The Chicago training day included a great mix of users who are relative newcomers to using Liberty and some old hands! Everyone learned a lot from each other in what was a lively and interactive day.

The opportunity to gain insight into how different libraries use the system was embraced by all.

The attendees already familiar with Liberty’s features were happy to contribute their knowledge to the group and in turn, learned from the relatively new users as more questions about functionality arose.

The questions did not necessarily follow Maida’s planned schedule. As she noted,

“The detailed training agenda was thrown out the window. Instead, I covered topics of most interest to the group!”

As a result, the training covered Home page, electronic content, bibtypes, serials, authority work, weeding, and of most interest, Lists.

Carrie Armistead, Director of Library Services at Smith, Gambrell & Russell appreciated Maida’s willingness to be flexible and deliver training according to the needs of the group,

“Maida is a funny, engaging instructor, and she was willing to take the session in all of the many directions we wanted it to go. I learned so much both from her and from listening to the others in the group. Really valuable to have a small law firm focused session. Thanks!”

The library staff at Vedder Price, who are relatively new Liberty users, delighted Maida with the ways they are taking advantage of the system’s features. That they were happy to learn from others in the group and share how and why they used Liberty was not a surprise! What all librarians have in common is their willingness to share and learn.

Maida did manage to include one of her scheduled sessions – a comprehensive overview of the new features in Liberty v5. It was greatly appreciated by all! As Mary Lynn Creighton, Manager of Library Services at Porter Wright noted,

“I thought the in-depth review of the various areas was so helpful. The product is so robust, and I got many ideas from Maida and the group. Thank you!”

Ani Dragomirova, Catalog and Library Services Specialist at Mayer Brown, echoed the sentiment saying,

“It was great to learn about new features, find more details on features I already use and, at the same time, share experiences with other users.”

Maida thanks all who attended the event. It was a pleasure to be part of what was a great day of training and interaction.