Special projects, job shadowing, coaching, peer learning, personal study, reading materials, online discussions, and off-site visits are some examples of informal learning activities that can help library staff build competencies for dealing with change. These activities challenge and stretch abilities, allow learning from observing others, expand understanding of library issues, and encourage contributions from staff in other libraries. Building competencies through informal learning helps create an engaged and adaptable staff for the library.

1. Competency Building;
Competencies for
dealing with chaos
Building an Engaged Flat Army for the Library
iSchool, University of Toronto, November 13, 2014
Presenter: Anne Marie Madziak, Consultant,
Southern Ontario Library Service

4. www.sols.org

5. SOLS Competencies Index – under Develop Your
Library and Staff at www.sols.org

13. Some examples of informal learning activities include:
• Special projects and assignments designed to challenge you
and stretch your abilities
• Job shadowing, rotations and secondments that invite
learning by observing and experiencing new responsibilities
• One-on-one coaching and mentoring
• Peer learning/ Communities of practice
• Personal study projects that combine reading, consulting with
others and coming to some conclusions; these projects
typically result in the preparation of a paper or presentation
• Reading and/or viewing materials that expand your
understanding of library and/or workplace issues, eg. TED
talks, books, articles or websites on leadership, teamwork,
creativity and innovation, motivation, conflict resolution, etc.
• Contributions to issues-based online discussions and/or face-
to-face conversations with staff from other libraries
• Off-site visits to other libraries or other relevant service
providers.