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.

New Diversity Fellowship Opportunity

New Diversity Fellowship Opportunity

The State Library of Indiana has received a $1 million grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services for recruiting and educating 30 ethnically/racially diverse students for the Indiana Librarians Leading in Diversity project. The application process will go live next Monday, August 4, by noon. Potential candidates must apply to the Indiana University School of Library and Information Science (IU SLIS Application – Indianapolis / Bloomington) by September 15, 2008. The application process is open until 4:00 p.m. on Monday, October 3, 2008.

Ten candidates a year for three years are eligible to be selected for this Master of Library Science Degree Fellowship program. Applicants must have a primary self-identification as American Indian/Alaska Native; Asian; Black/African-American; Hispanic/Latino; or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander. In addition to applying to the library school, candidates will be required to complete a fellowship application which includes an essay and two letters of recommendation from non-relatives.

Successful candidates will be required to sign a fellowship agreement, attend an orientation week in Indianapolis in early December, and begin classes full time with the spring semester on January 12, 2009. Candidates also must commit to work two years in Indiana libraries upon graduation.

The fellowship award will cover tuition for up to 36 credit hours completed within 18 months. Stipends up to $15,500.00 will be available to cover room, board, and travel expenses.

This grant opportunity was given as part of the Laura Bush 21^st Century Librarian Program. Additionally, the project is supported by the Indiana State Library's Diversity Advisory Council, Academic Libraries of Indiana, Administrators of Large Public Libraries in Indiana, the Indiana Black Librarians Network, the Indiana Library Federation, and the Indiana Special Libraries Association. For more information, contact Marcia Smith-Woodard at mwoodard@library.in.gov, (317) 232-3719 or (800) 451-6028.

Position Available: The Grace McSpadden Overholser Archival Fellow for African American Studies

The Grace McSpadden Overholser Archival Fellow for African American Studies
(Fixed-Term Appointment)

Available: May 1, 2008

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks a motivated, innovative, collaborative, and knowledgeable individual for the position of The Grace McSpadden Overholser Archival Fellow for African American Studies. This is a post-graduate-degree, time-limited position working with and expanding the African American-related materials at the Southern Historical Collection (SHC) located in the Wilson Library. The Overholser Fellow will work under the supervision of the director of the SHC. The SHC houses distinctive archival collections centered on the history of the American South, and is located in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This specially-funded position is designed as a full-time archival job for an individual planning a career focusing on African American documentation.

Responsibilities

• Survey African American holdings of the SHC, update current online guides, and help with other efforts to make these materials more accessible.
• Participate in discussions with those responsible for African American archival materials elsewhere, especially at HBCUs, to help identify the most useful roles the SHC can play in strengthening efforts to document the African American experience.
• Contribute to other discussions and research aimed at formulating a practical and sustainable African American materials collecting policy for the SHC.
• Work with the director in identifying and acquiring archival materials that document the African American experience in the South.
• Coordinate activities of the SHC with those of the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History at UNC Chapel Hill.

Qualifications

Required: ALA-accredited MLS or a Master's degree in American history or a related field, already received or to be received no later than June 2008. Knowledge of archival standards and best practices; familiarity with methods of scholarly, especially archival, research in the humanities and social sciences, particularly as it relates to African American studies. Strong organizational skills and superior oral and written communication skills. Ability to work with staff, faculty, and students at UNC Chapel Hill and other institutions. Commitment to service and to professional growth and development.

Preferred: Experience in an archival setting; research in African American studies.

The University and The Libraries

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill <http://www.unc.edu/> is the country's oldest state university. UNC-Chapel Hill has an enrollment of approximately 27,000 students, employs more than 3,100 faculty, offers 77 doctoral degrees as well as professional degrees in dentistry, medicine, pharmacy and law, and the Library collections include over 6 million volumes. The Library is a member of the Association of Research Libraries, the Center for Research Libraries, and SOLINET. Together with the Health Sciences and Law libraries at Chapel Hill plus the libraries at Duke University, North Carolina Central University, and North Carolina State University, the members of the Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN) provide services and collections to their students, faculty, and staff in support of the education, research, and service missions of the universities.

The Region

The Triangle region <http://triangle.citysearch.com/> is one of the most desirable places to live and work in North America and offers its residents a wide array of recreational, cultural, and intellectual activities. The mountains or the seashore are less than half day's drive from Chapel Hill. The University of North Carolina is an equal opportunity employer and is strongly committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff.

Salary and Benefits

This is a *twelve-month fixed-term appointment, with the possibility of a one year renewal*. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Standard state benefits of annual leave, sick leave, and State or optional retirement plan. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, librarians enjoy the benefit of academic status and are represented on the faculty council.

Deadline for Application

Review of applications will begin on March 3, 2008. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

To Apply: Send a letter of application, a resume and the names, addresses and telephone numbers of three professional references to:

Overholser Archival Fellow
c/o Tiffany Allen, Personnel Librarian
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
CB #3932, 213 Davis Library
Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890
Email: Tiffany_Allen@unc.edu

/An Equal Opportunity Employer/