The facilitator role: Introduction to electronic
resources management
To facilitate means ‘to make easy’. A facilitator creates the conditions in which learning can naturally
take place. This means building trust, providing support, and encouraging communication between all
participants. A facilitator is different from a traditional lecturer or teacher because they aim to be
responsive to the interests and needs of the group.
A facilitator aims to encourage active rather than passive learning. Active learning emphasizes the
creation of an environment in which participants can learn from each other. Passive listening and note
taking are kept to a minimum and participant-generated discussion and cooperative work should play
a much more significant role.
In practice facilitation should involve getting participants to share and reflect upon their past
experiences, providing them with opportunities to experiment and practice with the skills being
covered, acknowledging your role as a co-learner, and engaging in a dialogue with the group, rather
than lecture to them.
All facilitators and assistant facilitators will need the following attributes:
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Be willing and able to organise and run additional follow-on training activities associated with
the workshop, either at a local level (i.e. within their own organisation) or nationally, without
financial support from INASP.
Desire to act as workshop trainer and facilitator
Good level of ICT literacy within a library environment
Good communication skills (including confidence to facilitate in one of the following
languages: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish)
User focussed approach
Ability to adapt the workshop materials to make them appropriate to local conditions
Ability to evaluate the workshop materials and process and provide a final report
Ability to make recommendations for improvements to the workshop material and process
The following skills and experience are desirable:
Experience in running training activities
Experience of participatory, interactive teaching
The main tasks for a facilitator in preparation for the workshop include:
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Reviewing the workshop content prior to start of the workshop to ensure it is appropriate
Reviewing the materials and adapting them to reflect local interests and resources where
possible
Making suggestions for revisions as appropriate
Communicating with the administrator, consortium contact person and assistant facilitator as
necessary before the workshop
Preparing for the workshop so that you are familiar with the materials and can act as the
facilitator competently
Ensuring you are familiar with all the resources to be used and demonstrated during the
workshop
Administering the pre-workshop assessment to all participants a week in advance of the
workshop. Available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Pre-IntroERM
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Discuss the Action Plan activity for the final session with the consortium executive, to collect
ideas on how to determine activities which will benefit the consortium and relate it to the
consortium’s strategic plan.
The main tasks for a facilitator during the workshop include:
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Facilitating the workshop at the agreed venue and dates
Responding to the needs and interests of the participants as much as is reasonably possible
Taking notes and suggestions during the workshop for areas of improvement or
recommended changes for future workshops
Attending a short meeting to discuss the workshop with the assistant facilitator and
administrator the day before the workshop
Participating in a short review meeting with the workshop assistant facilitator at the end of
each day, to discuss how the day went and to identify any changes or improvements
Participating in a longer final review meeting after the workshop has finished (at the end of
the final day or on the following day)
Administering the post-workshop assessment to all participants either in the closing session
of the workshop or within one week of the end of the workshop. Available at
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Post-IntroERM
In the final session of the workshop, agreeing with the participants:
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A practical activity (or several activities) to be completed within 6 months of the end
of the workshop, drawing on workshop learning and of benefit to the institution and
the consortium
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There are some suggested activities in the slides and facilitator notes for this session.
An action plan template is provided.
The main tasks for a facilitator after the workshop include:
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Complete https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FacFeedbackGen
3 months after the workshop, follow up with participants to remind them of the workshop
expectations.
6-7 months after the workshop, review the follow on activity submissions, prepare a short
report (guidelines will be provided) for the participants, consortium and INASP, and send
some examples of the follow on activities to INASP.
Notifying INASP workshop lead of agreed follow on activities for the action plans
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Between 3 and 6 months after the workshop, reviewing the participants’ action plans,
preparing a short report for the participants, the consortium and INASP, and sending a
summary of who has completed this activity with some examples of the follow on activities to
INASP.
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In reviewing the plans, documents or examples of work undertaken, you could return to the
aims of the workshop and consider what you were trying to achieve in the workshop. Have
the participants picked up on what you were trying to convey? Consortium feedback should
include numbers of those completing the activities, extent to which the activities were
completed, how these activities benefit the consortium etc.
The assistant facilitator role
The assistant facilitator’s role is one of support for the facilitator and an opportunity to learn from them
with regards to the workshop materials and process. The assistant facilitator has valuable local
knowledge that can be usefully shared with the facilitator and used to improve the workshop
materials.
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The main tasks for an assistant facilitator in preparation for the
workshop include:
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Reviewing the workshop content prior to start of the workshop to check the suitability of the
content and
o make suggestions for appropriate local resources and references
o make suggestions for local subject matter experts who may be willing to facilitate part
of the workshop (e.g. a local copyright expert who could help with a copyright unit)
o make suggestions for revisions as appropriate
Reviewing the materials and suggesting adaptations which would reflect local interests and
resources where possible
Sharing suggestions for local resources which could be included
Communicating with the administrator and facilitator as necessary before the workshop
Attending a short meeting to discuss the workshop with the lead facilitator, the day before the
workshop
Plus where applicable:
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Liaising with the administrator(s) to submit proposed workshop budget to INASP for approval
Ensuring that any necessary workshop materials are available on the participants computers
(where possible and necessary)
The main tasks for an assistant facilitator during the workshop include:
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Attending the entire workshop
Taking notes and suggestions during the workshop for areas of improvement or
recommended change to the materials or process
Taking notes to help guide your facilitation of the follow on workshop
Asking questions of and learning from the facilitator to clarify any parts of the materials or
process
Participating in a short review meeting (15–30 minutes) with the workshop facilitator at the
end of each day
Assisting in group discussions, report back sessions and hands-on computer sessions during
the workshop
There may be the opportunity to present some of the modules or some slides within modules
during the workshop
Distributing, collecting and summarising workshop evaluation forms
Participating in a longer final review meeting after the workshop has finished (final or following
day)
The main tasks for an assistant facilitator after the workshop include:
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Organising and running additional follow-on training activities (e.g. administering a DGroup
discussion) associated with the workshop, either at a local level (i.e. within their own
organisation) or nationally, without financial support from INASP.
Facilitating at least one more workshop on the same topic at a national and/or institutional
level, without financial support from INASP
Complete https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FacFeedbackGen
Support the lead facilitator in providing feedback on the participants’ action plans.
Support available for facilitators/assistant
facilitators
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Facilitators and assistant facilitators get support from INASP staff and other colleagues who are
involved in facilitating, assistant facilitating and administering the workshops.
INASP provide all the necessary materials for the workshop, including speakers notes which can be
adapted, and are always available to answer any queries facilitators/assistant facilitators/workshop
administrators might have.
A small honorarium may be available to assistant facilitators. See http://www.inasp.info/en/work/howwe-work/workshop-guidelines/workshop-costs/
Facilitators and assistant facilitators may receive financial support when attending/facilitating
workshops in a different country or away from their place of work in the form of
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Travel expenses
A daily subsistence allowance of $20 per day
See: http://www.inasp.info/en/work/how-we-work/workshop-guidelines/workshop-costs/
Accommodation costs
The network of colleagues built up during the workshops also provide invaluable support and advice
to each other and a mail list is available on which the larger network of colleagues involved in running
the workshops can share experiences or ask questions.
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