Providing Professional Development Opportunities to Staff in Tough Economic Times

Libraries today have been feeling budget crunches due to decreases in funds and increases in materials costs and salaries of their employees. There are also pressures on libraries of all types to respond to new technologies and modes of knowledge acquisition. Because of these constant changes, library staff and administrators must work together to develop comprehensive, sustainable training programs that benefit both employees and the library as a whole. Administrators can foster this by developing their libraries into learning organizations. This chapter will outline how library administration can keep costs in check while providing a vibrant professional development program for their employees.