Nibbles of Knowledge on-demand courses for library staff

The State Library of NC is excited to provide access to 5 new on-demand courses from Linda Bruno's Nibbles of Knowledge learning series in our SLNC Academy! Each course includes videos, handouts, and presentation slides. North Carolina library staff have access to these courses within the SLNC Academy for 1 year. To access these webinars, log in using your free SLNC Academy account and request access. See details about the new content below:

Training Your Staff – the Basics

You’ve finally done it! You’ve found the perfect fit for a vacant position. Or maybe you’ve realized that your staff needs some refresher training to absorb all of the changes that have happened in your library. So what’s your plan? Are you sure you’ve got everything covered? Have you established criteria for success? How deep does your plan go?

Something we don’t always think about is the fundamental differences that exist among human beings. Yes, we talk about serving everyone in the way they need to be served, but are we training our staff members in the way they need to be trained? Are we using all of the resources at our disposal? Journey through this tutorial to get answers to these important questions and likely a host of others as well!

What the World Needs Now…Is Patience

If you look up the word “patience”…oh wait, you don’t have time to look up words, right? Who has the patience to do that anymore??

Well, if you did decide to look it up, here’s what you’d find: “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.” Consider that it takes just 2.45 seconds to load a typical web page and just a few more than that to send a text. We’re “spoiled.” Add to that the many other things that might be testing our patience (running late, boredom, doing too many things, health issues, relationship irritants, and any number of life’s other stressors), and it shouldn’t really surprise us that it’s a rare person who moves through each day in a warm, fuzzy blanket of patience :-). In this tutorial, we’ll discuss developing an awareness of our own impatience along with tips on how to increase our level of patience – and our happiness. After all, do you know many people who are constantly impatient, but happy? I didn’t think so!   Introverts – and Extroverts – Make the World Go Round

We’re hearing a lot about introverts these days – some of it’s positive, some not so much. There are statistics floating around saying that about 25% - 35% of the general population are introverts…which means that a vast majority of people are extroverts. 

However, some informal studies show that as many as 70% of those working in the library field are introverts. That’s not really surprising, is it? Introverts tend to like quiet – and although it’s true that libraries aren’t quite as quiet as they once were, many are still more quiet than other workplaces. There are many myths surrounding the idea of being an introvert – they’re shy, don’t like to go out in public, don’t like talking to people – lots of things that simply aren’t true for many introverts. Myths also exist for extroverts – they’re loud, brash, “never met a stranger”-type people. Some are…most aren’t.

Increase Your AQ ~ Your Assertiveness Quotient

Assertiveness – grrrrr! Oh wait, that’s being aggressive! In this tutorial, we’ll discuss the differences between being assertive and aggressive, as well as the dangers of being passive. Moving through today’s world, no matter what our position is in the workplace, learning to be assertive can be a valuable skill – at work and in life. In the midst of our daily activities, it’s easy to just let things go, which is sometimes the best choice. But being passive can create big problems – as can being aggressive. We can contribute to tension in our workplace, low morale, a poor public image, and lots of other problem areas we would all rather avert. Assertiveness can help us be more confident in our interactions on a daily basis. AND it can relieve some of the stress in our lives. Why not develop this important skill? This tutorial will give you lots of tips to do just that!

Rethinking Your Time Robbers

It’s official – there is simply too much to do to ever get it all done! Funding cuts, fewer staff, higher expectations for programming and services…it all adds up to “not enough time in the day.” Our first priority is to take care of our patrons, of course. But that’s just the beginning of what’s on our to-do list every day. And as much as we’d like it to be, surrender is NOT an option. Instead, it’s time we “arrest the time robbers” that steal that precious commodity when we aren’t paying attention! Whether it’s those inconvenient interruptions, marathon meetings, or your own propensity to procrastinate, we’ll discover specific ways to deal with each of these time robbers – but first you have to recognize them. Don’t miss this opportunity to step back and see where your time really goes – and discover how you can gain control of your time to serve your patrons even better than before!Feel free to contact

Contact Lauren Clossey for more information or questions.

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