“Training” and “Staff Development” have been buzzwords of the library and information science (LIS) profession for a considerable time now, and “making do with what you have” and “working smarter” are engraved on the hearts of many a LIS manager. Professor Barbara Allen, Dean of Westminster Business School and a noted LIS profession with considerable relevant experience in the world of training and staff development, has produced a well-organised and timely work on training and training techniques in libraries of all kinds.
This is a clear, handy and up-to-date guide for LIS practitioners involved in the fluid world of training and staff development. The range of the book is very god, covering a span of techniques and problems from “blended learning” and “fishbone diagrams” to “mind mapping” and “Twitter”.
Good useful short articles on approaches and theories of learning and teaching are given and a good effort is made to integrate the theory into the practice – this is a very practical book in many ways. Short illustrative case studies are given and these are very helpful for illumination and understanding. There are lots of clear short diagrams, helping underpin the text, and the book has a good “flow” and readability to it – Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning, for instance, is well-done and clearly written by the author. There are good Further Reading and Resources lists, a clear Index and, as one can expect from Facet Publishing, the Guide is well-produced and a handy size.
All in all, a very useful and pertinent book providing a clear helpful guide for LIS practitioners involved in User Education, Staff Training and CPD – “A No-Nonsense Guide” indeed.
