Lifelong Learning in Libraries

A friend of mine was recently bemoaning the lack of memorization in education today.  She stated that she thought it was quite useful to have had to memorize the Preamble to the Constitution, poems, the Gettysburg Address, etc.  I didn't comment one way or the other at the time.  I'd supposed memorization was a useful skill but I'm not sure it's as useful for the 21st century where we all must be ready to adapt and thrive in environments of continual change. I'm intrigued by the prospect of memorizing a Shakespeare sonnet only to have the order of stanzas change every few weeks or perhaps occasionally find the nouns in a different language. That seems to be the times we're living in.

This morning, I finished listening to a podcast interview with Helene Blowers on Bibliotech.  Helene was one of the developers of the Library 2.0 23 Things training that many libraries used a few years back to introduce librarians and library staff to social media tools.  One of the key concepts in 23 Things was that librarians and library staff people needed to take time to play with new technologies. Unfortunately, the concept of playing while on the job was never going to be popular with many in library administration or in our funding bodies.  Surely, if you're playing, you're wasting tax payers money.

So, what is a better way to look at the types of learning we need to encourage in libraries? Experimentation?     In the podcast, Helene talks about the fact that library staff don't need to and shouldn't expect to be experts in all the new technologies. But it is important that they be willing to approach new devices and questions their patrons bring from a perspective of shared discovery.  I may not know a whole lot more than you do about this tablet or e-reader, but let's see if we can figure it out together.

It struck me this morning that the memorization approach or even writing down specific steps of how to get from a to b to c might actually stand in the way of experimentation and discovery. And isn't that our standard approach to technology training? We show people the steps. It may help one feel a mastery of Gadget A, but what happens when someone brings in Gadget B, or even an updated version of Gadget A? We'll probably feel lost and confused and possibly frustrated and angry. I expect those feelings are frequently behind the expressions of  "I hate technology" that I hear all too frequently in the library field.

Helene pointed out that her daughter was learning in a different way so that things like Facebook updates didn't upset her. Whereas I hear nothing but complaints whenever Facebook makes a change. Change is much more threatening to people who view learning as mastery rather than exploration.

So, how can we encourage leaning for its own sake instead of strictly for a goal, e.g., certification? Helene and the podcast hosts all felt that the rewards they'd provided for their 23 Things programs were largely unnecessary. Since these programs were voluntary, most of the library staff who attended truly did so for the love of learning.

But what about those who are old style learners and want to feel mastery? Can we find ways to reward experimentation? Just trying different options? For attempting to answer a question, even if they ultimately have to refer it on to someone else? We only really fail when we don't try.

I certainly don't have the answers here but I'd love to hear about what you may be trying in training programs at your libraries. Successes AND failures!