Hoesley Workplace Readiness Workshops

We thank Penn Libraries' Board Member Jim Hoesley and his wife Sandra Drews for their generous donation to assist the Weigle Information Commons with providing workshops, training and personal support for undergraduates, especially students from the School of Arts and Sciences, in productivity, graphics and multimedia software that is commonly used in workplaces in different industries. Students attend small-group hands-on workshops with up to 20 participants, and also ask questions by email, telephone and at one-on-one appointments. Assistance is provided by Penn Libraries staff, library school interns, outside presenters and specially trained Penn students (a peer assistance model).

Workshops and assistance focus on three areas:

1. Spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel) and Databases (Microsoft Access)
2. Presentation Software (Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote) and graphic design (Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign)
3. Internet Search and Retrieval (Bookmarks, tagging, search strategies, saving / archiving, electronic references and basic web design with Google Sites and Adobe Dreamweaver)

Topic areas are covered through workshops at different skill levels often scheduled at times convenient for undergraduate students. Online tutorials are available for many topics to assist self-guided learning. Highlights from 2008-2009 year include:

• WIC staff consulted with Penn Career Services on topics most relevant for graduating seniors entering the workplace, identifying graphic/web design and spreadsheets as priority topics.
• PhotoShop, iMovie, Excel, PowerPoint and Google classes are now offered each month on a regular schedule. Attendance has been steady and has included students, faculty and staff.
• Spreadsheet classes now include: Excel Basics, Excel and Data Analysis, and Excel Charts.
• WIC conducted its first workshops on Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Access and Adobe InDesign in Spring 2009.
• WIC arranged for guest presenters to speak about Keynote and FileMaker Pro.
• WIC conducted several workshops in web design, especially Dreamweaver, as both public workshops and private sessions for specific SAS classes.
• Staff from the School of Design trained WIC staff on Final Cut Pro, a professional video editing software. Subsequently, WIC conducted two sessions of Final Cut Pro training for a Penn Law class and public sessions are planned for Summer 2009. WIC also assisted PennGSE students with Final Cut Pro.
• By request, WIC conducted a private workshop for a student group on graphic design for publicity flyers.
• Other workshop topics that assist with workplace readiness include: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software and Lexis-Nexis, J-Stor and more.
• Online Tutorials and current workshop details are available online.