2 General Considerations: Individual and Organizational Learning Nora J. Bird INTRODUCTION Many of the short-term staffing arrangements that will be considered in this book, including internships, field placements, and volunteer’s experiences, often involve a person wanting to learn about the profession as it is practiced within library organizations. The opportunity to learn is valuable not only for the poten- tial staff person but also for the librarians who will work with him or her. In order to create the most value for both parties, we will consider two complementary forms of teaching and learning: experiential and collaborative. Whatever form the staffing arrangement takes, it will be more successful if it is considered within the framework of these two powerful learning theories. These theories are relatively recent, but the activities that they describe are not new, especially in the library profession, so some historical context will be provided to show how they have worked for library organizations in the past. In addition, this chapter will examine the idea of the learning organization and how short-term staff can be the catalyst for permanent library staff to adapt to a changing environment. When viewed through the lens of learning theory, indi- vidual learning within an organization can be better understood. The constant change caused by new technologies, pressure from budgeting authorities, and other stressors can be met with a view that the organization must be constantly 11
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