If you are trying to find out about the Frontline online course, or are thinking of taking it yourself,
you can scroll down to read the views of people who have actually finished the course. The views expressed
here are those of the individuals themselves who wish to contribute them, and not of their employer,
nor of Opening the Book.
| Sorry it has taken me a while to finish this. I have not had time on the timetable for the Quiz. I should have asked Sam for some but I forgot so I've just caught up now.
Thank you |
| Peterborough Libraries, 27/01/2012 |
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| I must admit i was not really interested in taking part on the frontline training at first.
After i started and completed a few modules things started to fall into place and flowed quite nicely. It was not always easy as i do not work in a community library, and therefore do not have access to the public instantly to ask for their opinions. I think frontline is generally a good idea for staff starting in libraries to give them ideas of how people choose books, tips on how to promote stock and talk to the customers.This is also a good way to work with your colleagues and share ideas to make the most out of your service.I would recommend anyone to give it a try. |
| Birmingham libraries, 27/01/2012 |
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| I have enjoyed Frontline. I certainly give more thought to displaying books now that I realize just what an impact a book cover can have. Maybe the course has brought out my artistic side! (I don't think I had one before). It was interesting interviewing the readers too, people are so passionate about books and libraries. I think this is why I enjoy my job so much. |
| Bradley Stoke Library, South Gloucestershire, 24/01/2012 |
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| I feel that this course has helped me to improve my confidence when i am helping our borrwers to choose books. Also when i am planing and doing displays i feel more able to be more expressive. |
| Birmingham Libraries, 23/01/2012 |
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| I have enjoyed the course. |
| Banbridge Library, Libraries NI, 23/01/2012 |
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| I think this is an exceptionally well thought-through course and is very 'user friendly'. I've thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm sure all that I have learnt will help me in the future - especially with displays! |
| Birmingham Libraries, 21/01/2012 |
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| I have thoroughly enjoyed the frontline course. It was very challenging, and quite difficult to fit in with my part-time hours, but I feel that I have learned a great deal about displays and borrowers themselves, and am very pleased that I had the opportunity to do it. |
| Kent Libraries and Archives, 14/01/2012 |
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| I have been working in libraries for 12 years, and in bookshops since leaving school, and I have seen and done many displays and promotions, This course regardless of my knowledge and experiance, has really opened my mind, and refreshed my skills as a Library worker.
I would highy recommened, its also great for team work.
Enjoy my fellow bookworms |
| Shirley Library, 06/01/2012 |
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| I have enjoyed this course. |
| Yarra Plenty Regional Library Service, 20/12/2011 |
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| This course was interesting. I found it beneficial to go and talk to borrowers about their reading choices. It gave me a chance to interact with the borrowers in regards to reading and recommendations, rather than just looking up books and taking fines. |
| Yara Plenty Regional Library Service, 19/12/2011 |
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| An interesting course, good training for all levels of branch staff.
I do think, for backroom staff such as myself, just doing the first four modules would be a better fit. |
| Hume Libraries, 13/12/2011 |
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| Thank-you for the fantastic opporutunity to do this course. It has been easy to follow, I've enjoyed great feedback and encouragement, patience and time from Peter Williams my contact for the course. This is my first online course and I've found it very useful and hadn't really used discussion boards before. Still a little way to go with that for me....
Thanks again I will use and apply daily what I've learned and share it with my colleagues. I hope in time that they too can do the course. |
| Central Highlands Regional Library, 11/12/2011 |
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| This course was interesting to make one look afresh at both books and how the library looks to a customer. It certainly made me what to rearrange things and declutter. I now find when I am walking past the new book shelves I am constantly looking to see if the books are displayed in the most effective way.
So I learnt to look at things differently and recognize that we could do more with Goodreads, Librarything etc to promote material to users. There was however some stuff that I absolutely didn't like. The idea that everyone likes reading paperbacks simply is not true in my library. People read stuff in all different formats. I purposely did some of my display stuff in different formats to see what was borrowed. And it was always the mass markets paperbacks that were left. So that is a learning for our book purchases perhaps. I found some of the stuff rather UK in context and generalizations. I think that Australian libraries and their customers may have different priorities - well my library does at least I mean - mustn't generalize.
Anyway I have finished now. On to supervision! It will be great to see what my supervisees make of it. |
| City of Boroondara Library Service, 08/12/2011 |
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| I really enjoyed the course. I found it stimulating. I was engaged by the thought processes and mental leaps I had to make. It made me reassess how I look at stock. It made me think again about how I set up a display or talk to readers about stock. Getting to know reader tastes rather than pushing stock is I think a move away from traditional attitudes of staff to reader relationships. My only quibble is the first module. It really pushes you in at the deep end talking to readers. Getting questions, getting courage, being prepared, I spent far too long contemplating this before getting my act together and doing it. Most of the staff whom I spoke to encountered the same feelings of being naked with out Gok Whan to help us. |
| Libraries NI, 08/12/2011 |
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| It has been a very valuable course and I now look quite differently at stock and the ways it is displayed. I've always believed in the value of front facing stock because I'm particularly interested in the way book covers portray the title- some can be works of art while others can tell you immediately what can of genre they by their colours and type. Through practiising disaply I can how you can mix up different types of stock as long as it has a common theme whther it is an image or colour. It's always worthwhile to extend a borrower's reading experience. |
| Bedford Central Library, 08/12/2011 |
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| A valuable course highlighting the Reader and what our library can do to enhance our reader's experience. By focussing on the reader, display, promotion, & arrangement of stock become all important to entice and support them.
This has been a fabulous course in honing back to core duties and conversing with borrowers and their recommendations, making the reader, pivotal. |
| Corangamite Regional Library Corporation, 07/12/2011 |
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| Thank you Wendy,
I have now completed my Frontline
Best regards
Christine |
| Southwark Libraries, 07/12/2011 |
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| Great course, everyone should do it! The discussion boards were stimulating, giving me lots of ideas to go out and try in the library! |
| Mildura Rural City Council Library Service, 07/12/2011 |
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| Books may look boring but can be very excting, never be afraid to try something new; you may be very pleasantly surprised. I feel it has taught me alot about displays, usually I never notice a display very much,neither in libraries or shops! |
| Westminster City Libraries, 06/12/2011 |
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| It is a great course that makes you think about how you affect the library patrons experience every time they come into the library. |
| Latrobe City, 06/12/2011 |
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| It was very intersting but being a small library some of the things were harder to do on a small scale and only having 2 staff I would arrange time off to be able to finish quicker. |
| Potton, 05/12/2011 |
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| I have really enjoyed this course as I have a working background in visual merchandising. I have loved being able to do displays in each of the libraries and now feel more confident in this area of working. I am going to use what I have learned in this course in what I am doing in the day to day tasks of my job, it has especially made me feel more confident in talking to readers about the stock that is available to them and helping them with making their choices. It has been a worthwhile journey. |
| Dumbarton Library, 05/12/2011 |
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| Difficult to complete in the context of a mobile library, but much food for thought. |
| Murrindindi Library Service, 01/12/2011 |
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| Murrindindi Library Service, 30/11/2011 |
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| This was an enjoyable course and I enjoyed being challenged to think about library display in a different way. It was great to try out new ideas and to watch whether they worked or didn't. It was also good to contrast the ideas in Frontline with those of another library display seminar at our library service recently. |
| Central Highlands Regional Library, 28/11/2011 |
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