SALCTG is the Scottish Academic Libraries Cooperative Training Group. We collaboratively run courses to train staff in Scotland's academic libraries. This Slideshare is a presentation I gave to the Customer Services Practitioners Group 20th June 2013

1. SALCTG – Serving Scottish
Academic Libraries
Twitter @SALCTG (and @karenmca) Karen McAulay
http://salctg.blogspot.co.uk/ Convenor SALCTG
Scottish Academic Libraries Cooperative Training Group
Music & Academic Services Librarian, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
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2. SALCTG’s Remit
• Training for Everyone – all Levels, any
Member Institution
• Library Training for Library Staff
• General Training for Library and
Information staff
• Deciding What to Offer
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3. SALCTG and Customer Services
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Managing Student Behaviour – a popular
recent course on customer services by trainer
Ash Charlton
“As library and learning spaces evolve to include cafes, social and
collaborative spaces, is it still necessary to set boundaries for student
behaviour? How can we address potential problems in a positive way
and ensure the library is still an appropriate place for learning?”

4. SALCTG – Our Recent Plenary
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• Plan, Aims and Objectives – capable of being
monitored and flexible enough to update.
• 2 Questions:-
• (A) What customer services training is
currently given?
• (B) Blue sky and a crystal ball –
What CST would you like?

5. Comments round the Table
• On the spot
• Observations on the current scene
• Trends
• Not a scientific survey
• Not intensive brainstorming
• Some wishes and aspirations
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6. Current Scene
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• In-House (Library or Institutional Level)
• Induction
• On the Job (‘Sitting next to Nellie’)
• Regular, on various themes
• SALCTG Courses Supplement In-House

7. Constant Considerations
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• Different staff training challenges in large and
small libraries
• Large – offering training to everyone
• Small – making time whilst running service
• Not forgetting evening/weekend staff
• Size of library can also affect type of training
offered and finding suitable trainer – which is
where SALCTG courses can help!

8. Present Circumstances - £££
• Current economic climate
• Library viewpoint: value for money
• Customer viewpoint: ‘paying customer’.
Expectations.
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9. Present Circumstances - Ethos
• Good customer services is part of everyone’s
role
• External regulation as well as internal
aspiration – customer service ombudsman,
new regulations for universities, etc
• Trend to bring together front-line services
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10. The times they are a-changing (1)
• Changing ways of doing things inevitably leads
to training issues, eg …
• Roaming staff with iPads
• More electronic services
• Student queries are about information and
the technology carrying/processing that
information
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11. “The times they are a-changing”(2)
• Not just changes in WHAT training to provide
• Also changes in HOW to provide it
• The institutional VLE offers opportunity to
train large numbers of staff in-house (but
mitigates against cooperative training)
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12. “The times they are a-changing”(3)
• Another training need – change management
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13. Generic Skills
• When it comes to customer services, many of
the skills are generic and not solely applicable
to library and information work, eg:-
• Working with international students
• Communication skills
• Equality and diversity
• Managing student behaviour
• Assertiveness
• Using customer feedback
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14. To VLE or not to VLE
• VLE a good way to cover basics – and to reach
different sectors of workforce
• … but can be a box-ticking exercise – theory
minus practice
• Knowing how, is not the same as actively
doing
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15. Theory and Practice
• However we train staff in theoretically good
customer service, practical training comes
next
• In house (departmentally or institutionally)
• Externally (within or beyond the library/info
sector)
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16. SALCTG’s rôle in
customer service training (1)
• Forum for sharing best practice – both at the
plenaries and in training sessions
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17. SALCTG’s rôle in
customer service training (2)
• Cooperative training, generally within the
sector
• Benefits for those being trained
• (Not forgetting a day away from the desk to
focus on one aspect of the job!)
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18. SALCTG’s rôle in
customer service training (3)
• Balancing Act
• What’s Available
• What’s Called for
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19. Flexible, forward-thinking
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20. SALCTG and CTG
• Support the SALCTG plenaries
• Save info re trainers and training opportunities
• Share your ideas
– What worked
– What might work
– What’s needed
Thank you!
K.McAulay@rcs.ac.uk
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