference—something most of us do already—the QandANJ team has the special challenge of working together, and with the public, in a completely online environment—which explains tip sheets such as “Recovering from a Disconnect,” “Frame-Busting,” and “Live-Ref Practice Page.” O brave new world!
A book in the hand
If you are developing a class for librarians or the public, take heart. There are several good books dedicated to giving you a significant leg up, whether you’re a first-time trainer feeling ice water in your gut as you anticipate facing your class, or an experienced trainer investigating new types of classes or new formats.
Michael T. Stephens, The Library Internet Trainer’s Toolkit. 2001. Neal- Schuman, $149.95. This book is fabulous. It’s a one-trick pony, but it does its trick well: It provides 12 canned presentations for librarian-trainers to teach the Internet. At $150, it may seem breathtakingly expensive; but if you manage personnel budgets or hire outside trainers, you know that’s a steal. An added advantage is that the modules are so well-designed that a novice trainer could follow the guidelines and do a good job.
The content in the Toolkit addresses everything from a basic introduction to the PC to searching and special-topic classes, such as digital cameras. The language in the slides is directed at general audiences; the tone is friendly and informal but not patronizing; and, yes, the PowerPoint programs, as well as accompanying scripts and other goodies, are on the accompanying CD.
Rachel Singer Gordon, Teaching the Internet in Libraries. 2001. ALA Editions, $38. Gordon’s book is a perfect companion to Stephens’s Toolkit. Novice and advanced trainers alike will benefit from her insights and guidance. Teaching the Internet does a beautiful job of explaining the fundamentals of Internet instruction, helping new trainers plan and implement classes, and includes such essential minutiae as how to design “cheat sheets” for students. Gordon’s list of “‘thou shalt nots’ for a basic training class” should be branded on the forehead of every library instructor. You won’t find this stuff anywhere else. At $34.20 for ALA members, Teaching the Internet in Libraries is an incredible bargain.
Anne Grodzins Lipow and Steve Coffman, Establishing a Virtual Reference Service. 2001. Library Solutions Press, $125. You may ask why you would purchase or at least borrow a book “intended for the reference staff and trainers in libraries and consortia using LSSI’s VRS software” if you aren’t using VRS. The answer is that this is one of the few print-based resources for understanding the skills and competencies required for virtual reference. Of particular interest to managers are the exercises in “transferring desk strategies to the virtual environment.” If you are implementing virtual reference, find a way to take a look at this book.
Gail Junion-Metz, Coaching Kids for the Internet. 2000. Library Solutions Press, $60. Teaching kids how to the use the Internet is a whole ’nother ball of wax, which may be why this book weighs in at 306 action-packed pages. Junion-Metz does a great job with a complex topic. But don’t disregard this book if you work with adults; after cruising through its six tabbed sections, I picked up some excellent tricks for teaching anyone of any age. Junion-Metz has a wonderful common-sense approach to training that transcends age groups.
Susan Sharpless Smith, Web-Based Instruction: A Guide for Libraries. 2001. ALA Editions, $50. Smith walks you through what you need to create Web-based instruction for your users, whether they’re librarians or the general public. My one caveat with Smith’s book is that Web-based instruction can never replace the personal touch. The best Web-based instruction can do is compensate for the gap created by the lack of hands-on, human-mediated instruction—for which there is no replacement.
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