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Washington University Libraries Begin Managing Skills with Skilltype for Teams

By WashU Libraries

The University Libraries at Washington University in St. Louis have selected Skilltype for Teams—a skills management platform for libraries and knowledge management organizations. The software platform will provide access to on-demand library professional development to over 130 employees, while producing real-time talent analytics across the organization. Washington University Libraries are the seventh member of the Association of Research Libraries to adopt Skilltype at the organizational level.

skilltype logo

The software will enable the University Libraries to access thousands of on-demand trainings, presentations, and other professional development resources from trusted conferences, professional associations, and vendors. All staff members can begin developing expertise—whether working on campus or remotely, and regardless of rank or role—addressing long-standing DEI issues created by the traditional professional development model.

Jackie Lorrainne, Associate University Librarian for planning, operations, and administrative services at Washington University Libraries, says “I was impressed with Skilltype from the start. The platform is directly aligned with some of our strategic priorities, including aspirations to become a learning organization, increasing visibility of our expertise to support research and teaching. We are happy to be partnering with this dynamic team to expand professional development and training resources for our staff.”

“The Washington University Libraries is one of the most forward-thinking organizations I’ve come across in my career,” says Tony Zanders, founder and CEO at Skilltype. “The more I learned about their strategic plan, policy framework, and committee approach, it became apparent that our software would be used in a strategic manner, with an opportunity to teach us a lot from the process.”

About Skilltype

Skilltype is an American human resources and software-as-a-service (SaaS) company headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 2018, the company primarily offers talent management software and application programming interfaces (APIs) for information professionals and their teams to analyze, develop and share expertise.

About the Washington University Libraries

The Washington University Libraries are a powerful network of academic resources featuring 12 libraries; vast print and electronic collections; and expert librarians whose first priority is helping students and faculty find the information they need. The center of this rich network is John M. Olin Library, a 197,000-square-foot research library housing humanities, social sciences, engineering, and special collections; an extended-hours study space; reading rooms; lounges; and small-group studies. The other libraries house collections serving specific departments or schools.