NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program, 2009-2010 Call for Applications

The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) is pleased to announce the 2009-2010 year of the leadership program jointly sponsored by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and AAHSL. The NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program is focused on preparing emerging leaders for the position of library director in academic health sciences libraries.

“The partnership with NLM has demonstrated its value in encouraging and preparing the next generation of leaders of our libraries,” said AAHSL president Julia Sollenberger. “Its merit is recognized by institutions across the country as they recruit for director positions.”

Fellows will have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills in a variety of learning settings, including exposure to leadership in another environment. They will be paired with mentors who are academic health sciences library directors. In addition to the individual relationship with their mentors, fellows benefit from working collaboratively with other fellows and mentors. Experienced program faculty and mentors will provide content and facilitation for the cohort. The program takes advantage of flexible scheduling and an online learning community to minimize disruption to professional and personal schedules. The sponsors will provide financial support for up to five fellows and will underwrite travel and meeting expenses.

Thirty-five fellows have participated in the program since its inauguration in 2002. To date, thirteen fellows have assumed director positions.

“The program was key in securing my job as director and continues to sustain me,” noted Neville Prendergast, fellow, class of 2007-2008, and director at Tulane University. “It provided the learning environment to interact with my mentor and other leading directors very willing to share their ideas and experience. It places you in the position of ‘thinking like a director.’”

Chris Shaffer, fellow, class of 2006-2007, and university librarian at Oregon Health & Science University, said, “My mentor ‘opened the books’ to me and taught me about budgets of public and private universities. As a new director, I often turn to the other fellows in my cohort for advice and community, and I can get support from all the mentors who have participated in the program.”

Gary Freiburger, mentor, class of 2008-2009, and director at University of Arizona, stated, “My fellow’s visit to our library gave me a chance to see our operations through fresh eyes. As a mentor, I not only have the chance to rethink my assumptions, I also have the benefit of working with a cohort of directors who share information and experiences.”

Program Overview

The one-year program design is multi-faceted: three in-person leadership institutes; attendance at an Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) annual meeting; a yearlong fellow/mentor relationship; Web-based courses and discussions on issues related to library leadership; and a two-week site visit to the mentor’s home library (in one or two-week segments).

The program is designed to:

Introduce fellows to leadership theory and practical tools for implementing change at organizational and professional levels;
Introduce fellows to critical issues facing academic health sciences libraries;
Develop meaningful professional relationships between fellows and mentors that give fellows access to career guidance and support;
Expose fellows to another academic health sciences library and its institutional leadership under the guidance of their mentors;
Examine career development and provide models of directors to fellows;
Create a cohort of leaders who will draw upon each other for support throughout their careers;
Promote diversity in the leadership of the profession; and
Offer recognition to emerging leaders and enhance the competitive standing of fellows as they pursue director positions.

Application

The NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program is currently accepting applications and nominations for the August 3, 2009, deadline for potential fellows and mentors for the 2009-2010 experience. Candidates for fellow should have a strong interest in pursuing a directorship in academic health sciences libraries, as well as a minimum of five years of department head level or higher responsibility, or equivalent experience, in an academic health sciences library, hospital library, or other library-related setting. Applications from qualified minority candidates are encouraged. Mentors should have at least five years’ experience as director of an academic health sciences library.

The program brochure, including information on program design, schedule, and application process, is available at http://data.memberclicks.com/site/aahsl/NLM-AAHSL-Leadership-Fellows-Program-2009-2010.pdf
For more information about the program, please contact Carolyn Lipscomb, Program Manager, AAHSL Future Leadership Committee, carolynlipscomb@cs.com.

Call for Proposals: 2010 National Diversity in Libraries Conference

The 2010 National Diversity in Libraries Conference (NDLC), “From Groundwork to Action,” will take place July 14–16, 2010, in Princeton, New Jersey. The NDLC is a biennial event that serves as a regional meeting for library staff members to discuss diversity issues, especially issues common to the host region’s culture. ARL is co-sponsoring the 2010 conference along with Columbia University Libraries, Ocean County (NJ) Library, Princeton Public Library, Princeton University Library, and Rutgers University Libraries. The 2010 NDLC Planning Committee invites proposals for presentations at the conference. Please consult the conference wiki for submission guidelines and further information on the event https://qed.princeton.edu/main/NDLC2010/Call_for_Proposals.

ALA Diversity Event: 2nd National Dialogue on the Curriculum of Readiness for the 21st Century Librarian"

The 2nd National Dialogue on the Curriculum of Readiness for the 21st Century Librarian event has been expanded by the ALA Committee on Diversity into a Town Hall Meeting on diversity. The event is scheduled for Friday July 10, 2009 from 8:30am-12:00pm in the Palmer House Hilton, Adams Ballroom. The meeting will focus on four key discussion topics:

1. Unifying library diversity advocacy efforts across member associations
2. Encouraging diversity in ALA leadership groups
3. Enhancing LIS education to facilitate the recruitment of students from under-represented backgrounds
4. Fostering workplace diversity and organizational change to better promote and retain members of under-represented groups in the LIS profession

This event is intended to bring together representatives from the various ALA committees, affiliates, divisions, sections, and round tables. Participation as an individual interested in diversity or as a representative of a particular constituency is welcome.

Those planning to attend should please contact Rob Gould at rgould@ala.org by June 1. A final confirmation and additional information will be provided to all scheduled attendees by June 15.

For additional information, contact Ismail H. Abdullahi (iabdullahi@nccu.edu), Miguel A. Figueroa (mfigueroa@ala.org), or Robert Gould (rgould@ala.org).

The Kaleidoscope Concern: ACRL Digital Publication by Kaetrena D. Davis-Kendrick

Kaetrena D. Davis-Kendrick has recently digitally published an annotated bibliography on racial and ethnic diversity in librarianship through ACRL. From the ACRL site: "This annotated bibliography...includes new areas of study such as gender issues and white privilege with regard to racial minority and ethnic librarians. It covers the concerns, goals and strategies surrounding the recruitment, retention, and advancement of librarians of color and contains over 80 years of the profession’s earliest training initiatives and current best practices. Also traced in this bibliography is the evolution of the specific idea of affirmative action to the more nebulous concept of diversity in libraries. Books and book chapters, dissertations and theses, articles, poster sessions, presentations, reports from professional library associations and consortia, and multimedia objects are annotated in here."

The document can be downloaded from ACRL's Digitial Publications site.

Congratulations to Trena!

Temporary Resident Librarian Position at Syracuse University

Syracuse University Library seeks an energetic, innovative, and service-oriented individual to enhance the Library's ability to meet the needs of a diverse university community by serving a two-year appointment as Learning Commons Resident Librarian. Members of historically underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
This is a temporary, 24 month, benefits eligible position.

Visit the Syracuse University Library's Employment Opportunities page for full information.

The American Library Association's (ALA) Diversity Counts report shows that less than one percent of credentialed librarians are African American males. Spawned by Julius Jefferson's 2008 ALA program on African American male librarians, this program discloses the results of a recent study that explored which factors lead African American males to choose to pursue a graduate degree in library and information science (LIS) and practice LIS as a career.

Panelists will discuss why they became a librarian, share career goals, and reveal their own triumphs and challenges in LIS.

Panelists:
Damon Campbell, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Jon E. Cawthorne, San Diego State University
James B. Jones, Atlanta-Fulton County Public Library

Moderator:
Julius Jefferson, Library of Congress

Program Producer/Researcher:
Kaetrena D. Davis-Kendrick

Location: Hilton Chicago - Conference Room D

Please make plans to attend this informative and engaging program and discussion during the American Library Association's Annual Conference this July!

New Residency Program at Towson University

Beginning Fall 2009, the Towson University Residency Librarian Program will offer an early-career librarian the opportunity for rapid professional growth in academic librarianship. The two-year program is designed to provide a broad introduction to academic librarianship, a supportive environment for professional exploration, and an opportunity for concentrated experience in an area of specialization. The purpose of the program is to help increase the presence of underrepresented groups in academic librarianship. Towson University values diversity and encourages all qualified individuals to apply.

Please see the full vacancy announcement here.