Employee Continuing Education and Training

A well-trained and happily engaged support staff* is essential to the successful operation of the Law Library. Therefore, employees are encouraged to learn new skills, to stay current with changing technologies, and to participate in the library field. To this end, a share of the travel budget will be allocated to assist support staff financially with continuing education costs. For long-term support staff members, the Law Library will also pay for membership in either the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) or another library- related or job-related association.

Continuing Education
All support staff members are eligible to attend workshops or classes related to the library profession and/or to their particular jobs. Supervisors have discretion to determine when an employee may attend classes and what classes are appropriate. Budget resources are limited, however. Employees are encouraged to make their requests early in the fiscal year (July 1-June 30). Priority will be given to employees who have not attended previous classes and employees whose jobs are changing radically. Classes offered by UGA and by Solinet offer the best value for money expended. This policy in no way limits or modifies the University tuition reimbursement plan, but is in addition to it.

Cross-Training
All departments in the law library are dependent upon each other, and all work together to fulfill the common mission of the library. If each employee understands the role of each department, that understanding can contribute to the smooth operation of the library. Support staff are encouraged to acquire and develop new library skills which are outside of their regular job duties. Staff members with a wide variety of skills and interests may be asked to contribute in new ways, or to temporarily assume the duties of an absent employee. Supervisors are encouraged to work together to provide cross-training opportunities in ways that maximize the value of such training to the law library.

Cooperative relations with other law libraries
Better cooperation among the four Georgia law libraries can save money and improve services in the state. To that end, all staff members are encouraged to maintain regular digital or voice communication with their counterparts in other Georgia law libraries. From time to time, department heads in the four Georgia law libraries may arrange meetings among the members of a given department. Upon occasion, support staff members from two different libraries may actually exchange jobs for a period of time in order to learn a new skill. Staff exchanges may be initiated by the support staff member her/himself, with the approval of the supervisor and the director, or by the supervisor, with the approval of the staff member and the director.

Memberships
The Law Library will pay membership dues in one professional organization for support staff members who have been employed by the Law Library for a period of five years or longer. If the staff member chooses an association other than AALL, s/he must have her/his supervisor's and the director's approval. Membership in a professional organization carries with it the privilege of attending the organization's annual meeting occasionally, with some assistance from the Law Library budget to defray the cost of registration, food, lodging, and travel. In any given year, no more than one support staff member may attend an annual meeting, unless the meeting costs are minimal.

*Staff included in this policy are all Library Assistants and Library Associates, the Administrative Associate, and the Accounting Assistant. Librarians and Computing Services employees are covered under a separate policy.