SAVE THE DATE!
11th Columbia Libraries Symposium, Friday, March 21, 2014

LEADERS EVERYWHERE: Fostering Leadership Across the Academic Library Organization

Leadership development and mentoring are effective strategies that contribute to organizational success. Within academic library organizations, investing in leadership development and creating cultures of mentorship can positively influence workforce engagement, instill a sense of shared responsibility, and be effective tools for succession planning. Yet, libraries are often uncertain about the most effective ways to cultivate leaders and foster developmental relationships that are mutually beneficial and impactful to both individual and organizational success.

The 11th Columbia Libraries Symposium will critically explore factors that shape our views on and commitment to leadership development and mentorship from multiple organizational perspectives. Speakers will address the importance of developing leadership capacities at the industry, organizational, and individual levels, and highlight best practices for empowering all staff to develop their professional identities and express leadership in their work.

Our goals are:

• To examine the extent to which academic libraries are successfully developing leaders and creating cultures of mentorship;
• To recognize diverse expressions of leadership at all staffing levels;
• To illuminate personal and organizational barriers to leadership development, and
• To provide a focused reflective discussion on how libraries are engaging and preparing our current workforce to lead our changing organizations.

Speakers will include:

• Elliott Shore, Executive Director, Association of Research Libraries
• Jerilyn Veldof, Organization Development Associate, University of Minnesota Libraries
• Courtney Young, President-Elect, American Library Association

More information about the Columbia Libraries Symposium will follow in the coming weeks. Registration will open in January 2014. Questions about this event can be forwarded to culsymposium@libraries.cul.columbia.edu.

We look forward to seeing you in March!