Devote Time to Skills Development
Jinfo Blog

By Robin Neidorf

Abstract

As the FreePint Topic Series "Best Practices in Information Skills Development concludes, FreePint's director of research, Robin Neidorf, looks at key findings from the research and articles, and outlines next steps to ensure skills training success.

Item

Information skills development should be a top priority for every organisation, but ...

Few organisations are aware of the fundamental requirements of quality information interactions, and fewer have a strategic plan to ensure information professionals and other knowledge workers are effective.

From April to June 2015, our Topic Series Best Practices in Information Skills Development reinforced the importance of dedicating time to information skills development, through:

• Tips articles on easy, low-cost and effective ways to improve training (e.g. Have clear objectives; understand what motivates your audience; focus on the learner's needs, not what you want to convey; test, review, revise)
  
  
• Guidance on moving effectively into distance and online environments
  
  
• Suggestions on leveraging internal and external resources for development
  
  
• A strategic framework for planning for the future of information skills... and building a strong case to persuade decision-makers to pursue it
  
  
• Original research on what's happening in organisations today around information skills development.

You can adopt our recommendations for delivering more effective training:

1. Access the FreePint Report "Best Practices in Information Skills Development", an indexed guide to what we published
   
   
2. Explore all the content published in this Topic Series and 'star' items in your MyFreePint account
   
   
3. Attend the Webinar "What We Learned..." and get an efficient overview (20 minutes) of the most important findings of this series, plus our recommendations on how to react and adapt in your environment.

Now is the time to dedicate time to information skills development. Set a task in your calendar for the next 6 weeks to spend 30 minutes each week on some element of skills development, whether strategic planning or hands-on training.

« Blog