If you want to find methods for a specific topic, then you may like to filter the library by the category of the method, or search with more specific keywords or tags.

Firstly, you can narrow down the list by any of the eight default categories of methods by clicking on any of the category icons in the library header. For example, if you are looking for methods for a team building session, then just click on the ‘Team’ icon and you’ll see all methods tagged as ‘Team’ methods in the library.

Please note: to remove the category filter that you’ve applied, simply click again on the same icon and you will once again see all methods in the library. When you see any of the category icons with an orange outline, it means that the category filter is currently applied so you’ll only see this particular subset of all the library methods.

If you want to search more specifically, then you might use the search bar and the Filter options. The search bar allows you to search for any keyword, and it will provide all the library methods that contain your keyword in their description. The search feature currently searches in the following fields of the library methods: Title, Tags, Description, Additional information, Goals, Materials, Instructions.

If you would like to do an even more specific search, you might like to use the extra filtering option. If you click on the ‘Filter’ button, you will be able to filter methods by their length (minimum and maximum time recommended for the exercise), the recommended number of participants, and tags.

So for example, if you want to find an exercise that takes less than 30 minutes of time to perform, suitable for 10 to 20 participants and is a get-to know activity (tag), then you might use the following filters:

Please note that the search and filters will always apply in the view that you have open. So if you are in the ‘All Methods’ view, then you will search amongst all methods available to you, whereas if you’re in the ‘Methods I created’ view, then you’ll search only among the methods you created.

If you find any methods in the library which you would like to save for later, then you can mark them as a Favourite. The methods you mark as Favourite will be added to your ‘My favorites’ view, so you can develop your own collection of favourite methods this way.

When you click on the heart icon, it will turn orange to signal that the method has now been added to your favourites. You can access your library of favourite activities by clicking on ‘My favorites’ in the library toolbar.

The SessionLab library is not a static database but a dynamic library that grows by your contributions, such as the new methods, reviews and ratings you add. In fact, sharing your opinion about the various different facilitation methods in the library helps other users to understand how to use a certain method in practice. Especially if you have used a method yourself, your feedback is a big help to the community.

You can give feedback on an activity by assigning a 1 to 5-star rating to the method (where 5 star means the best), and/or by commenting on the method. Both the rating and commenting functionality is available at the bottom of the library cards:

You can easily add a library method to your session by clicking on the ‘Use’ button on the library card. Read more here about finding and using methods from your libraries.