1. Program Overview
1. Program Goals and Objectives
2. Program Design
3. Program Promotion
2. Application
1. Application Criteria
2. Submission Guidelines
3. Program Timeline 

 

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The ARL Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and ARL member institutions, offers a stipend up to $10,000 (over two years) to attract students from underrepresented groups to careers in research libraries. These stipends can be coupled with any other financial aid to provide an extra incentive for completing library school as well as providing the opportunity to work in an ARL library upon graduation. This initiative reflects the commitment of ARL members to create a diverse research library community that will better meet the new challenges of global competition and changing demographics.  
Program Goal and Objectives:

• To attract MLS students from underrepresented groups to careers in research libraries; especially those with an educational background in applied and natural sciences and information technology;
• Strengthening participants leadership skills via a Leadership Institute held in conjunction with ALA Midwinter meeting; and,
• Developing a network of mentors who will guide and nurture the career development of the participants.

 

Program Design

 

The ARL Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce comprises three components over a two-year timeframe: (1) stipend award and disbursement, (2) an ongoing Mentoring Relationship, and (3) a two-day leadership institute hosted in conjunction with ALA Midwinter meeting.  A "community of learners" will be created when participants interact in in-person exchanges, online interaction, and hands-on experiences with mentors.

 

Mentor Relationship

 

Mentors will be recruited based on interest. Mentors are asked to commit time to the Program's success; ability to interact electronically and in-person as needed with his or her designated protégé. Mentors are expected to interact selectively, but regularly, with ARL Diversity Scholars via the Internet, conference calls, and by attending the Networking Reception held in conjunction with ALA Midwinter meeting. Scholars and mentor pairs will establish mutual expectations for their newly developed working relationship.

Program Promotion

The ARL Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce is a highly visible program sponsored by ARL member institutions.  ARL Diversity Scholars are expected to work with ARL to provide information (i.e. resume, photo, email address, etc.) to inform the ARL community about one's participation in the program.  ARL will announce the Diversity Scholars in print, online, and other communication vehicles, and provide information about each scholar on a public Web Site.


APPLICATION

Application Criteria

1. Member of an underrepresented racial or ethnic group. (Note: Racial and ethnic group membership is based on the categories outlined in the U.S. Census. Racially and ethnically underrepresented groups include: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino.)
2. Be accepted into an ALA accredited MLS program
3. Interest in pursuing a career in a research library

 

Completed application packets should include:

1. Completed application summary sheet (online)
   
2. Résumé
3. Official undergraduate and graduate school transcripts including your last academic semester completed
4. Three letters of reference: one of the three references should be a supervisor or school faculty member that can submit a letter that speaks to the applicant's
1. Oral and written expression
2. Achievements
3. Interpersonal skills (e.g. ability to work as a part of a team)
4. Applicants initiative
5. A 350-word essay describing what attracts you to a professional position in an ARL library (Essay should be typed and addressed to the Initiative Selection Committee).  Criteria for evaluating the essays:
1. clarity and content
2. clear goals and benefits
3. enthusiasm
4. potential growth perceived
5. professional goals
6. Official letter of acceptance from an ALA-accredited library school.

Prospective participants in the Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce should submit application materials directly to ARL. ARL will collect applications and prepare them for review and selection by the ARL Diversity Working Group. Completed application packets are due by Friday, July 31, 2008.

Submission guidelines:

 

The application submission guidelines have changed from previous years and all applicants will need to follow the following guidelines:

1. Applicants must complete the Applicant summary sheet online and must upload the following documents:
1. Essay (350 words or less); and,
   
2. Resume
2. Applicants must mail, or have mailed, the following directly to ARL:
1. Letters of recommendation:
   
1. Letters of recommendation must include an original signature, written on either personal or corporate/institutional letter head, and in a sealed envelop with the recommender's signature on the seal of the envelop.
2. Official undergraduate and graduate school transcripts including your last academic semester completed.
3. Official letter of acceptance from an ALA-accredited library school.

 Information should be mailed to:

Jerome Offord, Jr.

Director of Diversity Initiatives

Association of Research Libraries

21 Dupont Circle NW, Suite 800

Washington, DC 20036 

 

 

Link to Application

 

Application & Program Timeline:

• February 2008: ARL issues Call for Applications
• July 31, 2008: Applications are due to ARL.
  
• October 22, 2008: Applicant notified of selection decision by electronic mail.
• November 3, 2008: Fall enrollment verification due to ARL
• January 19-21, 2009: Attend ARL 5th Annual Leadership Institute
• April 2008: Visit Purdue University Libraries. 

For questions about the application process please contact Jerome Offord Jr., Director of Diversity Initiatives, by e-mail at jerome@arl.org. Or visit the ARL Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce Website at: http://www.arl.org/diversity/init/. 

 

 

 

---

 

1. Program Overview
1. Background
2. Program Design
   
3. Program Components
   
2. Application Process
1. Application Criteria
2. Submission Guidelines
3. Program Timeline 

 

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

 

The Association of Research Libraries invites applications for the sixth offering of the Leadership and Career Development Program (LCDP). The LCDP is an 18-month program to prepare midcareer librarians from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups to take on increasingly demanding leadership roles in ARL libraries. ARL sponsors the LCDP to address the needs of research libraries for a more diverse professional workforce that can contribute to library success in serving increasingly diverse scholarly and learning communities.

 

The LCDP design includes: three LCDP Institutes, an opening and closing event held in conjunction with national professional meetings, a career-coaching relationship with an ARL library director or senior staff member, and a personalized visit to an ARL member library. The program will be held from January 2009 through June 2010.

 

Background

 

ARL launched the Leadership and Career Development Program in 1997. Over the course of five LCDP offerings, 100 librarians have completed the program and a large percentage of them have either been promoted within their libraries or have taken new positions with significantly expanded responsibility.

 

The goal of the LCDP is two-fold:

1. to provide meaningful exposure to and experience with the strategic issues that are shaping the future of research libraries and,
   
2. to prepare professionals of color for increasingly demanding leadership roles in ARL libraries.

 

Program Design

 

The ARL Leadership and Career Development Program consists of five components undertaken over 18 months:

 

1. a two-day Leadership Institute during the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting in Denver, CO (January 22-25, 2009);
2. two four-day LCDP Institutes: the first institute will be held in April 2009 and the second will be held in February 2010; 
3. an ongoing relationship with a Career Coach;
4. a personalized visit to an ARL library;
5. advice on defining a research project related to one of the ARL strategic directions; and,
   
6. a Closing Ceremony, held in conjunction with the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, DC (June 26, 2010).
   

Through contacts with experts and research library leaders, these program elements are combined to allow fellows to explore the strategic issues faced by research libraries in the digital environment, leadership roles within research libraries, and career development options and opportunities. The LCDP components are also used to build a "community of learners" as, over the course of the program, fellows exchange views with expert presenters and with one another, and as they compare notes and learn from career coaches about one another's professional responsibilities and experiences. This design enables LCDP fellows to internalize the learning and develop relationships with peers and coaches, while at the same time engaging in meaningful research to increase opportunities for professional writing, publication, and/or presentations. Online communication among LCDP fellows will also help to build and sustain a sense of community.

 

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

 

Each major program component is summarized below to show how each step builds on the previous learning experience and to illustrate how they contribute to the overall program goals.

 

ARL Leadership Institute

 

A two-day Leadership Institute, held in conjunction with the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver, CO, is the first opportunity for fellows, coaches, and ARL staff--along with MLS graduate students from the ARL Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce--to meet in person. This institute is a time for fellows to get to know one another and to describe their selected areas of professional interest. The meeting will include an overview of ARL's strategic directions and some of the current issues in each of these arenas, a review of the LCDP goals and schedule, and an introduction to some key leadership and career development concepts. This is also the occasion for fellows and career coaches to meet, self-select, and clarify their mutual expectations for this professional relationship.

 

LCDP Institutes

 

Each of the two four-day LCDP Institutes will combine assessment of research library career and leadership opportunities with acquiring knowledge of current issues affecting research institutions and their libraries. Special focused discussions, presented by experts in the field, will be interspersed in the institute curriculum. Exploration of leadership concepts and experientially based learning focused on leadership skills and self-assessment will build on the content presented by experts. The goal of each LCDP Institute is to increase awareness and understanding of the challenges presented by the changing environment of research institutions and how all positions within research libraries are affected by and contribute to addressing these environmental challenges.

 

Career-Coaching Relationship

 

A fellow's relationship with their career coach is the thread that ties the Leadership and Career Development Program pieces together. Coaches are recruited based on their interest and ability to commit time to the program's success; a willingness to interact electronically and in-person as needed with his or her designated fellow; and a compatibility between the fellow's areas of professional interest and the coach's experience and expertise. A Career Coach for a 2009-10 LCDP fellow might be either a director of an ARL library or someone else from an ARL library who the director identifies as having a career path and interests similar to those of the fellow and who would be a good career coach.

 

During the January 2009 Leadership Institute, LCDP fellows and coaches will be given time and guidance to self-select and to clarify their mutual expectations for this working relationship. They will also identify a time for an in-person visit of the fellow to the coach's library sometime between August and December 2009.

 

Research Project

 

The scholarly research and writing process is an essential path toward professional achievement and credibility in academic and research communities. The Leadership and Career Development Program includes a curriculum component on Professional Writing Skills for Librarians to be sure that all participants have the fundamental skills needed to contribute to the scholarly publication process and add to the body of knowledge available in the library community.

 

Fellows will be expected to engage in personal research on at least one aspect of one of the strategic issues they are learning about in the program. Each LCDP fellow's individual research is expected to result in a paper suitable for publication and/or presentation at a conference.

 

Each LCDP applicant should, in one page or less, describe a field/research project that they would like to develop and submit for publication and/or professional presentation. The description should include a summary of a research topic, a hypothesis, and a plan for project development. Examples of acceptable projects include, but are not limited to, research on: library services for the scientific community; cataloging and description of digital resources for a generation of users raised with Google; managing access to digital images or audio resources; library service assessment and evaluation; delivering library services to diverse communities; the future roles of research libraries; research, teaching, and learning in diverse communities; or, management of technology in large institutions. For other possible topics, see the following report on ARL strategic directions: http://www.arl.org/newsltr/238_239/.

 

APPLICATION PROCESS

 

Selection Criteria for Participants 

1. Three to ten years of post-MLS library experience
2. Member of an underrepresented racial or ethnic group. (Note: Racial and ethnic group membership is based on the categories outlined in the US Census. Racially and ethnically underrepresented groups include: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino.)
3. Demonstrated and potential leadership ability
4. Interest in pursuing leadership opportunities and positions in research libraries

 

Completed Application Packets Should Include:

 

1. Completed Personal Information Sheet (online)
2. Résumé
3. Essay describing, in approximately 500 words, your interest in the program
4. One-page description of proposed research project
5. Letter from immediate supervisor describing applicant's demonstrated and potential skills for increasingly demanding leadership roles in research libraries
6. Letter from library director of home institution that confirms the participant's readiness for the program and, should the applicant be accepted in the LCDP, confirmation that the library will support the participant's engagement in a rigorous, 18-month program. Specifically, library support should be acknowledged to include the following:
1. Institutional commitment to pay the $4,500 tuition cost. In addition to covering ARL costs for delivering the program, the tuition covers a participant's travel expenses (up to $500 per trip), lodging, and meals at the two LCDP Institutes in April 2009 and February 2010.
   
2. Institutional commitment to cover participant's travel expenses above $500/per LCDP Institute.
3. Costs associated with fellow's travel to the January 2009 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver, CO, for the Leadership Institute.
4. Support for the fellow's relationship with a designated Career Coach and for a visit by the participant to the Career Coach's library.
5. Costs associated with travel to the June 2010 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, DC, for the Program's Closing Ceremony.
   

US and Canadian citizens are eligible for the program. Applications are welcomed from professionals in any library setting, but applicants should be able to demonstrate a strong interest in pursuing a leadership position in an ARL library.   Prospective participants in the Leadership and Career Development Program should submit a completed application package online. ARL will collect applications and prepare them for review and selection by the ARL Diversity Initiatives Working Group, a group comprised of directors of ARL libraries. Completed application packets are due by Monday, April 21, 2008.

 

 

Leadership and Career Development Program Schedule 

 

• February 2008: Call for Applications
  
• April 21, 2008: Applications due
  
• July 7, 2008: Candidates notified of selection decisions
• January 21-23, 2009: Leadership Institute at ALA Midwinter meeting in Denver, CO
• April 2009: Research, Teaching, and Learning Institute
• August - Dec 2009: On-site visit to Career Coach's library
• February 2009: Scholarly Communication and Information Policy Institute
• June 2009: Closing Ceremony at ALA Annual Conference in Washington, DC

 

Time Commitment

 

Event times do not include travel time between home and event or attendance at ALA conferences in addition to program events.

 

• January 2009 Leadership Institute: Two and a half days
• April 2009 LCDP Institute I: four days
• Campus visits: two days
• February 2010 LCDP Institute II: four day
• Informal exchanges on e-mail with other participants and coaches on issues and ideas that surface during the course of the program: time will vary over course of the 18 months but is not expected to be significant.
• Research project: time required will vary but is expected to be moderate.
• June 2010 Closing Ceremony: Two hours

 

Travel Information

 

The ARL LCDP will provide fellows with up to $500 each for travel expenses to attend the April 2009 and February 2010 LCDP Institutes. The allotment may be used for air and/or ground transportation associated with attendance at the LCDP Institutes. The ARL LCDP will also support up to four nights lodging, double occupancy, and meals for each of the LCDP Institutes. LCDP fellows are expected to attend the Leadership Institute and Closing Ceremony, both held in conjunction with ALA conferences but the LCDP does not fund travel for either of these meetings.

 

For questions about the application process please contact Jerome Offord Jr., Director of Diversity Initiatives, by e-mail at jerome@arl.org. Or visit the ARL Leadership and Career Development Web site at http://www.arl.org/diversity/lcdp/.