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.
| This was a very useful and practical course which will help me view book promotion and library displays from borrowers' perspective. |
| Balbriggan Library, 03/02/2012 |
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| I found this helpful in the day-to day running of the library |
| Tullamore Library, 13/01/2012 |
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| I have found the course to be very useful in my daily work. I have learned alot about displays and how to present the library and our stock to its best advantage.
I was also pleasantly surprised to learn how easy it is to get borrowers opinions and in-put too the library. |
| Relief, 04/01/2012 |
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| This has been a challenging and interesting course on a very practical level and one which has definitely been beneficial in helping to improve the attractiveness of our library to our readers. |
| Youghal Library, 23/11/2011 |
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| Loved this course. A very practical and thought provoking course. Ideas in the course were simple, effective and practical and certainly have made a huge difference to how I work. I |
| Killorglin, 25/10/2011 |
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| I found the course very rewarding and useful in the general day to day work in the library.It made me aware of the different ways in which I could make a difference to the borrowers. |
| Meath County Council Library Service, 19/10/2011 |
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| I have really enjoyed this course. It has made more aware of the people who come through the doors of the library. I find myself watching them when they are at the promotion table and I always ask would they recommend a book that they have just read to other readers. I always note down their answers and pass the information on to others. It's easy for us to pick a book because we hear people every day say "Your must read this one", but for a rather shy reader who doesn't like to bother you at the desk if you are busy, it can be hard work and time trying to choose a book on their own. I will always offer my help if someone is having trouble choosing and I will point out the promotion table to them.
Overall, I learned a lot and will put it into practice in my work each day.
Thank You |
| Meath County Council Library Service, 27/09/2011 |
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| Frontline is a worthwhile course whether you are starting out in your first library job or have been there for years as I have. It is definitely a bit of a challenge especially at first when you have to interview people. This can be daunting but it is worth it, people are often delighted to be asked their opinion and when you really listen you can get lots of useful feedback and suggestions. The course helps to dispel prejudices that can be held about certain genres and most importantly helps to show library staff the importance of a good display and how to make the most of the book stock. |
| Wexford Library HQ, 08/09/2011 |
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| i found this course very useful, do not be afreaid to try different and new things. All that can happen is that they might not work and at least you can learn from your successes as well as your failours. I found that i onvr got an overall view on how to promte stock and the practical aspect of this course was interesting and i found it relebent to my needs. It can be a bit daunting to interview memebers of the public once you have done your first interview it gets a lot easier. I fund that it was a great learning curve for me. Being able to do exhibitions was very intersting and it was great to use ideas from an earlier module on exhibitions (mod, 4) in the last module. The use of online recommendations was a bit hard to do initially but once i had the information downloaded from the internet and the bput out for the publicthe books were borrowed fairly quicly. Sometimes it was hard to get feedback from the public, as i was in a busy library and might not get a chance to see who borrows the books. |
| Central Library, 09/08/2011 |
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| I found the course very insightful and helped me in many ways, especially in how to dispaly books especially if targeting different groups. |
| Tullamore, 09/08/2011 |
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| This course was a good for promoting the library and using the books to their best advantage. It can be hard to find the time to do the course in a busy library but it is well worth while |
| BIrr Library, 19/07/2011 |
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| Course is interesting and informative |
| Meath County Council Library Service, 14/07/2011 |
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| I've finally finished Frontline. I've found it really interesting, but also challenging. It is difficult to find the time to do all the modules carefully and methodically in a busy library, particularly one where the space available is limited. I have found many new ideas for promoting stock and reoganising the visual display of books in the branch. I think the promotion I did for Module 7 was well received and resulted in more issues than I expected.
This course would have been better even earlier in my career - I think it would be really stimulating to anyone entering the profession when they're more inclinned to try different ideas and initiatives. The main obstacles to implementing all of the ideas would be limited floor and shelf space, and limited stock. |
| Swords, 11/07/2011 |
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| It took me too long to finish the modules and was hard to get to complete some of the modules as I was waiting on results from displays or if another member of staff had a display, as sometimes we would use the same display areas. It showed that books on face on display definately appeal to members and they sometimes need the quick choice/displays as an alternative to their usual style of pciking books. |
| Navan Library, 01/07/2011 |
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| I certainly learned about the importance of displaying and promoting stock and getting customer feedback on an ongoing basis. I found at times that the questions were a little repetitive Overall though it was great to have the opportunity to do it. |
| Monaghan, 28/06/2011 |
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| This is an excellent course , it's practical , you learn a lot of new skills and techniques which enhance the readers experience of the library. I would highly recommend it to all frontline staff. |
| Wicklow Libraries, 23/06/2011 |
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| I enjoyed doing the course although sometimes it was difficult to get time due to staffing. I found it very enlightening and I know I will look on borrowers differently.
I realise it may be daunting coming in the door at first in the library and this is where a person may head straight for a good display. I see the importance of a good display so I hope to continue on this work in the library. |
| Leixlip Community Library, 17/06/2011 |
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| Having just completed Frontline I want to say how much I enjoyed doing it. Obviously at times it was difficult to get the time to actually do the work in my working day but I persevered and I learned so much! I've been working over 30yrs in libraries and really I wish I had the opportunity to do this years ago.
I've become more attuned to the "reader-centred" work in the library and more aware of peoples opinions and tastes in books , I've learned how important "Proper Displays" are , not just putting up any and all types of books as long as they're "FACE ON". Anyone contemplating doing this course I'd say go for it you'll learn so much about so many facets of the library and the readers.
Looking forward to continuing with displays and talking to readers |
| Manorhamilton, 16/06/2011 |
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| This course helped me to see books and readers in a new way and taught me criteria for selecting books for displays which I wouldn't have figured out on my own. It was great to get a fresh approach and to be able to carry out the exercises independently; in effect, it's a licence to do things differently to how they are normally done in the branch. |
| Kanturk Library, 09/06/2011 |
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| I was delighted to take part in the course. It was just the spur I needed to rethink whats happening in libraries now. Of course the next step is to work on those who do not use libraries, and some of the knowledge I have gained will help with that. Its wonderful that the site is left open for graduates to revisit.
thank you,
Martina Mooney. |
| Edenderry, 09/06/2011 |
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| I really enjoyed the course and found it most stimulating. After more than thirty years working as a branch librarian the new ideas were very welcome and even liberating.
I found the teaching methodology quite good - building on your individual experience and encouraging new ways of thinking about things.
The pace of the course was just right, an important consideration for someone working in a one-person branch. |
| Kilcullen Community Library, 31/05/2011 |
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| I found the course very useful and informative regarding display and promotion of books. The reader based sections were more enjoyable because they confirmed and reinforced what I was already doing in relation to interaction with borrowers |
| Meath County Council /Oldcastle Library, 28/05/2011 |
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| I enjoyed the course and found it stimulating. I look forward to using what I have learned many times in the future. |
| Mullingar Public Library, 22/05/2011 |
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| I found this course very interesting and helpful in making the most of the mobile library. It helped me get to know my borrowers better and found having converstaions with them regarding their favourite authors or even persuading them to change to a different genre quite enjoyable.
I would definitely recommend this course to anyone wishing to expand their knowledge and experience working in a library. |
| Mobiles, 16/05/2011 |
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| I really enjoyed this course. It made me much more aware of the value of good book displays and being much more like book shops in marketing our book stock. I liked chatting to our clients about books and recommending good reads. Unfortunately it coincided with a busy stage of my career and I found it difficult to get the time to work efficiently on getting the course work done. |
| Terenure Library, 14/05/2011 |
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