An Informative Journey

Cecil County actually finished up our 23 Things program back in September so here are a few reflective thoughts. As a training tool 23 Things really helped identify the staff that needed some extra help. We found that it was the staff who were not as comfortable with technology and the web who were the most excited about the program. These staff tended to embrace the program and worked hard to finish. While they did need a little extra time compared to some of the other staff the benefit they received from the program made the extra effort worthwhile.

Most of the training time spent helping with 23 Things was in the form of 5-20 minute phone calls or emails. A few of the branch staff that could devote longer periods of time to the program received longer 1-2 hour long help sessions. These staff were the ones who needed the extra help to finish the program. They benefited from the extra one on one time that allowed for more detailed explanations of the technologies. We didn't hold group training for the 23 Things but instead our trainer would visit a branch for half a day and answer any questions the staff had. These visits really went a long way in helping the staff feel comfortable with the program in general.

One thing that we did in CCPL was to give out prizes not just for finishing the program but also incremental prizes at 7 and 14 things. This helped spark interest in the program at the early stages since participation was not mandatory. These prises were small but gave the staff small rewards during the program along with a larger prize at the end. Anyone who finished the program was also eligible to win one of 5 MP3 players that were given away.