HLG Shadowing Network – Guidance for Shadowing Host

First, ensure your library is part of the Shadowing Network!

When contacted by someone looking to visit your library:

• Carefully consider their request and whether you and your library will be able to meet their learning needs and objectives of a visit

If you are able to host a visit:

• Share some information about how your experiences and service would be able to support their learning aims and objectives
• If they have not done so, ensure the individual has followed organisational CPD guidance, if applicable
• Share your preferred pronouns
• Consider and respond appropriately to any accessibility requirements or requests for reasonable adjustments
• Correspond with the shadower to organise the logistics of the visit, taking into account the length of the visit against your own and organisational requirements

If you are unable to host a visit:

• Do you know of another colleague or service that you could suggest they contact?
• If an in-person visit is not possible, could you offer a shorter virtual shadowing experience?

Practical considerations:

• Comply with organisational guidance and policies on hosting external visitors
• Hosting a visit can be time consuming and cognitively demanding. Can you share responsibility for shadowing across a team?
• Create a plan or structure to ensure that the visit is well organised
• Create a mutually agreed action plan of the objectives to be met, ensuring the goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and have appropriate Timescales. The latter is particularly important and will help establish how many visits may be required.
• Consider power dynamics in the host and shadower relationship. There are useful guides to power dynamics in the workplace, and an overview of power dynamics.

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