Netguides lessons learned, and class changes
The Netguides program I started back in February is doing really well. We’re averaging about 8 appointments a month, which isn’t too shabby, and many of the participating patrons will make a next appointment request after their first. I’ve also set up a few patrons on a recurring appointment cycle, which 5-6 regular weekly appointments in a row, with the intention to reassess their skills at the end of the cycle, and decided how to proceed with regular appointments going forward.
The Netguides themselves are awesome. They really have immense patience, and they really want the patrons to learn. The volunteers are also very honest and open with their evaluations of the patrons they work with, which has been really helpful in assessing their needs and helping them with trouble spots.
Some of the weak spots in the system have had to do with scheduling. Wrangling teens, as you may know, is a little like herding wet cats. Overall, the system works well:
- I have a chart that tells me what days and times students are available which matches the chart on the appointment request bookmark, which is what I use to match them up with an appointment.
- I set a tentative appointment on the Netguide side *first*, to guarantee a volunteer’s availability, and pop it into the calendar in the Yahoo! Group marked TENTATIVE.
- I call the patron and offer them the date and time (if the patron is not home, I leave a message asking them to call; only then do I give them the details, which forces them to call).
- If all goes well, I can mark the calendar appointment as CONFIRMED, and the Netguide knows to come in. If an entry is marked TENTATIVE on the day of the appointment, they know not to come in.
However, the problem seems to be with getting patrons to call back. I can email the Netguides, they all check email regularly. Most of the patrons, naturally, don’t have email addresses, because they don’t really know how to use them. This bit makes the scheduling process time consuming, and causes a lot of back and forth from the patron to the Netguide and back again. My Super Volunteer Marie does a lot of work helping out with the schedule, but still, it’s exhausting for us both.
After talking it over with my supervisor, I have a new plan (I love talking to my supervisor, she’s wicked smart and an awesome problem solver). We meant to have drop-in hours scheduled for the Netguides before, but that didn’t work as well as I’d planned. Several of the kids opted for the minimum 2 hours per month, with the potential to maybe work 4 hours, which meant that I could only really use them for 1 class or 2 appointments, but not both. And I know that, at least for now, 12 kids is really the max I can manage and still do all the other things I do at the library, so adding personnel is not the answer.
So, the new plan is:
- Up the minimum monthly requirement to 3-4 hours per month, to solve the not enough hours covered problem without increasing my volunteer load. This shouldn’t be a problem for most Netguides, since many opted for anywhere from 4-10 hours a month. If it is a problem, I can reserve those Netguides as class assistants, and that can be their monthly schedule.
- Schedule everyone for regular hours every month, so that each Netguide has a *set* schedule, like, say, every Tuesday night from 7-9p, or every other Saturday from 10a - 12p. This gives everyone a little more certainty of scheduling, including me, and allows me to make a set schedule several months at a time.
- Offer patrons time slots in the range that the Netguide shifts happen. That way, Marie and I can fit the majority of appointments into prefab slots when we know someone will already be scheduled for a shift. We can still offer the “Other times” option to people, but this will make the appointment process way less painful and exhausting.
I think it’ll be a vast improvement, so I’m very optimistic.
I’m also making some serious changes to the regular class schedule. Now that we have the Netguides to cover very basic topics (basic computing & internet, Office applications, etc.), I won’t be offering most of them on the schedule anymore. The basic topics really work best on a one-to-one level, anyway, and it leaves the schedule open for the more in-demand stuff and more interesting, progressive topics.
To test the waters on whether this is the right direction, I put out a SurveyMonkey survey (linked from the library home page), that I also printed out for people who aren’t so good with computers. This allows patrons to get their 2 cents in before I finalize the schedule.
My current draft schedule has the patron faves on it: Getting Started with eBay; Geek Out, Don’t Freak Out: Digital Cameras; Excel: Formulas, Formats, & Sorts; Word: Tables & Images; and other stuff. But then I’ve also planned for a few new and interesting things, like how to download free audio books via Podiobooks and sites like it; and a 3 class series for digital pictures, including a Geek Out for digital cameras, a class on downloading and editing, and a class on sharing photos using email, photos sites, and cute widgets that do cool things online. The schedule is still a draft, and doesn’t go public until after the survey results come in, so I still have space for changes.
I am a little worried about how the patrons will take the shift from basic stuff in a class environment to basic stuff one-on-one. To be honest, the basic and beginner classes always filled with the same people, and they sign up for the classes before anyone else can, so it’s hard for anyone else to get in. All the same, I’m wondering if people will just say, “Yeah, but when is the *class*?” or “When are *you* teaching it?” or even “I don’t really want to make an appointment, can’t you just tell me when someone will be here teaching it?” I think it’ll be a matter of education, on the site, at the desk, on the schedule, in the newsletter, everywhere we can. Besides, how much better does it get than making your own class at the library, right?
Overall, I think the Netguides + classes formula has been fabulous, and I think it will continue to be successful, especially with the changes I have planned. I’ve given the Netguides a hiatus for September, so that we can figure out schedules, have meetings to check in on skills and such, and recruit/train and/or refresher train as necessary. Besides, we need to make room in there somewhere for a pizza party or two!
