Hosting the Leadership and Career Development Program

Joan Giesecke, Dean of Libraries University of Nebraska-Lincoln

In mid-April, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries had the privilege of hosting the fellows in the LCDP. The twenty outstanding librarians spent five days in Lincoln exploring how research, teaching, and learning come together in ARL institutions. As the host institution, the UNL librarians had a number of opportunities to interact with the fellows. For example, Katherine Walter, Chair of Digital Initiatives and Special Collections, spoke to the group about grant writing and grant opportunities. Beth McNeil, Associate Dean, discussed issues they encounter in supervising staff. Finally, Joan Barnes, development and outreach librarian, my sister Anne, who is a former lobbyist, and I met with the group to discuss fund-raising and provided practical tips on how to host a reception and mingle with donors.

Our official responsibilities for the program were to host the group on campus for a day. This was a great opportunity to have UNL administrators meet the group, to talk about some of the signature programs at UNL, and to learn more about library programs. Our Dean of Undergraduate Studies was particularly impressed with her meeting with the group and with the suggestions we got from the fellows about ways to enhance our undergraduate research programs and service learning efforts at UNL. Sharing ideas among the major universities was a wonderful side benefit of hosting the program. As part of the day at UNL, various librarians also talked to the LCDP fellows about the Libraries' programs to integrate teaching and research. We also hosted a reception for the group to meet library faculty and staff. Further, we worked with our state library association diversity committee to host a small reception at the Asian Gallery on campus. This was a chance for the LCPD fellows to meet our state librarian and city librarian, and to learn more about our community. Because UNL was the host institution, I took advantage of the opportunity and gave the group the tour of the library. I did spend their day on campus with them and found it most helpful to hear their comments and ideas. The experience has helped give us some new ideas, to refresh our own thinking about research and teaching, and to hear different views of what will work and what is not likely to work as we enhance programming to our underrepresented groups on campus. I am pleased UNL was able to participate in the program and to meet these up and coming leaders in our libraries.

Dr. Joan Giesecke
Dean of Libraries
University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Jeannie An

McMaster University

LCDP Institute II: Research, Teaching, and Learning

Jeannie An, McMaster University
Li Zhang, University of Saskatchewan

As the only Canadian participants in the LCDP,  we are extremely delighted to be part of ARL's Diversity Program. Our second Institute focused on research, teaching and learning. In Lincoln, Nebraska, we were able to spend a lot of time working on our research projects and learning from each other. We had expert coaches from the University of Nebraska, Dean Joan Giesecke and Associate Dean Nancy Busch, who helped us focus our research projects and prepare the foundations for the next step of our projects. We also had guest speakers enlighten us about the role of research, teaching and learning in academic libraries. Some of the takeaways from Institute II include:

• There are a lot of similarities between American and Canadian university libraries.
• There are major differences in copyright laws; at the moment Canadian libraries cannot provide desktop delivery of articles.
• There is less commercial emphasis in Canadian libraries; it is difficult to find corporate donors for Canadian libraries.
• Research, teaching, and learning is very important in universities and librarians are shifting now to conduct research with faculty and other university communities and not just fellow librarians.
• The "Honoring Ceremony" showed us how different we were but at the same time it brought us all closer together.

So far, the whole program has helped us have a broader perspective on the future of libraries and we are very excited to be part of this group. What's been really great is being able to network with so many people and to learn from each other. As well, we are exposed to not just the theories of leadership but provided with practical advice and coaching. We have also been in touch with our career coaches and it is a very valuable experience having someone to help us on our journey.

We are both looking forward to meeting again at Institute III, hosted by the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, in early 2008.

 Deepa Banerjee, University of Washington

The research activities in academic institutions have taken a new shape and form due to the global environment, changing demographics, proliferation of digital information, e-communications, interdisciplinary focus, and many other factors. In this current climate where librarians should serve as research partners, data managers, teachers, and technological experts to encompass change, an opportunity to attend the Leadership and Career Development Program's second institute at Lincoln, Nebraska, offered by Association of Research Libraries was a boon to LCDP fellows.

This institute with a focus on "Research, Teaching, and Learning" contributed greatly to the deeper understanding of the importance of research, the changing research needs of the end users, and the way research impacts teaching in an academic environment. This institute offered a unique opportunity to attend invaluable presentations by the library faculty and to participate in discussions about current issues that confront the library leaders.

For example, the presentation by Scott Brandt, Associate Dean for Research and Professor, Purdue University Libraries, about the role of the librarians in research program stressed the importance of the collaboration between the librarians and the faculty to facilitate multidisciplinary research. He emphasized the application of library skills to fulfill data discovery, management, and organizational needs of the researchers. Additionally, he introduced us to some research related new concepts such as "Discovery Park" which consists of eleven recent interdisciplinary centers and "Distributed Institutional Repositories" which, according to Scott, serves as a platform for metadata processes, data management, and preservation. Joan Giesecke, Dean of Libraries, University of Nebraska Libraries, and Dr. Nancy Busch, Associate Dean for Administration, UNL, led a discussion on research methodologies. This also provided LCDP fellows an opportunity to discuss their individual research topics and the applicable research methodologies.

Neil Rambo's conference call session on "Defining the R in Research, Teaching and Learning" & ARL's Task Force on Research, Teaching, and Learning addressed new issues and questions that revolve around research, teaching, and learning.

Some other presentations such as

• Project management, by DeEtta Jones with a discussion about the steps in planning, implementation and accomplishment of the projects
•  Campus Networking - Who is at the Table? by Joan Giesecke, Dean of Libraries, UNL
• Supervising Staff, by Beth McNeil, Associate Dean, UNL
• Generational Learners, by Tracy Bricknell, Chair of Research and Instructional Services, UNL
• Teaching Digital Research, by the library faculty of UNL
• A Day in the Life of a Library Director, by Camila Alire, Dean Emeritus, University of New Mexico & Interim Executive Director, GWLA
• Library Fund Development & Donor Relations - From the perspective of an ARL Library Director

were intellectually stimulating and thought provoking. These presentations addressed all the relevant professional issues that we are confronted with everyday in our professional lives.Apart from formal presentations, every care was taken to give us ample opportunity for social interactions. The receptions hosted by the University of Nebraska Libraries were a good platform for networking with the UNL faculty and others. We are very thankful to UNL for their generosity and for their commitment to this institute. The honoring ceremony was another memorable and somewhat emotional event. We bonded immediately by being able to listen to and express our personal passions, interests, and stories.

I sincerely thank Jerome Offord, Jr. for efficiently planning the programs for this institute. He has shown his dedication and commitment by taking care of all the details that ensured our professional development, comfortable stay at Lincoln, Nebraska, and safe travel.

The second institute of LCDP has been a very positive and memorable experience.

The Research, Teaching & Learning Institute's Impacts on the Research Project

Michele Saunders, University of Arizona

The Research, Teaching & Learning Institute provided multiple opportunities to gain knowledge and skills applicable to conducting our research projects. Various sessions allowed the research projects to be viewed and considered from several different angles. Opportunities to get input on our research projects from the invited speakers and from the other Leadership and Career Development Program Fellows were incorporated into the Institute's agenda.

A portion of the Institute examined research in the broad contexts of academia and librarianship. The invited speakers challenged the Fellows to think about the roles (current and future) of libraries and librarians in contributing to and helping to shape the research missions of our academic institutions and the research agendas of academic librarianship. Sessions like The "R" in Research, Teaching and Learning & E-Science and The Librarian's Role in Research Programs provided perspectives on the current landscape and thought-provoking discussions about what the future may bring. For me these sessions were a chance to step back from my individual research project and think about how it might fit into a bigger picture.

The Research Methodologies sessions covered many aspects of the research process. Topics included formulating the research question, conducting a literature review, identifying appropriate research methods, implementation of selected methods, reporting results, and understanding ethical issues related to conducting research. For each topic selected diagrams, charts, and tables, as well as lists of resources for further reading, were provided. These sessions helped me to think through the process I had laid out for my individual research project. Each Fellow had the opportunity to talk about their research project and get feedback from the session leaders and from the other Fellows. We worked together as a group to help each Fellow refine their topic and their research strategies.

The Research, Teaching & Learning Institute helped move our individual research projects forward in many ways. The Institute provided opportunities to fine-tune individual research skills; opportunities to connect with a cohort of colleagues and support each other in our research endeavors; time to focus on our research projects away from the demands of day-to-day work; and resources to take back with us to use and to share with others at our home institutions.

Shannon D. Jones, Virginia Commonwealth University 

One of the key components of the ARL Leadership and Career Development Program (LCDP) is the relationship that each fellow shares with his or her career-coach. Each LCDP fellow is paired with an ARL library director or a staff member that the director designates based on the fellow's areas of professional interests.  The 2007-2008 cohort of LCDP fellows attended ARL's Third Leadership Institute during the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting in January 2007. It was at this institute that many of the fellows, myself included, met their career coaches for the first time. I was paired with William Walker, University Librarian for the University of Miami Libraries. In the weeks immediately following our initial meeting, I began thinking about what it really meant to have a career coach and what I hoped to gain from our interactions. My initial explorations lead me to the dictionary to review the definition of the word coach. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a coach as "one who instructs or trains1".

With this definition in mind, I made a list of all the coaches with whom I had interacted or watched on television. My list included the likes of Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, Rick Pitino, Bobby Cremins, and Chuck Daly. As I reviewed my list, I noticed that all of my favorites had coached professional and college basketball teams. So basically, I liken my LCDP career-coach to that of a basketball coach. Whereas a basketball coach directs the team strategy, my LCDP career-coach directs me towards navigating the road to directorship. Just like any athletic coach, my career coach has committed to helping me to move closer to achieving my goals by working with me to shape my professional vision. Over the last couple of months, Mr. Walker has challenged me to take a hard look at my career goals and to think about the steps I will need to take to realize these goals. He has encouraged me to think strategically about my career, to create an action plan, and to execute my plan.

In my short career, I have had the opportunity to meet several seasoned librarians who have been instrumental in shaping and molding me into the librarian I am today. The pearls of wisdom, professional guidance, constructive criticism, and overall support I have received from these librarians have proven to be priceless.  The LCDP has introduced me to another seasoned librarian during a pivotal point in my career. I have thoroughly enjoyed my relationship with Mr. Walker and expect that it will continue long after I complete the LCDP. He has really taken his role as my career-coach seriously and has shone a genuine interest in seeing me succeed in the profession. I can not thank him enough for sharing candid discussions with me about his decision-making strategy as a director, his career path, inviting me to his library to meet with his staff and learn more about their library, and for listening to issues and concerns that I have as a librarian.

1 Definition of Coach, Merriam-Webster Online, http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/coach

Michele Saunders

University of Arizona

Aisha Harvey

Duke University

Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything
by  Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams

Penguin Group, 2007

Overview

According to authors Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams, the term wikinomics describes the art and science of peer production. Wikinomics is based on four principles:

1. Openness: Power is not built on exclusive information but instead through transparent innovation that encourages the potential use of products in unpredicted and numerous ways.
2. Peering: Collaboration efforts are not hierarchical in nature but instead are peer based, coming as much from consumers as from organizations themselves.
3. Sharing: Mutually beneficial cooperation between organizations that may have perceived themselves to be competitors in the past.
4. Acting Globally: Domicile decreases in importance in a global business context that exists in part on the Internet.
   

In concert with the four principles of wikinomics, several supporting examples in the private sector are given. Contributing vocabulary to this discussion the authors refer to the "Ideagoras" that created Ebay and IdeaConnection.com and the "Prosumers" seen in Second Life and Wikipedia.

Research, Teaching & Learning

Picture the following three scenarios:

1. A student brings a wikipedia article to the reference desk requesting information that will refute or support the article.
2. A physics professor who wants to share her own in-progress research projects in concert with previously published articles with other physicists from around the world for the purpose of an international grant proposal.
3. Students who contribute to catalog metadata production giving content new meanings as disciplines and coursework evolve.

Images of these scenarios were probably readily available to you because each scenario is happening right now. Whether you call it collaborative research or "wikinomics" the influence of peer-driven scholarship in research, teaching & learning is apparent. Now review the above scenarios once more and this time add the word "and" at the end of each sentence to picture what would happen after this scenario occurred. What expectations would be generated "and" how will these expectations impact library facilities and services?

Implications for Libraries

In libraries mass collaboration is not a new concept. The invention of MARC allowing us to share cataloging efforts between libraries to increase access to millions of books throughout the world is a perfect example. We have strong cooperative borrowing systems and we build collections with our regional sibling institutions in mind. In spite of an historical inclination towards openness and collaboration, new peer-based production models are making many librarians nervous. Part of this anxiety stems from our organizational insecurity. What role can we play in our universities in service to researchers who don't consider us peers? What value can we add? We wonder how much of this peer focus is a fad. How much time and resources should we invest in blogs and R&D. The authors of Wikinomics seem to ask in response: Are you willing to risk becoming irrelevant in the process?

Aisha Harvey
Duke University

C.W. Gallagher , Heinemann (2007)

Reclaiming Assessment: A Better Alternative to the Accountability Agenda discusses some of the results of an evaluation of Nebraska's School-based, Teacher-Led Assessment and Reporting System (STARS). This system of local assessment is embedded in individual classrooms that rejected national and state test-based accountability measures mandated by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation.

Gallagher positions teachers as experts in the art of engagement, particularly in three forms: pedagogical, the relationship between teachers and students and the ways in which teachers encourage students to become actively involved in their education; collegial, the professional relationships between colleagues; and communal, the relationship between teachers and the larger community.

Delving deeper into pedagogical engagement, Gallagher suggests that teachers help to develop a shared language about learning with students and that students are involved in assessment that is part of the learning process and doesn't just report on student achievement. Teachers design assignments around learning outcomes that students then use to assess themselves and others in an ongoing process.

Lastly, Gallagher writes that in order to develop schools that foster rich interactions rather than transactions, engagement has to be about building relationships not reporting numbers.

STARS's focus on engagement rather than accountability and view of the education process as a series of interactions instead of one-way transactions has application to the ARL strategic direction of research, teaching, and learning. While it would be facetious to merely substitute librarians for teachers in the conclusions that Gallagher draws in Reclaiming Assessment, librarians are an integral part of the education process, interacting with students in a number of settings both in and outside of the classroom. In the Googlized world of declining reference desk statistics and under-utilized library resources, it might be more important to focus on the richness of interactions rather than the number of transactions at the desk or the number of hits on the Web site. By focusing on these interactions, it may be possible to engage students in the research process as part of the learning process, to develop a shared language about learning with students, and to help students better assess their use of information and information resources.

Angela Weaver
University of Washington

 ARL Celebrates 10 Years of the LCDP

In June 2008, the fifth graduating class of the LCDP will commemorate the program's 10th Anniversary.  To celebrate the 10th anniversary graduating class, ARL will host two events: the traditional Closing Ceremony for the 2007-2008 fellows, and a Celebratory Reception. Both events will be held during the American Library Association Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA, on Friday and Saturday, June 27 and 28, 2008, at the Anaheim Marriott Suites.

For more information about the LCDP, please contact Jerome Offord, Jr., Director of Diversity Initiatives, at jerome@arl.org.