Library Leadership & Management (LL&M) (E-Journal)
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Making Your Case: A Practical Approach for Managers on Getting Funding and Support
No full textMiddle and senior management positions come with many challenges, but one of the biggest is in garnering support and funding for new initiatives. A manager is given a staff and a budget and is expected to utilize effectively both sets of resources to achieve certain priorities. However, when it comes to new programs and innovations that require additional resources, managers are typically on their own in terms of how to make that happen. They are expected to shift resources, and this is especially true in times of shrinking budgets. This pressure has been the root of failure for many good managers, and it can lead some to stop seeking challenges and opportunities to innovate. It may seem as if the ability to get funding is a mysterious gift – some people have it, others don’t. However, with practice, anyone can learn to be more effective at obtaining resources. This paper will discuss a practical approach that can be applied to any situation
Thinking About the Unthinkable: Active Shooter Preparedness in Library Environments
No full textThere is limited aggregated data showing the amount and levels of preparedness training for active shooter situations in public, academic, and K-12 libraries in California and across the United States. The purpose of this research is to assess the state of preparedness of librarians, staff, and volunteers working in these libraries for active shooter situations. In 2018, the authors collected data from academic, public, and school library personnel about their attitudes and levels of preparedness for active shooter situations. It is hoped that this research will contribute to the development of best practices in raising safety awareness in academic and public libraries
Creating Diversity in Libraries: Management Perspectives
No full textWhile existing library literature tends to focus on various diversity programs and discuss lack of diversity in the occupation, research is lacking on what libraries, individual managers, and minority librarians can do to cultivate diversity based on findings from management literature. This study explores linking those findings with practical steps that libraries, managers, and minority librarians can take to increase diversity in libraries. Review of management literature found that successful minorities have sponsors who advocate for them as well as mentors who provide guidance and psychological support. It also found that voluntary initiatives such as awareness building through increased contact with minorities, eliminating biases through processes and structures, setting specific goals, and increasing social accountability were more effective than mandatory diversity training programs. Based on the findings from the management literature, libraries are advised to communicate management commitment through their websites, job posts and other venues, set specific goals, evaluate outcomes, and make managers accountable by incorporating diversity-related performance goals in their evaluation. Managers’ willingness to be bias interrupters and serve as diversity champions also contributes to the success of diversity efforts. Appealing to people’s desire to look good to others is also found to be more effective than coercive techniques. Structured hiring practices and objective evaluation criteria for promotion also eliminate biases and lead to improvement. Minority librarians are encouraged to seek out sponsors as well as mentors, build on their resilience, and establish genuine personal long-term relationships with people of different backgrounds to achieve success in their careers
New and Noteworthy: Back to the Basics - Recent Titles on Getting Started as a Library Manager
No full textThis issue's New and Noteworthy column review four recent titles on getting started in library leadership and management
Research Participation and Employment of Persons with Autism Spectrum in Library and Information Science: A Review of the Literature
No full textPersons with autism spectrum disorder are a growing population and important to library and information science research and employment in libraries. Including them in all stages of research about the neurodivergent experience is valuable, and their input and participation is increasingly used in technology research, particularly usability studies. Neurodiverse persons also have unique abilities that align with a wide array of information professions and accommodations can be made that allow them to thrive in the workplace. It is critical that meaningful involvement of autistic individuals is a component of making policy at all levels
Emotional Intelligence for Librarians
No full textEmotional intelligence (EI) is the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships effectively within your library. Theories about developing emotionally intelligent staff through training, mentoring, and succession planning are discussed specifically in relation to librarianship. The theories and discussed philosophies and practices of EI will encompass and blend new concepts into existing and widely valued library literature with theorists from within the business sector. This article discusses how EI is used in the employment selection process and how it defines the core competencies we see in our employees. This article will delve into training, benefits, challenges, and how It is used in the change management process. In healthy libraries, EI is for leaders, managers, and employees at all levels
Establishing Shared Purpose: Developing Unit Specific Mission, Vision, and Values in an Academic Library
No full textIn a large, public university library, the leadership team for Public Services wanted to provide a solid foundation for communication, collaboration, and shared decision making. In pursuit of that goal, the two groups within Public Services undertook to develop mission, vision, and values statements to highlight their unique purpose and provide direction for their work. Each group developed a unique and self-directed process of brainstorming and consensus building workshops and meetings; respecting and honoring the differences between the groups was an essential step in establishing shared values and successful cross-unit communication. These smaller group processes will later come to inform the work and collaborations of the unit as a whole and have already led to productive conversations and improvements in group communication. Reflecting on the process and products has allowed the unit as a whole to find and focus on commonalities in their values and work. This experiential report will provide definitions and guiding questions to serve as models for those working in academic libraries that wish to guide the development of these defining statements within their own particular context
Integrating Student Assistants into Digital Repository Workflows: Challenges and Best Practices
No full textThe Scholarly Communication Initiatives and Digital Collections departments within the University adapted staff workflows to become student-centered, where workers create digital content for the University’ digital repositories. Each department has a diverse set of needs; Scholarly Communication Initiatives hires students to help with the creation of metadata records, review open access options for sharing each work, and upload items into the institutional repository. Digital Collections relies on students to scan, create metadata, and upload images online that reflect physical holdings in Special Collections and Archives. Utilizing student workers also provides more time for full-time staff to work on higher-level projects and to update, rethink, improve, and streamline existing workflows. Both departments have found that student-centered workflows teach technical and transferable skills while also encouraging students to grow professionally, academically, and socially, setting students up for success beyond graduation. Empowering the whole student and encouraging their personal and collaborative growth thus helps each department to become more efficient and successful in their missions, a triumph that is possible for any library department of an academic institution. While there is a large body of research on student workers in libraries, including on the topics of management and specific functional areas, there is very little research focused on student workers in digital repositories. This article begins to fill this gap and discusses the philosophies and methodologies of both departments’ approaches, as well as the results of implementing student-centered processes for the department and full-time staff