I’ve spent a lot of time talking to libraries across North America: from urban hubs to small rural branches. One thing is clear: They all want their teams to grow and develop, they want staff to feel confident, tech-savvy, ready and capable to help that patron who just walked in with very specific (and maybe very confusing) questions.
Despite our passion for lifelong learning, we often get staff development wrong. We make it hard, we make it boring, and we accidentally turn it into a burden instead of a benefit. At Learners Engaged, and through our partnership with Novare we’re on a mission to change that. We've seen firsthand how the right approach can transform stressed-out teams into a visionary ones.
Here are five of the biggest mistakes libraries are making with staff development and more importantly, how we can fix them together.
1. The "Firehose" Approach (Information Overload)
It’s the annual Staff Development Day. The library is closed, the coffee is flowing, and eight hours has been scheduled of intensive training. By 10:30 AM, your team is hit with a firehose of new software updates, policy changes, and "inspirational" modules. By 3:00 PM, their brains are full. They aren't learning; they’re just surviving until the "closed" sign flips back to "open" tomorrow.
The Fix: Ditch the firehose and try the faucet. Instead of one massive dump of information, give your team small, digestible drops of learning. This is the heart of microlearning. When you break training down into short digestible five-minute segments, staff can retain the information because they aren't overwhelmed.
2. Lack of Consistency (The "One-and-Done" Trap)
Research shows flawed library leadership often points to a "lack of continuity." This is when training is opportunistic or reactive. A new database launches? You train on it once. A staff member makes a mistake, you do a one-off workshop. The problem is that without a "North Star" to guide development, skills begin to rust the moment the session ends. Consistent, ongoing development is what builds long-term confidence.
The Fix: Build a rhythm. Professional development shouldn't be a special event; it should be a part of the weekly workflow. Tools like NovareFOCUS are designed for exactly this. By delivering short, weekly lessons, you keep development top-of-mind without it ever feeling like an "extra" task.
3. Ignoring the "Busy" Reality
Schedules are busy! Your staff is shelving, running storytimes, troubleshooting, and helping patrons navigate. Telling them they need to block out two hours for a webinar is like asking them to find a unicorn in the biography section. It’s not going to happen without causing unnecessary stress.
The Fix: Meet them where they are. If a learning moment takes more than 10 minutes, it’s probably too long for a busy shift. Training should be something a staff member can do between tasks, not something that requires a substitute at the reference desk (4-7 minutes is your sweet spot).
4. Forgetting the "Why" (The Lack of Contemplation)
Sometimes we focus too much on the how, that we end up forgetting the why. A common mistake in library professional development is a lack of contemplation: not stopping to reflect on how this new skill helps the community. When staff don't see the human impact of their learning, they check out. They feel like they’re just ticking boxes for management.
The Fix: Connect learning to your mission. If you’re training on a resoruce, say ParentTV, don't just talk about the interface. Talk about the exhausted dad who needs help with his toddler’s sleep schedule. When you frame training around helping people, engagement skyrockets. We’re not just teaching tech; we’re empowering staff to change lives.
5. The Budget Panic
Many directors think that "good" staff development has to be expensive. They see the price tags on major conferences or custom-built LMS systems and decide they just can't afford to invest in their people this year.
The Fix: Look for scalable, high-value solutions. You don't need extensive budget to have a highly trained team. For example, NovareFOCUS is priced less than the cost of a few lattes (per staff member) for a whole year of consistent, weekly, professional growth. It’s about finding measurable results that respect your bottom line.
How We Build Together
At Learners Engaged, we’re a Canadian agency, and we bring that neighbourly, collaborative spirit to everything we do. We aren't just here to sell you a login and disappear. We want to be your partners in innovation.
If you’re worried that your current staff development is more of a "firehose" than a "faucet," We’d love to help you flip the switch. We believe in visionary services that supports families, workforce development, and: most importantly: the growth of the people who make your library run every day.
We’ve seen what happens when libraries move toward microlearning. Confidence grows. Service quality improves. Staff feel like the professionals they are. It’s a shift from "I have to do this training" to "I’m excited to grow today."
If you’re curious about how to bring consistent, low-stress learning to your team, why not explore NovareFOCUS? It was built specifically for the busy library environment we’ve been talking about.
Or, if you’re just looking for some inspiration on how libraries are evolving, take a look at our blog where we share everything from launch webinars to deep dives on why certain learning methodologies work.
Let's stop making staff development a chore and start making it a cornerstone of your library’s growth. Feel free to reach out and engage with us.
Let’s build something great together.