On behalf of the folks who served on the Staff Development Day (SDD) committee, I want to thank staff for attending Staff Development Day with an open mind and positive attitude. I hope folks found it beneficial. The committee worked extremely hard on making this a success with very little planning time and is committed to making future SD days as beneficial as possible. So, in this vein, I would ask folks to send me input on SDD and ideas/improvements for upcoming Staff Development Days.
Thanks,
Mike VC
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16 comments:
The opening and closing comments were too long. To have a speaker during lunch was unfortunate for Dr. Totten and library staff. The staff needed an eating/gabbing break. It would have been special to have Dr. Totten teaching at one of the sessions or giving his speech during the opening ceremonies, when the staff was more inclined to listen. I thought the comic was somewhat funny but too sexist and Christian for a government function. The freebie snacks should have been more nutrious(cheese,peanut crackers, nuts,dried fruit and more water). Plus, we needed more time to stretch. I'm not used to seating for that long.
Leslie's comments are well-stated. I would like to say, a little less politely, that I think the comic was awful. His whole presentation and even his delivery was inappropriate. I thought the bathroom break/transition time was not long enough. I thought the choice of "continental breakfast" items was hilarious given what the 2 "Habits" ladies had to say about sugar, flour and caffeine. I agree that it was most unfortunate that Dr. Totten had to speak over that lunch time dull roar. Overall I think my main gripe was that there was a missed opportunity by not having time for entire departments(branch regions, Central,Technical Services, etc.) to meet together to hear words from their top administrators.
I agree with the comments made by my colleagues about the length of the speeches, the food choices, and that the comic was an inappropriate choice. If we're going to hire entertainment, go with a group like Comedy Sportz who do corporate events.
Overall it was a good event for our first SDD - I took away good information from all of the presenters.
I agree with Ireeves's statement: "The staff needed an eating/gabbing break." This was the first annual staff and development day; and we do learn from mistakes. In my opinion, there are no perfect workshops and we can't make everyone happy. I have one suggested workshop for next year that would benefit all HPL staff. The class would be on ergonomics to prevent strain injuries when sitting at a computer or lifting. Last, I enjoyed the nutrition class.
The presenters for getting organized and diplomacy 101 were very good. The women doing the section on Habits were not very good. They seemed to be focused on addictions and spent way too much time discussing diet. The comedian was an unfortunate choice for reasons already stated (sexual content and religious focus). Otherwise, it was a productive day all in all. I suggest healthier snacks such as fruit for the breakfast next time. Thank you.
I was sssoooooo embarrassed for Dr Totten. I had him for a class and loved his lectures. We need to invite him back and promise to worship the ground he walks on...
I thought Mark Willis was terrific, and I also really liked janice. I thought this was an amazing opportunity for all of us to gather together. I agree that Cloud and Rainosek focused too much on a very, very particular diet and were quite preachy about it. there are differing opinions in the world of nutrition, and this presentation did not allow for that.
The comic should have prepared something nice to say about librarians and libraries. After insulting us, I thought he would turn it around to say something nice but that moment never came. :) Also, the religious content does not belong.
Otherwise, fantastic!!!!!!!!!!
I did not laugh at the comic. Wiley's comedy was not funny to me because it was out of context for staff development. I am not afraid of "urban" comedy, and I resent the counterproductive comments of Jack Hernandez (or whatever his real name is).
It should be noted that most of us who did not enjoy the comedy act are not biased against "the truth" but rather offended by stereotypes - like the kind of stereotypes Hernandez is perpetuating with his remark about PBS and HBO.
Big Hern, instead of showing disrespect for other people's opinions by insulting them when you disagree with them, could you please keep your comments in the realm of constructive criticism? Lots of HPL staff read and comment on this blog regularly, and I know we'd all appreciate your cooperation. Thank you.
Let me say I did enjoy the comedian. True, I was tired at that point and wanted to get home. I do wish he’d been able to come earlier in the day. But he made me laugh, and that is what I want, when listening to ‘stand up’. I did not any find his humor offensive, nor did I think he was insulting librarians or libraries. (Let’s not forget the ‘blonde librarian’ jokes earlier in the day. You could argue that those jokes ‘insulted’ two groups of people at once-but the point is, it was in fun) Nor did the ‘religious’ content bother me.
As for the rest of the day, it was great to see old faces, and meet new ones. The program next year will show growth from the experiences of this one.
Morning session was way too long; A speaker during lunch was not a good idea; session rooms were too small; donuts for breakfast was not good either; what did staff development have to do with comic relief at the end of the day; comedian selected was indeed a very poor choice for the reasons already mentioned in previous comments.
I also agree with Cindy's comment: CSV, TSV etc. needed to meet as a group to discuss issues, plans etc. A suggestion for next SDD: instead of a big gathering, how about if we meet at our own locations and provide trainings, have emergency testing of the location etc.
Is there a difference between "staff development" and "staff training"?
I don't think we were being "trained"....just provided information and food for thought to do our jobs better.
I agree with most of the other comments posted. While it is difficult to corral a large group of people, we definitely needed some scheduled breaks throughout the day.
i liked my lunch, but I think next time the meal choice needs to be published prior to the mtg. Someone at my table was allergic to most of the ingredients in the dish. She could have made alternate arrangements if she had known.
No speaker during lunch. That was so unfair to Dr. Totten. Let lunch be our social time.
I'm not sure how I feel about the door prizes. I do appreciate that we got the red bags.
It was nice having updates from various depts. More depts should have gotten up there (CSV, TSV) as well and given updates.
I feel given the circumstances of the past month, the first SDD was overall successful.
Breaks were certainly needed! I think 45 minutes between sessions would have allowed people to use the restrooms and to discuss the session they had just attended with others. Being chased down and accused of trying to leave, and to sign out if you are trying to take a needed break is unpleasant.
I think Dr. Totten should have been the third session. This would allowed staff to eat lunch and gab, and then be able to give attention to Dr. Totten while lunch settled.
I certainly appreciate the gesture of allowing some light comedic relief at the end of the day. He did have amusing points regarding interpersonal relationships and personal circumstances. I know any comedian that would have been presented would face a rather harsh reception. I also know that it would be impossible to find a comedian that could please everyone without offense. I think if he included some other more inclusive material (family, work, friends, etc.) that there may have been less offenses taken. I don't think 'urban' had anything to do with it, as there are universal truths in all cultures.
I believe for our next SDD to be improved, that our feedback should be given serious consideration when planning the programs. I feel it is important and beneficial to all of us to be together at the same time for professional development. It allows us to meet people from other departments and locations, and to learn about their experiences and perspectives about HPL. Knowing what it is like for different employees throughout the system is an invaluable resource, and hopefully would allow us to run our organization better.
I agree with most of my colleagues. I do beleive we should have a menu to choose from. I was suppose to have a vegitarian plate but no one noticed my card on my plate and didn't recieve a vegitarian plate. Lunch was still very good.
I was very offended that there was a religious comic at the SDD. This was so highly inappropriate for a city function.
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