Core Dialogue with Directors Interest Group

Dual reporting lines

• Iowa has expectations in the review documents


• Making sure define 51\49 split


• Define everything up front


• Define time expectations


• Defined needed versus being comfortable


• Understand stress of these employees


• Do not underestimate the training needed for non-MLS


• Secondary supervisor writes a letter during review process

pressure from admin. outside pushing for non-MLS people candidates in library

Budget metrics to charge for services and get money for around campus
Defining model to get money to library
Define collection model in library

What allows a director to sleep?

• Vacation


• Delegation


• Succession planning


• Help the younger staff advance


• Staff teams so backups exist internally


• Lunch conversations


• Acknowledgements and teamwork from outside library


• Relationships of peers outside library to share mutual challenges

Not sleep?

• Budget especially late fiscal changes


• Open staff positions


• Retirements

Frame your leaderships style - how especially in an interview?

• Give examples, especially situational


• Give specifics to show personal knowledge of your own skills


• Authenticate


• Presentations to demonstrate fit and style


• Learn their environment


• Staying through entire interview even when you decide you do not want position is a successful interview too


• Can you articulate what you learned about that library?


• How do you educate yourself? Books read on leadership?

Media relations

• Who is your campus office or expert? Policies?


• Do not be forced into answering on the spot? Ask what is the deadline.


• People play with deadlines


• Sometimes no matter how well your message is prepared media can write something totally different in the end


• Reporters never come to the table with your knowledge


• Critical to listen to interviewer for gaps of knowledge


• Always close with a thank you

How do you get media attention within organization?

• Leverage social media


• Highlight good stuff


• Get in the conversations that lead to media opportunities


• All stories are great on campus but external media only can run so many stories


• One library hired a communications project manager


• Writing versus graphic skills are 2 different styles and same person may not have both


• Double edge sword of social media


• Is everyone giving the same and leadership defined message?

Creating a family friendly environment especially in academic library

• Baby changing stations


• Breast feeding options such as lactation room


• Task force and discussion with new moms to help plan


• Children friendly furniture


• Children collection


• Noise versus quiet areas


• Programming opportunities or sponsorships


• Partner with others such as College of Education


• Fixed toys


• Therapy animals


• Tie efforts to student retention


• Embrace who you have and provide for them

New interest group: programming librarians

Random nature of provosts and even presidents

• Coming from outside academia


• Fundraising interest or not


• Library versus IT tensions


• American Council on Education


• Provost professional group?


• Libraries promoting faculty scholarship


• Charleston conference thread on what provost expects