Note. From LEGO® Education Professional Learning [photo of LEGO employees participating in a professional development exercise], n.d., LEGO® Education. https://education.lego.com/en-us/professional-development/facilitated-learning/

Pictured above is a group of LEGO employees engaging in a hands-on learning play activity where they created an “art machine” out of LEGOs. The exercise was developed as part of a project called LEGO Idea Studio whose goal was to create activities that gave people an experience of learning through play and inviting them to reflect on their experience (The LEGO Foundation, 2016). The LEGO Idea Studio project is a great example of how a company or institution can give their staff the opportunity to engage with interactive exercises that foster lifelong learning. 

The idea of creating programs for lifeline learning is not something new to libraries. In fact an intrinsic value of libraries is that they are places that serve as the “people’s university” that foster lifelong learning (Stephens, 2014). Often opportunities for lifelong learning have been focused on patrons, but it is something that library staff must participate in as well to ensure that they develop the skills and knowledge to confidently respond to the needs of the people they serve. Planning for ongoing organizational learning for staff is an important first step, but the success of staff learning programs relies on the support of library leaders to ensure that exploration and innovation are sustained beyond a conference or training session (Stephens, 2016). Some practical steps library administrators could take to promote a culture of learning among staff is to mandate weekly time for each staff member to explore something new related to their jobs, and report on learning progress during performance reviews (Stephens, 2016). 

During my time working as a student assistant at the California State Library (CSL) I had an awesome team of supervisors and leads who would contact other library or archival institutions to coordinate virtual lectures/trainings to give us a better understanding and appreciation of the LIS field. For example, there was a virtual presentation we attended where a park ranger from the Tule Lake National Monument talked about the historic injustices Japanese citizens experienced when they were forcibly relocated to internment camps during World War II. Learning about the history and vital work archival staff did in preserving the historical documents, photographs, and oral histories of the Japanese internment experience was inspiring. It made me really appreciate the importance of what archivists and other library professionals do in preserving and educating the public about our history. Despite there being many resources for libraries to foster life-long learning among staff, it is ultimately up to institutions to prioritize giving library staff the opportunity to learn new skills, have novel experiences, and develop innovative ideas. 

References:

Stephens, M. (2014). Making the Case for the Library as Space for Infinite Learning. State Library of Queensland YLibrary Project. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4zt1yliwb2ffzr8euix2p/YLibraryInfiniteLearning.pdf?rlkey=m0v6lkd43ufilkp5aktawhlpr&e=1&dl=0

Stephens, M. (2016). The Heart of Librarianship: Attentive, positive, and purposeful change. ALA Editions, an Imprint of the American Library Association. https://csu-sjsu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CALS_SJO/tu4ck5/alma991003313789702919 

The LEGO Foundation (2016, July 5). What do we mean by learning through play? Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/173458519