How the Library of Michigan Created and Deployed a Statewide Professional Development Program Start to Finish in Just 3 Weeks

Our Story

Niche Academy Founder & CEO, Jeromy Wilson, didn’t choose the library life. It chose him. Jeromy was only 4 years old when his father, Jim Wilson, helped found Dynix, a software company responsible for the integrated library system that replaced the need for physical card catalogs. Growing up, he tagged along to countless library conferences and events, before eventually taking a job at Dynix after graduating. But after a few years, as the world was going digital, Jeromy saw a growing need for more efficient staff & patron training and there weren’t any good options available.

Jared, Jim, & Jeromy at PLA 2018

So in 2013, Jeromy set out to find a solution, and that’s where the idea for Niche Academy was born. He started out on his own, adding to the platform in his free time and taking advantage of the industry contacts he’d already made, but he soon realized that he wasn’t going to be able to do it alone. That’s when he decided to recruit the help of former Dynix co-worker Jared Oates. Together, they were able to get Niche Academy off the ground and it wasn’t long before they found a whole team of people who believed in their idea. 

Seven years later, we are now a team of 22 (and counting!), and are trusted by over 800 library systems (including state libraries, local libraries, and consortia) all across the world. 

After getting our start with just a few short library tutorials, we’re now helping to build the future of online resources and e-learning

Old Approach

Training is live, either online or in-person.

New Approach

Training is always available online.

Old Result

Requires schedule coordination and time away from other duties. Everyone has to move at the same pace, too slow for some, too fast for others. Options for measuring learning are limited.

New Result

Learners can fit training into downtime on their own schedule. Learners move at their own pace, reviewing or moving faster according to their own needs. Online learning can include quizzes, response prompts, and activities to measure learning outcomes.

Always available online training is more efficient for learners than live training and makes it easier for administrators to measure the impact of the training.

Old Approach

Training relies on in-house expertise.

New Approach

Training draws from the skillsets of a global body of experts.

Old Result

Training is limited to the skills of current staff and their availability to create and deliver instruction.

New Result

Training can be top quality in terms of the expertise it reflects and the effectiveness of the instructional design. Because more training is available, it can be matched to the unique needs and interests of individual learners.

Tapping into a global pool of training material increases learner engagement by increasing the availability of high quality and individually relevant training.

Old Approach

The ability to track training is ad hoc and based on multiple systems.

New Approach

Training assignment and tracking is managed in a single unified system.

Old Result

Tracking what training has been assigned and what has been completed involves significant administrative overhead (approving specific trainings, collecting and recording certificates, creating and editing spreadsheets, coordinating inputs from multiple managers…)

New Result

Specific training assignments can be made based on staff roles as well as individual needs. Learner reports are automatically updated as learners make progress.

An effective learning management system makes it much easier to invite learners and track their learning progress over time.

Option 1: In-House Creation of Staff Training System

Requires a full-time internal training manager who can: 

• curate online training from available resources (examples include Web Junction, Infopeople, DigitalLearn.org, or recorded webinars)
• populate and manage this training within a learning management system
• create additional training within LMS as needed
• adapt training to local needs and manage learner enrollment

Result: The actual impact of the effort will depend on the quality and professionalism of the product and how quickly training can be created to match the needs of all library staff.

Cost of a dedicated internal training manager: 

• Salary: $42K-$84K/yr (based on Glassdoor salary estimates)
• LMS subscription costs vary, but $3K is a typical annual price.

Timeframe: Most internal training managers spend many months identifying staff needs, finding appropriate training resources, and creating the needed assets within the LMS before being able to launch and actually manage a comprehensive staff training program.

Option 2: 

Niche Academy is a robust learning management system that includes a training marketplace with 1000+ tutorials focused on every aspect of library professional development.

Result: Libraries that use Niche Academy to train their staff see dramatic improvements in customer service and staff efficiency.

Price: Based on service population. Starting as low as $500/yr.

Timeframe: The initial creation of an online staff training academy is included with each subscription. It is typically running and ready to use within less than an hour of library staff time.

Niche Academy is for any library manager responsible for new employee onboarding, professional development, or continuing education who has struggled to find or create and then deliver effective training.

Dramatically improve staff performance without major new administrative overhead

Reduce the scheduling headaches associated with live training sessions

Avoid the cost of creating training that other experts have already made

Make staff feel more confident in all aspects of their work and expand their individual power to make a difference