Tag Archives: leadership

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

MILE Participant: CMLE Scholarship Recipient!

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Minnesota Library Association (MLA) Institute for Leadership (MILE) encourages and promotes leadership regardless of the position a person holds with in a library . The following post was submitted by CMLE scholarship recipient Sarah Seeley, Branch Assistant, Great River Regional Library-Buffalo. 

My experience at MLA’s Institute for Leadership Excellence (MILE) exceeded my expectations on every level.  I met fantastic people, both attendees and presenters, and discovered leadership skills I had never identified. I also learned new techniques and forums for library leadership that I know will serve me throughout my library career.

The most valuable part of the retreat for me was identifying and understanding my own personal leadership themes, discussions of how those themes interact with other individuals, and strategies for building good teams with various leadership styles.  I have already begun using this new understanding back at my job, and know it will continue to benefit me in the future.

I enjoyed learning about various forums for library advocacy and techniques to get the message out about libraries in Minnesota and the nation.  We also had a great coach who led discussions and exercises about keeping yourself and staff engaged and effective at work and in life.

On the last day we set a number of goals for ourselves to be achieved in the next eighteen months.  Going forward I will be working with a mentor for advice, coaching, and accountability toward those goals.  I am thrilled with the mentor I have been assigned and have already begun work on my goals, all of which will have a great effect on my work and within our library system.

I appreciate the support CMLE has provided for my attendance at the MILE program. I recommend it to anyone interested in leadership in the library field.

Sarah Seeley

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Apply Now-ALA Leadership Institute!

This post was submitted by Mary Mackay and Dhaivyd Hilgendorf.

CHICAGO — Applications are being accepted through May 10 for Leading to the Future, a unique four-day immersion leadership development program for future library leaders offered by ALA in Chicago, Aug. 12-15, 2013. Led by ALA President Maureen Sullivan with ACRL Content Strategist Kathryn Deiss, this inaugural Leadership Institute will include a structured learning track as well as the opportunity for individual development and is limited to 35 participants.

Designed for mid-career librarians ready for increased leadership responsibility, the institute will help participants develop and practice their leadership skills in areas critical to the future of the libraries they lead. The curriculum will include, among other topics:

  • Leading in turbulent times
  • Interpersonal competence
  • Power and influence
  • The art of convening groups
  • Creating a culture of inclusion, innovation and transformation

Participants in the program will have the opportunity to form a vibrant learning community and network—an essential and powerful element of effective leadership growth and development. Participants will also: return to their institution with greater self-awareness and self-confidence, equipped with better skills for leading, coaching, collaborating and engaging within their organizations and in their communities; return as better leaders, prepared to identify, develop and implement solutions that will benefit all stakeholders; and earn approximately 30 hours of continuing education contact hours.

The Leadership Institute selection committee seeks a diverse participant mix based on type of library (public, academic, school, special, etc.), organizational responsibility, geography, gender and race/ethnicity. The selective process will be based on demonstrated leadership potential, professional achievement and community or campus involvement.  Particular attention will be given to applicants’ personal statements as well as those of their references.  Additional criteria can be found on the ALA Leadership Institute page. Inclusion in the institute is by online application only, and applicants may nominate themselves or be nominated by their employer. Thanks to a subsidy from ALA in this inaugural year, the total cost for each participant (including food, lodging, and materials but excluding travel) will be $750.

Completed applications are due by May 10, 2013

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Metronet Wind Down: Leadership Lessons from the NFL

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Some rights reserved by ElvertBarnes

With football season coming to a close, you may be wondering what your library can learn from your endless hours of watching football. You may be surprised, but Amy and Robin say there is a lot you can learn about leadership from the NFL.

Develop your leadership lens using lessons from the NFL. A leadership lens is a tool that allows you to view leadership decisions and scenarios from other fields and apply it to libraries and librarianship. Develop your leadership skills by relating leadership successes and failures of the National Football League (NFL) to your library. Analogies from recent NFL seasons will help us think about future library scenarios that we may face. We will use examples from the NFL to illuminate leadership issues.

Amy Springer, Government and Business Librarian, College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University, and Robin Ewing, Reference Services Coordinator, St. Cloud State University, will present this interesting, fun program at ACRL in April, but for those of you who can’t make ACRL, you’re in luck. Amy and Robin will present this program as a Metronet Wind Down and you’re invited! Library staff in all different types of libraries are welcome to attend! No RSVP required.

Cost: Free

Date: March 7, 2013

Time: 3:30-5:00 p.m.

Location: Metronet Board Room 320, 1619 Dayton Ave, St. Paul

Directions: Google Map. Parking is free.

Contact: Metronet 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Apply today for MILE 2013!

From MILE 2013:

The Minnesota Library Association’s Institute for Leadership Excellence (MILE) will help you discover the leader within yourself and give you tools to learn how to lead effectively today—even if your current position isn’t one of leadership.Leadership

During this four-day conference, selected participants will spend their days in an intimate conference setting with 24 other emerging library leaders from across the state. They will learn about using improvisational humor and creative idea generation to foster creative approaches to problem solving and strategic planning, discover their personal strengths, and learn to lead no matter what their current library position may be. Participants will also become involved in an ongoing mentoring relationship.

Applications for participation will be accepted through Friday, January 11, 2013. Accepted participants will be notified in February.

Learn more and apply today at  http://milethirteen.weebly.com/index.html