​Leadership and Innovation

I. ​Students are innovative, ethical, problem-solvers able to lead and manage through communication, collaboration, and reflection.

I.a. Students are able to evaluate critically, reflect, and problem-solve individually as well as collaboratively.

I.b. Students demonstrate effective communication skills 

I.c. Students participate in professional and community engagement activities in the field.

I.d. Students demonstrate leadership skills and innovation in a diverse and global environment.

Summary

A library leader is not a hotel manager. It seems like an obvious statement, but there are some who would be shocked to consider the fact. We’re both in the ‘hospitality’ business, we cater to the needs of our patrons, and we have some people who practically live in the library (we do love our regulars!). The difference is that a library leader also has to find new ways to ensure that they are catering to their community’s needs and representing their population fairly so that their facility equally serves all members of that intended community. The hotel manager really just needs to make sure they’ve got those really good chocolate mints for the pillows – that would keep me coming back for sure.

For Research Methods in Library and Information Science (LIS6271) we were able to work as a group of four that shared a similar interest – archives. Together we came up with a plan of what to research – a means to ensure that we were making a place for all voices in our collection. Together we worked as leaders to design a survey, delve into the importance of the topic, and plan for the entire research project including justification and possible grant-seeking. Working together as a team to reach a goal that leads the library in the direction it needs to go for its community is one of the key requirements of a library leader.

Innovation, too, is a necessity. During the semester I took Collections Development and Maintenance (LIS6511) we were tasked with creating a resource for professional development in the area of copyright. I took this as an opportunity to create a pocket guide to copyright that could be used by staff doing decorations or circulation staff getting questions about using the photocopier – something that would be an official word through the director that they could use when the air was uncertain. Having this quick reference guide was an innovative way to help staff get the answers they needed quickly and on their own, letting them have the confidence to lean on the publication should any issue arise.

Artifacts

Research Proposal, Group Project, LIS6271

The result of a group project where the proposal, research design, and study methods were developed together to create a plan to implement a study ensuring that a diverse range of voices were represented in an archival collection.

Copyright Professional Development Guide, LIS6511

A ‘pocket guide’ designed to be given by management to staff to help them decide on whether they are using correct sources and choosing best practices when dealing with copyright and fair use in the library.