Spring 2018
Course DetailsInstructor
Dr. Sarah Clark Course Experience On the suggestion and encouragement of Dr. Martens, I enrolled for this leadership course. It was my first and only hybrid class, meeting in person three times over the semester with the rest of the course taking place online. I enjoyed this type of course and glad I had this in-person experience with fellow students, Dr. Clark, and Dr. Martens. A highlight for me of this course was studying leadership ideas and concepts from a non-library perspective and applying them to a library setting. Whether or not I eventually pursue a job in management, I am a leader in my library system. I hope to continue in that role throughout my career, regardless of my job title. My leadership philosophy is encapsulated by a phrase I found on a pin that I now wear: "We Rise by Lifting Others." For more about my leadership philosophy and potential, please visit this "Leadership" page. ALSC Competencies At the time of this course, I was the Youth Librarian at the Herman and Kate Kaiser Library. V. Outreach and Advocacy: V.1-8 VI. Adminstrative and Management Skills: VI.2, VI.5-12 VII. Professionalism and Professional Development: VII.1-10 |
Samples of CourseworkThe main assignment for this course was a group project where we were tasked with creating a deliverable for a specific library. My group worked with the director of the Montfort and Allie B. Jones Library in Bristow, Oklahoma to create a program where patrons could make appointments with library employees to help them use library services. We named the service "Library Expert Time" to encompass all library staff and created items using the Google platform that the director could start using immediately.
This group work helped support competencies in the Administrative and Management Skills category, especially VI.7 and VI.8:
Click the image above to see our final group visual presentation.
For the final individual paper, I chose to write about an incident in which a child with autism was asked to leave a public library. In the paper, I explored this decision through the four frames from Bolman and Deal studied in this class.
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Course Description and Goals from Syllabus
Whether or not you ever have the word "director" in your title, all information professionals will eventually be required to lead a project, a team, or a workplace. This course takes a two-pronged approach to build on what students learned in LIS 5023, by examining real-life library leadership and management concerns while simultaneously learning a model of organizational leadership that can be used to grapple with any real-world library leadership situation.
Student Learning Objectives from Syllabus
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
Whether or not you ever have the word "director" in your title, all information professionals will eventually be required to lead a project, a team, or a workplace. This course takes a two-pronged approach to build on what students learned in LIS 5023, by examining real-life library leadership and management concerns while simultaneously learning a model of organizational leadership that can be used to grapple with any real-world library leadership situation.
- Understand the distinction between management and leadership, and understand the importance of both skills to a library leader
- Explore how a leadership model can be used as a practical tool, and explore common library leadership issues through structural, human resources, political, and/or symbolic frameworks
- Collaborate with classmates to create tools that address a real-world project or issue facing a local public, academic, or special library leader
- Develop the student's ability to produce both graduate-level and professional-level written and oral products
Student Learning Objectives from Syllabus
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Describe the difference between Management and Leadership.
- Explain the importance of leadership skills for any information professional.
- Analyze contemporary library issues and events from a leadership perspective.
- Apply management and leadership tools to plan or manage a typical library product or initiative.
- Explain issues related to library change management and crisis management.
- Communicate effectively in written and spoken format to library stakeholders and leaders.