ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 140 / C&R L News ionship and perhaps w itty conversation during the meal. Check every day at the Hospitality Booth for the evening’s possible selections and sign up by 4:00 p.m . In this way, we hope to provide you w ith every opportunity to sample the joys of eating in C incinnati and to p a rtic ip a te in research th a t makes a difference! Bon appetit! ■ ■ INNOVATIONS Automation orientation programs at the University of Delaware Library By Carol Anne Hert Senior Assistant Librarian, Systems D epartment University of Delaware Integrated online library systems (IOLS) are changing the way libraries function and how they are organized. As systems are implemented, new types of work are being created and old barriers be­ tween units are falling. Critical to the successful im plem entation of an integrated system is an en­ thusiastic staff: one not threatened by change, and able to think beyond the boundaries of current jobs to creativ ely assess a u to m a tio n ’s role in th e ir w ork.1 The creation of this kind of spirit requires more than task-oriented training, although th at is cer­ tainly an essential element of any training pro­ gram. Sokol and Bulyk have outlined a three-part model of training to enable the successful imple­ mentation of new technology.2 The components are: sensitization, education, and training. Sensiti­ zation refers to training to provide the emotional preparation for new technology. It should address concerns about change such as loss of control and job security, and should build staffs confidence about their ability to master the system. Education 1S h eila D. C reth, Effective On-the-job Train­ ing: Developing Library H um an Resources (Chi­ cago: American Library Association, 1986), 2. “Ellen W. Sokol and John C. Bulyk, “The T ruth About Training,” Journal o f Inform ation Systems M anagement 2 (Fall 1985): 75-76. is the process of teaching staff to think creatively about a particular technology’s possibilities and im plications w ithin the context of institutional missions. Actual task-related training to provide staff w ith the necessary proficiencies to employ the new technology is the final component of the Sokol and Bulyk model. At the University of Delaware Library, the Sys­ tems D epartm ent is charged w ith developing train­ ing for our IOLS, NOTIS. Recognizing th at task- specific training alone would not be sufficient for the smooth im plementation of the system, we de­ veloped a series of orientation programs designed to address the sensitization and education compo­ nents of Sokol and Butyl’s training model. We have merged these two components in our programs in the belief th at they can not really be separated. A feedback loop exists, w ith increasing confidence about the system making education about the ca­ pabilities and potentials of the system easier, and vice versa. The University of D elaw are L ibrary Systems D epartm ent’s orientation program s are of tw o types: programs to teach basic system competen­ cies, and programs focusing on general autom ation and system topics. Basic competency programs in­ clude introductions to the public catalog and to the technical services mode of the system. Among the February 1989 / 141 subjects addressed during the general programs are the functioning of specific components and various other library autom ation topics. The basic competency programs are hands-on sessions required of all new staff, and proficiency in using the terminal and employing the basic search keys is stressed. O ur goal is to help staff develop a mastery of the rudiments of system m anipulation, so th at these are not stumbling blocks during job- specific training. The first session, the introduction to the public catalog, is provided on dem and by a staff person in the Systems D epartm ent. Because th e o n lin e c a ta lo g of N O T IS is fa irly self- explanatory, the sessions focus on becoming fam il­ iar w ith the terminal and the services and person­ nel of the Systems D epartm ent. The second session is to the technical services mode: how to search it, display records, and inter­ pret the information. Staff use a self-paced work­ book which guides them through an explication of the MARC record, and the structure and com ­ mands of the technical services mode. No job- specific commands (such as how to create a record) are taught. Through these required orientation programs, staff are prepared w ith the tools they will need as they progress through their particular job-specific training. The second type of orientation program is a lec­ ture/discussion series on the system and library au­ tom ation in general. These sessions are optional and are presented once a month at lunchtime. The goal of these sessions is to provide staff w ith an op­ portunity to learn about unfam iliar parts of the sys­ tem and also to provide a broader view of the sys­ tem in o rd e r to fo ster an u n d e rs ta n d in g of D elaw are’s specific usage of NOTIS. We believe th a t these sessions improve the staff’s ability to think positively and creatively about autom ation in the library. There are two types of lecture/dis- cussion sessions: those which highlight specific components of the system or upcoming system en­ hancements, and those which cover more general topics such as computer technology and how the system processes information. The sessions which focus on a component of the system are geared to those not working w ith the component. Because NOTIS is an integrated sys­ tem , it is im portant for all staff to understand the inter-connectivity of the various components and this concept is stressed during the sessions. Specific library policies are not discussed as there are other forums for disseminating th at information. We fo­ cus instead on how various functions are performed on the system so th at people begin to comprehend the structure and operations of NOTIS. For exam­ ple, in the circulation component session, when discussing the discharge function, we mention how the system actually processes a discharge and which files and records are updated during the pro­ cess. In addition to the component-specific ses­ sions, the lecture/discussion form at works well for communicating information about major system enhancements. We also run sessions which highlight more gen­ eral topics. Many staff do not have a clear under­ standing of computers or their applications in li­ braries. Such an u n d e rs ta n d in g w ill becom e increasingly im portant as the level of autom ation in our library rises and the sensitization and educa­ tio n issues of tra in in g becom e m ore obvious. Among the sessions we have offered or are planning to offer are: basic computer hardw are, software, and telecommunications as they relate to our sys­ tem; the role of the MARC record in library auto­ mation, particularly the use of MARC in our sys­ tem; the structure of NOTIS (programs, tables, and d ata); and the loading and indexing of records. At the University of D elaw are Library, we have found th at autom ation orientation programs are a critical p art of a comprehensive training program for an integrated online library system. The pro­ grams can have numerous benefits for the institu­ tion. First, training costs can be reduced as staff are led logically from a basic understanding of the sys­ tem to the more specific information they will need to do their job, thereby m inim izing retraining. O rientation programs also provide background in­ formation th at allows staff at all levels to make in­ formed decisions about possible applications of the system. Finally, staff begin to see change as a posi­ tive and creative opportunity. Since technological change is a given for libraries, library staff must be emotionally and intellectually prepared for such change. Developing autom ation orientation pro­ grams which capture the sensitization and educa­ tion components of training is one method for pre­ paring staff, and one which has been successful at the University of D elaw are Library. ■ ■ Model Statement of Objectives for Academic Bibliographic Instruction The “Model Statement of Objectives for Aca­ demic Bibliographic Instruction” developed by the BIS Task Force on the Model Statement was approved by the ACRL Board of Directors and the ALA Standards Committee during the 1988 Annual Conference in New Orleans. As approved, the statem ent is the same as the final draft th at appeared in C& RL News, May 1987, p p .256-61.