Have BCR Training Vouchers?
We'll Provide Custom Training and More

As staff at BCR member libraries, many of you receive training vouchers from BCR as a "thank you" for hosting BCR workshops and seminars on a regular basis or for prepaying your BCR subscriptions each July. As a result, you can accumulate quite a number of vouchers that end up not being used because available workshops may not fit your needs or schedules. Since the training vouchers have an expiration date (June 30 each year), you may feel you have no choice but to let the vouchers go to waste. However, BCR has several options that allow you to make good use of them.

One option is to have BCR trainers teach an on-site workshop at your library, with the training customized to fit the needs of your staff. Normally, fees for on-site workshops are $350 or $375 per day (depending on the trainer's experience and skill level) plus travel expenses. If your library has accumulated training vouchers during the fiscal year, you can use some or all of them to have us come on-site and train your staff at little or no cost to your library. For example, five vouchers will provide a one-day workshop. If you have more than five, you can use them to add another day's workshop or even to help pay the trainer's travel expenses.

With all of the upcoming changes to OCLC, this is an excellent time to put your training vouchers to use. If you have vouchers that expire the end of June, call BCR now to schedule your library's customized training.

A second option for using your library's BCR vouchers is to take advantage of our Web- based training. You can use training vouchers to pay for any of the online workshops and seminars on BCR's Web site. These workshops are accessible all the time and are not travel-dependent or weather-dependent. Your staff can take advantage of these convenient training opportunities by taking a class without even leaving their workplace. To check out what is available online, go to www.bcr.org/workshop/distance.html.

A third option is to find other libraries in your area that may need training that BCR offers, but that don't have training funds available for sending staff to BCR workshops. We don't mind if you share your vouchers with staff from other libraries in your area. Think of each as a potential gift certificate that you can pass on to a library in your city, county, region or state.

If you don't know whether your library has any training vouchers or how many, or you have other questions, give us a call. We'll be happy to work with you to help you use your vouchers to best meet your needs.

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Comments to: shoffhin@bcr.org
February 27, 2008
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