Professional Learning During the Pandemic
Calgary Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
During the pandemic, Calgary Public Library identified an opportunity to enhance and expand professional learning. This led to the development of a suite of health and wellness and core competencies learning programs as well as partnerships with equity, diversity and inclusion experts for certifications, all with strong targets for completion.
Challenge/Opportunity
Staff felt disconnected during the pandemic, including temporarily laid-off employees or those working remotely. Modified work arrangements meant schedules were more flexible, which the library leveraged to get a large percentage of staff trained with minimal shift adjustments required from supervisors. Training opportunities also gave staff on modified work arrangements or who had been temporarily laid off opportunities to connect with peers and learn methods to adapt to the pandemic.
Key Elements of Innovation
We met staff need for acknowledgement and connection by:
- Partnering with two nationally respected educational centers to offer diversity and inclusion fundamentals, unconscious bias training and an Indigenous history and reconciliation course
- Partnering with Indigenous Elders to ground this learning in local context
- Creation of new, supportive sessions (health and wellness, working during difficult times) and core competencies (virtual program hosting) to support staff adapting to new work realities
Achieved Outcomes
- By year's end, 93% of staff will complete EDI courses and 85% will complete Indigenous history course
- Staff report feeling more prepared to return to work, better equipped to handle the increased pressures of work during a pandemic, and that mental health content was immediately useful in their work
- A weeklong symposium will offer more learning and connection for staff in November
- Foundational learning is an organizational commitment to an equity, diversity and inclusion strategy that will be developed in 2022
