Anna over at the blog First Conclusions is my new hero. She’s managed to provide in-house instruction in less than ideal circumstances and with less than optimal resources.

What I really like, though, is that Anna really manages to use what she already has, rather than complaining about what she doesn’t.  The library’s wireless allows participants to use laptops, so a computer lab isn’t really necessary, and she manages to use a roll-away projector and a wall-mounted screen for the presentation component.  Not only that, but she’s able to apply related experience (teaching college-age students) to a new situation (teaching adults about twice that age).

If there’s anything I’ve learned in my time at the public library (and in my brief stint as a classroom teacher, too), it’s that all the shiny technology in the world can never replace flexibility and resourcefulness.  In many cases, you can only do the best you can with what you’ve got — and a lot of times, the results can be surprisingly awesome.

Kudos to Anna for demonstrating this reality of library instruction and staff training!