CARL-SCIL (Southern California Instruction Librarians) presents:

Friday, May 23, 2008
8:30AM - 3:00PM

Abstract: Is your attention fragmented?  Is your energy sapped by wasted effort?  Are the priorities that shape your workdays not your own? You may be one of the many instruction librarians plagued by burn-out.   This year’s SCIL Spring Program will bring your priorities and processes into alignment by helping you to anticipate, create or exploit changes in technology, institutions and the culture—instead of just reacting to them. Kaizen, a Japanese term, is defined as “making change for the better.”  In North America it is often referred to as “continuous improvement.”  The Kaizen philosophy, with its associated elements of lean thinking and waste identification, has been applied in business and health settings for many years, and may be new to many librarians. Toni Davies, Ph.D., is a trained instructional designer as well as a Kaizen consultant.  Using interview and survey data, she’ll design a program that’s tailored to the needs of instruction librarians.  Davies’ Kaizen methods offer thoughtful approaches to our evolving roles, address our unique relationship to our libraries and our institutions, and suggest solutions to our persistent struggles.  Attendees can actively participate in the program design process by completing the survey they will receive on the SCIL listserv prior to the event.  During the program, participants will be introduced to Kaizen and will be given opportunities to work with fellow librarians as they begin applying new ideas. This program is an unusual opportunity for instruction librarians to bring a fresh eye to the cultures of librarianship and academia and to come away with new alternatives to past practices.  Kaizen may shed light on lingering challenges and suggest innovative approaches to address current and emerging issues in your libraries.