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Inside the TJRC: A look inside the love of learning for TJRC staff

November 9, 2023

The Terry James Resource Centre (TJRC) is the Upper Grand District School Board’s one-stop-shop for materials and resources for UGDSB staff. From the media centre and resource centre to 3D printing, and online resources, the TJRC has everything staff need to succeed and pass that success on to UGDSB students. “Inside the TJRC” is an on-going series that will feature some of the amazing resources that the TJRC has to offer.

As a learning organization, the Upper Grand District School Board wishes to inspire a lifelong love of learning in its students and its staff. Through this goal, UGDSB staff members are supported and encouraged to seek Professional Development (PD) opportunities that they can bring back to their positions and teams.

This November, Terry James Resource Centre staff want to highlight the importance of their continued learning when it comes to working in a library setting.

According to UGDSB Cataloguer Sheri Herbert, school “libraries are an ever-changing resource that require constant knowledge updates to be able to adequately serve our customers.” Due to this knowledge, TJRC staff continually participate in PD activities to bring back to their positions and help educate their peers.

Topics of recent PD events attended by UGDSB Library and Media Specialist Erin Bloemberg and UGDSB Head Cataloguer Sandra Knapp included, building effective and inclusive collections, topics on book purchasing, catalogue metadata and accessibility.

According to Bloemberg, Herbert and Knapp, PD activities are so important to library staff because of the evolving nature of the positions. Knapp said, “Library automation is always evolving, and library technicians need to stay on top of the changes. Library online catalogues around the world are connected to each other. Updates and changes in metadata need to be standard for the sake of efficiency. Professional Development in this area keeps staff aware of changes in technology and metadata.”

TJRC staff will continue seeking out PD opportunities for themselves and as a way to bring knowledge to their team. Knapp stated the desire to participate in a PD session around online catalogue design and more around working efficiently with software.

Bloemberg concluded that “Folks that are in library science are naturally curious, seeking out new knowledge is in our DNA,” and as a result have developed a love of learning and a desire to continue seeking out PD opportunities.

When reflecting on her department’s PD, UGDSB Supervisor of Library and Media Services Lauren Bull said, “Participating in professional learning helps us stay current with trends and allows us to improve our practices through conversation and collaboration with colleagues in different sectors and areas of the world. Professional development is a great opportunity for us to practice being lifelong learners – after all, that’s what libraries and Learning Commons are all about.”

How does your school Learning Commons help inspire your love of learning? Let us know using #InsideTJRC.

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