ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Leadership development

By Rosie L. Albritton

Director of the Intern-Scholar Program University of Missouri-Columbia

A CLR internship program at the University of Missouri-Columbia for recent library school graduates.

Faced with ever lessening resources and substan- tial technological changes, leadership and management in academic libraries must increasingly be both effective and efficient. There is evidence throughout the management development literature that leadership can be taught or developed. However, most organizations, including acadamic research libraries, do not have developmental programs for potential leaders.

The University of Missouri-Columbia Libraries were awarded a two-year grant of $73,205 by the Council on Library Resources in June 1986 to develop an experimental internship program for librarians having less than three years of experience. The program is designed to provide opportunities for the development of leadership potential within an extended postgraduate internship.

The UMC Libraries submitted a proposal to the Council on Library Resources in early 1986 for funding under the “Internships for Recent Graduates” program. The proposal was based on a definition of leadership that integrates personal qualities in working relationships with situational interactions that involve work performance, skills, and knowledge. The UMC Libraries were subsequently awarded the two-year grant to develop a program to train up to eight junior librarians in leadership, administration, and advanced library skills. The program is titled, “Developing Leadership in Academic Research Librarianship: The UMC Libraries’ Intern–Scholar Program,” and is known as the CLR Intern-Scholar Program. The term intern-scholar represents the combination of program methods and activities emphasized in planning and implementing the internship project.

The program is being developed as a two-year experimental prototype that is supported by both educational and behavioral foundations that utilize the following methods: 1) in-house seminars and discussion groups, 2) formal university course- work, 3) mentoring arrangements, and 4) administrative practicums with high-level campus administrators. The library intern-scholars, who each had less than three years of work experience, are participating in a broad-based program designed in part to build self-knowledge and teamwork skills, and lead to greater involvement in the day- to-day life of the library.

The Council on Library Resources’ graduates program grants are designed to support a few experimental but promising programs undertaken by research libraries that provide advanced training and research opportunities for new staff members, with the assumption that, ultimately, all staff will benefit.

In accepting the Council’s support of this program, the UMC Libraries made a strong commitment to professional continuing education and staff development. The CLR guidelines for proposals emphasized the following: 1) concentrate program activities on the development of knowledge and perspective, rather than on specific skills relevant to the day-to-day job; 2) introduce the functions and purposes of the library as a whole, not just to the tasks of reference, cataloging, etc.; 3) seek to develop an awareness of the broader context of the university within which the library operates; 4) programs should benefit recent graduates already on the staff, rather than create new positions especially for interns; and 5) internships should be intellectually demanding and sufficiently wide in scope to add appreciably to the competence of newcomers to the profession.

The program at UMC Libraries was funded to develop an innovative and unique scholarly in- service training program that will enhance and extend the formal training of new librarians, while also providing the framework for expanding the scope and depth of current ongoing, library-wide staff development and continuing education programs. The Libraries’ active involvement in special projects and staff development programs are deliberate efforts to assist the staff in building knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Program goals and objectives

The University of Missouri-Columbia Libraries were interested in developing a postgraduate internship program that would provide a formal extension of training and professional development for recently employed librarians. The overall purpose of the program is to give recently graduated librarians an expanded view of their profession, a better understanding of the university environment, a broader understanding of research library management and operations, and to provide opportunities for the development of new skills and leadership potential.

Program activities are based on intellectually demanding learning and development experiences from the fields of human relations, management and supervision, planning and decision-making, organizational behavior and organization development. The program is designed to provide the basis for achieving the following goals:

1) To develop the leadership skills and experience necessary for effective management support of academic research libraries using methods that

a. provide a climate in which participants feel free to discuss and express themselves;

b. develop an atmosphere of mutual interests, problem-solving and mutual respect among members—a support group, as it were, for all participants, in which each willingly assists the other’s growth and is helped by others in his/her own growth;

c. obtain an initial needs assessment in order to develop the program to meet the requirements and interests of all participants;

d. continually clarify developmental goals through mutual discussions and surveys;

e. utilize role-playing to allow for as much open discussion as appropriate and to maintain an area in which human feelings and attitudes are regenerated;

f. structure the experiences to achieve specific behavioral goals, with the structure coming from sound psychological principles and sound managerial philosophy; and

g. employ in-house seminars and discussion groups on topics relevant to future library leadership, such as human relations (including self- awareness, assertive behaviors and career planning processes), management planning, organizational change, and organizational behavior, all of which are conducted by senior-level librarians and visiting scholars/practitioners.

2) To study the resources, services and performance of the UMC Libraries and possibly other research libraries and how they relate to the academic community, using methods that

a. relate the program to actual work situations;

b. bridge the gap between the technical and routine functions of junior librarians during their first few years in librarianship and actual participation in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of library policy and operations;

c. combine study and research in cognate subject areas in major academic disciplines, such as human resources management in the UMC Business School, and educational research, statistics and higher education studies in the UMC School of Education, with relevant research methods in librarianship; and

d. present advanced topics on recent trends and issues in academic research librarianship through formal coursework, seminars and special presentations by library school faculty and visiting librarians.

The intern–scholars

Four junior librarians were selected for the 1986- 87 program in July 1986. The intern-scholars for 1986-87 are Isabel Pinto, Information Services Librarian, Health Sciences Library, B.S., Plant/ Soil Science, University of Connecticut, MLS, Columbia University; Ruth Riley, Information Sciences Librarian, Health Sciences Library, B.A., Sociology, University of Kansas, MLS, University of Illinois; Paula Roper, General Reference Librarian, Ellis Library, B.S., History/Education, University of Missouri-St. Louis, MLS, University of Missouri-Columbia; and Catherine Seago, Rare Book Cataloger, Ellis Library, B.A., Latin, Berea College, MLS and M.A., Classical Languages, University of Kentucky. Pinto, Riley, and Roper have begun their second year in the program, and Seago has recently accepted a position as monograph cataloger at the University of Kentucky.

Three more librarians have been selected in 1987- 88, bringing the total to seven. The intern- scholars for 1987-88 are Nancy Els, Martha Shirky, and Shelley Worden.

The Libraries’ intern-scholars, each of whom has less than three years of work experience, were required to complete applications for the program. Candidates submitted a current resume along with a statement concerning their short and longer term career goals, how the program will relate to their goals, and a statement of what they hope to achieve from and contribute to the program. The applications were approved by immediate supervisors and department heads, and then submitted to the director of libraries for final approval.

Program activities

The program has focused on two major areas— 1) the development of leadership and managerial skills for academic and research library management, and 2) the development of research and assessment skills for determining the information needs of a research university.

Seminars/Workshops.The 1986–87 program activities began in late August with an orientation seminar coordinated by the director of libraries, Tom Shaughnessy, and program director Rose Albritton. The seminar focused on the desired program competencies for the interns. A “Program Guide” and “Resource Notebook” were compiled and given to each intern. Seminars were held on a bi-weekly basis during the fall semester and on a monthly basis during the spring semester.

Seminar topics were related to both the program competencies and the resource readings and exercises. The “Resource Noteþooks” provide theoretical as well as practical background for instruction and learning from the fields of human resource development, organizational psychology, management education, training and instruction, organization development, and library science. The five major subject sections are: 1) Managing Research Libraries in the Information Age, 2) Self- Assessment and Self-Awareness, 3) Self- Development, 4) Group and Organizational Process, and 5) Leadership Development. The following topics were presented to the interns by the program director for an in-depth analysis and discussion: the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator and psychological types, self-esteem, self-confidence, assertiveness, interpersonal communication skills, motivation, active listening, reaching consensus (“Subarctic Survival Simulation”), critical incidents exercises on library work-related situations, the integrative management education model, lifestyles inventory, group resources, management training for research libraries and access to information.

University courses.Each intern selected a three- hour course from either business management or higher education administration for the fall and winter term enrollments. Courses were selected from an approved list from the following fields of study: business and public administration, economics, management, computer service, higher education administration, statistics, educational research, and library and information science. The following courses were completed by the interns during 1986-87: college administration, organizational theory, organizational behavior, economics, statistics, and fundamentals of management.

Mentoring arrangements.In addition to the seminars and university coursework, the intern- scholars are also involved in a formalized mentoring program with selected senior UMC librarians for approximately two hours each month. Four librarians were selected in October 1986, based on recommendations of interns, to serve as mentors during the first six-month mentoring cycle for December 1986 to May 1987. The mentors were Judy Pallardy, database searching coordinator; Erlene Rickerson, head of bibliographic control; Mary Ryan, head of reference services; and Sally Schilling, regional government documents librarian.

Mentors and interns met periodically throughout the six-month period to discuss library, professional and career issues. Each intern-mentor relationship was tailored to the individual interest of the intern and influenced by the expertise of the mentor. Mentors were encouraged to do their advising in the style most comfortable for them. Some approaches used by other mentors in similar formalized mentoring programs were recommended by the program director, such as advice on career goals, instruction in technical and managerial skills, counseling for improving job performance, encouragement, and actual opportunities to perform new skills.

Internships.The intern-scholars are required to participate in some aspect of university governance, administration, or operation which is external to the University Libraries. Participation may take the form of direct involvement (for example, by providing staff assistance), participant observation (for example, by serving as library liaison to a campus program), or by developing an applied research practicum in which the intern would receive criticism and feedback on his or her work from appropriate campus faculty or officers. Some of the areas to which interns may be assigned are the Chancellor’s Office; the assistant vice- president for academic affairs; the Office of Campus Computing; the dean of the College of Arts and Science; the assistant vice-chancellor for student services; the vice-chancellor for student, personnel and auxiliary services; the vice-chancellor for administrative services; the vice-chancellor for alumni relations and development; the dean of the School of Medicine; the dean of the Graduate School; director of UMC Hospitals and Clinics; and the Provost’s Office. The objective of this component of the Intern-Scholars Program is to acquaint participants with the context in which the libraries operate, to increase their awareness of some of the issues and problems facing higher education, and to increase their understanding of possible unmet information needs on the campus.

The internships were the last phase of the program to be implemented. The first cycle of internships were scheduled from February through June 1987. The interns were assigned to the following administrative offices for up to four hours each week: assistant vice-president for academic affairs; dean of the College of Arts and Science; the Provost’s Office/Center for International Programs and Studies; and the vice-chancellor for students, personnel and auxiliary services. During the second cycle of internships, planned for September through December 1987, interns will be appointed to a new group of administrators.

Other program activities.During the fall term, the interns attended a variety of library meetings, including administrative (e.g., Library Council, divisional, heads of units, and special projects); appropriate library committees and task forces; and all regular staff training and development programs, especially those featuring well-known library scholars. During the spring term, the intern- scholars conducted a panel presentation and discussion on their program activities for the library staff.

Interns have attended a variety of professional meetings, conferences, and in-service training workshops on campus and away from the University, e.g., BRS workshop, Kansas City; NLM Online Services Update, St. Louis; Technical Writing Skills Workshop, University of Missouri- Columbia; ALA Midwinter Meeting in Chicago; ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco; and the Medical Library Association Conference in Portland, Oregon.

Program evaluation

Evaluation of the program is being conducted on two levels, by the participant interns and the instructional facilitators/senior librarians/mentors, special guest presenters, other library managers, campus administrators, project director, and the director of libraries. Evaluation questionnaires are given to each participant at the end of each activity. During the first semester orientation seminar, each participant establishes individual program goals and objectives. The intern’s progress is monitored throughout the program, with review and progress reports from mentors, administrative sponsors and written self-reports at the end of each academic term.

Long-term outcomes for the intern-scholar participants will serve as a further method of evaluation. The career development patterns of each participant will be monitored for a period of three to five years after completing the program. Whether or not job performance evaluations consistently reflect high ratings by supervisors and the rate of early promotion to senior-level positions will eventually play a significant role in the final evaluation of the program.

Significance of program

The outcomes of this program are expected to be useful to other libraries that may be planning or considering post-master’s internships as extensions of formal training, or as variations of ongoing staff development, in-service training or continuing education programs, for the purpose of developing more effective staff development and training programs for library leadership, and for the purpose of predicting the effects of competitive in-service methods on library staff. The program will provide schools of library and information science with pertinent models and case studies to strengthen the design of courses in library management and the impact of organizational changes on library functions.

Significant issues currently being raised in the management literature concerning the process of developing leadership potential in organizations that are related to the training of academic research librarians are: 1) self-confidence and assertion—natural partners to effective management—come both from experience and personal development; 2) personal development can be greatly assisted by developmental programs which nurture the participant’s self-awareness and understanding of his or her relationship style to others; and 3) one-day programs do not constitute “leadership development” unless they are part of an ongoing process. Thus, the use of a combination of instructional methods, including cases, structured experiential activities, discussions, and small group exercises, is fundamental to the goals of this developmental program. The methods rest on the assumption that learning comes not only from reading and writing, but also from interaction and systematic reflection on that interaction.

Editor’s Note: Funding for this program was provided by Council on Library Resources Grant #3103. The UMC Libraries proposal was developed by the author, who was a CLR Fellow during her studies at the University of Michigan, which included an internship in library administration at Northwestern University. Parts of the above article appeared inShow–Me Libraries 38, no. 9 (June 1987). ■ ■

ACRL staff profile

Alia Al-Taqi

Alia Al–Taqi (aka Emma Miller) joined the ACRL staff in November 1986. She was married last spring and now goes by her middle name. For a year and a half she was as administrative assistant to JoAn Segal. In May 1986 Alia was promoted to program assistant, staff liaison to the ACRL Membership Committee, and liaison to ACRL’s 38 chapters.

Alia works with the ACRL Membership Committee to market the Association. Such duties include implementing promotion, recruitment, and retention campaigns. One large promotion for 1987 included mailing recruitment posters to ALA- accredited library schools. More than 100 information requests were returned, resulting in 20 students joining the Association. Now that the ACRL Membership Committee has added the task of recruitment to the profession to its charge, joint membership programs are being planned with other ACRL units and ALA divisions.

As chapter liaison, Alia edits and publishes Chapter Topics; promotes and markets ACRL chapters; participates in the ACRL chapters orientation meetings at Midwinter and Annual Conferences; and coordinates chapter programming. As part of the ACRL Strategic Plan, the Chapters Council has taken on the tasks of developing a model recruitment plan, establishing a scholarship program, recommending joint programs between chapters and other groups, and supporting research.

Alia is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Illinois in 1983. ■ ■

Letter

Yiddish Library Development Program

To the Editor:

Regarding the cover photo on the September 1987 issue, it is perhaps understandable not to identify the staff member holding up the book—but not to identify the book that is displayed? How unlibrarian-like! It would be nice for book and bearer to identify them.—Ross Day, Librarian, The Robert Goldwater Library, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

You’re absolutely right! Our excuse is that the choice for the cover photo was made at the very last minute. Here is the proper identification:“Devorah Sperling, director of the Yiddish Library Development Program, Amherst, Mass., displays a volume of Der Groyser Kundes (The Rig Wise Guy), a journal of political humor and cartoons edited by Jacob Marinoff in New York City in the 1910s and 1920s.” ■ ■