Home springvirtualinstitutewebcasts

Webcasts
Interactive webcasts are offered in real-time, and include audio and visuals, such as PowerPoint slides.  Webcasts are 60 minutes in length and include time for Q&A with the online audience.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place? No way! Two Perspectives on the Role of "Middle Leaders" in Library 2.0 Transformation
When should one make the decision to take a management position which "leads from the middle"? What does a public services librarian or cataloger give up and what is gained? What skills are needed and which are left behind? This interactive web cast conducted by two experienced, middle-management leaders will explain the characteristics and core competencies of "middle leadership" in the web 2.0 environment from a technical and public services perspective. Participants will engage in the discussion by taking several online polls which will help them reflect on work and communication style differences between middle leaders and leadership levels above and discuss expectations about leadership from the middle. Web cast leaders will present ideas and data to foster a deeper understanding, from both a technical and public services viewpoint, of middle leadership issues such as accountability vs. responsibility, managing human resources for the first time, managing one's performance and that of a team, understanding the impact of work styles, fostering collegiality in difficult work environments, and creating effective communication strategies. Participants will identify the pitfalls and rewards of leading from the middle and what questions one can ask to prepare oneself for the transition to a middle leadership position.

Learning Outcomes
• Identify the characteristics of "middle leadership" positions in both public and technical services
• Identify Web 2.0 applications which increase team effectiveness and enhance collaboration
• Discuss the special role "middle managers" play in the larger organization as work-culture change agents and create strategies to become an effective and successful middle management leader

Presenter(s): Nancy Cunningham, University of South Florida Tampa Library; Susan Heron, University of South Florida; Drew Smith, University of South Florida
Date/time: Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. CT

Predictors for Success: Hiring and Developing Library Professionals
Based on extensive literature review and data collected/analyzed about beginning and expert professional librarians, the main conclusion drawn is that librarians grow developmentally in their job: growing from outside control to inner control; moving from absolutist to realistic expectations; focusing from daily operations to in-depth information literacy; moving from self-control to institution-wide leadership. As librarians move into their career position, they followed predictable patterns, substantiated by several theoretical models: occupational socialization; adult skill acquisition; efficacy beliefs.  Additionally, these models need to be considered from an ecological perspective that recognizes the particular network of opportunities, intentions, and "life-world" perspectives of the individual. Some factors predict career success: prior field experience, risk-taking/openness, academic preparation that melds theory and practice, sense of belonging to the profession and to the site. Several recommendations for supervisors emerged from the data analysis: clarify job expectations, including budget issues; be sensitive to first-year workload; provide professional development opportunities for new functions such as technology expert; focus on close transfer of learning the first year (e.g., provide subject-expert mentors and opportunities to see librarian best practice). This webcast will incorporate participant polls of perceptions/experiences and discussion of best practices for beginning professionals.

Learning Outcomes
• Identify dispositions, preparation and prior experience that predict success as a professional librarian
• Design and implement a professional climate that optimizes librarian retention and success
• Design professional development that optimizes librarian retention and success

Presenter(s): Lesley Farmer, California State University Long Beach
Date/time: Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. CT

Ascending to New Heights from a Mountain of Committee Work
Committee service can be overwhelming to middle managers. By virtue of position, appointments are unavoidable and frequent. This former middle manager will describe how committee service contributed to her recent appointment as a library director. In retrospect, library committees provided insight into functions and issues that were otherwise unknown. The workload seemed onerous, but actually developed a deeper understanding of library operations, consensus building, hiring, budgeting, and strategic planning. Attendees will respond to polling questions including the number of committee appointments recently held and the nature of the committees. Committee work may allow for contact with top-level library administrators for an informal mentoring experience and to demonstrate leadership potential. Middle managers and administrators will have an opportunity to comment on similar experiences. Campus committee service puts library operations into larger context and affords opportunities for advocacy. Professional committees provide networking opportunities and insight into issues affecting other libraries. A brief video interview with another new library director will describe how participation in professional committees contributed to his recent success. At the end of the presentation, attendees will be asked to reassess whether committee involvement is seen as positive or negative with the expectation that the positive perception will increase.

Learning Outcomes
• Learn to reframe committee appointments as opportunities for professional growth
• Identify skills which can be developed through committee participation including hiring, budgeting, project management, and trend forecasting
• Discover how to create a mentoring experience with library leaders and middle managers through committee appointments

Presenter(s): Brenda Hazard, Hudson Valley Community College
Date/time: Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 1:30  - 2:30 p.m. CT

Made to Stick: How to Make Your Ideas More Memorable
Based on the popular book by Chip and Dan Heath, this session will teach you how to make your ideas more memorable. Come to this session with an idea in mind to share, as participants will work through exercises exploring the six key components of "stickiness" (Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, and Stories) and learn to avoid pitfalls in getting ideas across. The presenter will demonstrate these elements with video clips, images and stories as participants share their own insights. Leave the session with a practical outline on how to communicate ideas more effectively - a must for any librarian, any manager and especially any leader.

Learning Outcomes
• Analyze the six keys to making ideas memorable.
• Discuss common mistakes in presenting ideas.
• Apply the concepts presented to their own ideas.

Presenter(s): Samantha Hines, University of Montana ,Mansfield Library
Date/time: Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. CT

Evidence-Based Leadership
Evidence-based librarianship (EBL) involves using evidence and data to make informed decisions, and developing best practices that benefit staff, resources, services, and the organization. EBL serves as the cornerstone for learning how to think like a librarian, addressing issues and challenges, and contributing to the profession. These principles can be used to distribute informed decision-making throughout an organization. The instructor will use a variety of means to engage online participants and sustain their interest in this subject through the use of a pre-test/post-test instrument, Venn diagram icebreaker, polling, and brief case studies that require higher order thinking Evidence-based librarianship is important to practicing librarians, library and information science students, and library and information science educators as it focuses on applying practice-based evidence gleaned from users, direct observation, literature reviews, and research. Participants will be engaged through the use of several brief case studies that will improve knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward using data and the literature to identify and solve workplace problems

Learning Outcomes
• Develop or improve understanding of evidence-based practice (using the literature and data) applied to librarianship, as assessed by the post-test instrument.
• Develop a set of criteria to be used when proposing, implementing, or evaluating ideas, research questions, or hypotheses
• Identify and develop ideas, research questions, or hypotheses that can be researched, summarized, and presented to colleagues or superiors for possible implementation after the interactive webcast is over

Presenter(s): Elizabeth Connor, Daniel Library, The Citadel
Date/time: Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. CT

Releasing the Potential of Individuals: Fostering an Environment for People to Thrive
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the concept of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is beginning to take hold in all segments of society including higher education and academic libraries. Combined with strength-based organizational development and understanding the impact positive emotions have on work life, AI is a powerful tool that gets people engaged in the workplace, thus fostering an environment in which everyone thrives. Using PowerPoint, live audio, and continuing the conversation through a discussion board via an interactive web cast, learn about the research that supports AI, strength based organizations and positive emotions; be exposed to the 4-D cycle of AI; and learn practical approaches that can be implemented immediately. AI is particularly relevant to middle managers and leaders as it is a proven way to transform work environments by engaging others. The presenter has implemented AI in her current position. She just returned from the International Appreciative Inquiry conference, so participants will learn about the most current research and application.

Learning Outcomes
• Obtain a familiarity with the concepts and research of Appreciative Inquiry, strength based organizations, and positive emotions.
• Acquire knowledge of the 4-D cycle of Appreciative Inquiry.
• Learn how to practically apply Appreciative Inquiry immediately to their library environment.

Presenter(s): Gail Staines, Ph.D., Saint Louis University
Date/time: Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 2:45 - 3:45 p.m. CT

The Interim Appointee: Are You Acting or Just Pretending?
Limited pools of applicants for senior management positions and limited salary funds in academic libraries often result in interim or acting appointments from existing staff to temporarily fill these positions. Quite often the interim appointee remains responsible for his/her current position while being asked to assume management of a much larger area (often fraught with personnel and budget issues) about which he/she may have quite limited knowledge and/or experience. Sometimes, these “temporary appointments” go on for months and even years. This program will consider the particular leadership and management skills and attributes that must be present for the interim appointment to be a successful one, for the appointee as well as the library and its staff and users. The program will feature an online discussion of three senior academic library managers who will share their views and experiences on the leadership skills they used during past interim appointments in major academic libraries. A fourth panel member, the interim dean of a major academic library, will share comments on a dean's expectations of leadership from an interim appointee as well as how the decision to appoint an interim impacts overall leadership of the library. Each of the panel members has had significant and successful experience as an interim appointee to a senior level position.

Learning Outcomes
• Gain a better understanding of the role of the interim manager.
• Gain knowledge of the leadership skills necessary to manage successfully on an interim basis.
• Learn how an interim manager can have a lasting and positive impact on the operations of the academic library.

Presenter(s): Lila Fredenburg, Rutgers University Libraries; Jeanne Boyle, Rutgers University Libraries; Adriana Pospescu, Princeton University; Carolyn Walter, Indiana University; Patricia Steele, Indiana University
Date/time: Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 2:45 - 3:45 p.m. CT

Managing Across Class
A highly interactive discussion about the ways that social class impacts how we manage and how our employees perceive us. The webcast will begin with a series of definitions of social class and a quick lecture style presentation on theories from the sociology literature on social class in America and in the workplace. Participate in a discussion of the taboos surrounding social class and why those taboos exist and how we can overcome them or why those taboos might be valuable. The webcast will conclude with identifying some of our own class based behaviors and discuss how we can make our departments or units a friendly place for people of all social classes. The presenter will also are a virtual handout on recommended reading on class in the workplace.

Learning Outcomes
• Define social class and how it is more than simply income level.
• Be aware of how social class impacts management decisions and how managers can be sensitive to class influenced behaviors in employees.
• Identify three resources for learning more about social class and its role in the workplace.

Presenter(s): Mandy Henk, DePauw University
Date/time: Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 2:45 - 3:45 p.m. CT

Recognizing Opportunities for Library Leadership (R.O.L.L.)
Management seeks to maximize resources and create efficiencies. Leadership seeks to establish direction and align people. Librarians are natural managers, we are trained to seek order and maintain consistency. However, librarians often have difficulty inspiring people and recognizing opportunities to lead. This program will introduce the R.O.L.L. matrix, and assist academic librarians in applying holistic approaches to campus leadership in both the short and long term. Throughout the PowerPoint presentation, the audience will be asked to interact with various slides by choosing answers and filling in the content. This will promote greater discussion and teamwork during the presentation.

Learning Outcomes
• Review the fundamental differences between management and leadership within college and university libraries.
•  Learn to recognize leadership opportunities at the departmental/library, college/community, state/regional, and national/international levels.
•  Identify opportunities for short and long term leadership. Distinguish between "assigned" and “self-initiated" leadership opportunities.

Presenter(s): Christopher Raab, Franklin & Marshall College
Date/time: Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. CT

Inspiring Change, Leading From Within: A Case Study
What are the spheres of influence and power available to all employees within the library organization, regardless of position or title, and what happens when these are recognized and utilized even without authority from above? A real-life case study will be presented to demonstrate how leading from the middle has influenced the direction of an entire organization. The speakers will present the concept and practice of leadership as it relates to authority, influence, and power in the workplace. Organizational structure can sometimes stifle creativity and action from those without "decision-making" power and authority. This case study will show that breaking the cycle of authority by developing and leading a project or proposal can lead to unexpected results. This webcast will challenge librarians to examine their own capacities to develop and move forward with a shared vision, and to seek opportunities to lead. It will also ask participants to assess their own roles in encouraging and nurturing the development of leadership skills in others. Polls will be taken during the interactive webcast, and written and audio discussion will also take place. A discussion board will continue the idea-sharing at the conclusion of the webcast.

Learning Outcomes
• Learn business management theories related to power, influence, and authority.
• Identify ways to influence an organization regardless of position or title.
• Discover how to empower employees to lead from the middle and take advantage of opportunities to influence the direction of the library organization.

Presenter(s): Meg Scharf, University of Central Florida; Elizabeth Killingsworth, University of Central Florida
Date/time: Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. CT

Leading from the Temporary: Challenges Facing Interim and Acting Academic Library Directors
This webcast will examine the unique challenges of leading from a temporary setting. Managing academic libraries has been the topic of many articles and programs, as has the role of the library director. However, little has been reported regarding the art of managing while serving as interim or acting library director. As Baby Boomers retire, it is anticipated that more library directorships will be open and remain vacant for longer periods of time. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the impact of managing while acting. This interactive webcast session will shed light on this management phenomenon. Methodology Prior to the webcast, several current or recent interim/acting academic library directors will be interviewed by telephone. They will be asked to respond to a brief set of questions designed to identify the management advantages, disadvantages and opportunities they have encountered in their interim role. The presenter will analyze responses from the interviews and develop a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the data. This will be shared during the webcast. In addition to a discussion of the results, how they may differ from responses from permanent library directors will be given special emphasis. Participants will be polled during the presentation to share their experience managing in an acting role, and/or experience they may have had reporting to an interim or acting library administrator.

Learning Outcomes
• Understand the impact of interim/acting status on management of libraries
• Recognize the opportunities associated leading from an interim/acting library directorship
• Gain a better understanding or library organizations

Presenter(s): Regina McBride, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Date/time: Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. CT

Innovation without Burnout: Institutional Challenges, Barriers to Innovation, and Organizational Resilience
In recent years, academic libraries have been confronted by numerous, interrelated challenges. Sweeping, technological advancements regarding information provision have forced libraries to redefine their role in the academy. As libraries restructure and realign, they have to balance two concerns. First, at the external level, libraries must continue to innovate while demonstrating organizational agility, in order to satisfy patron needs. Second, at the internal level, they must attract, train, and retain a workforce that remains resilient, motivated, and productive despite an increasingly ambiguous and shifting landscape that may include increased workloads and a more "corporate" orientation. This webcast will summarize the findings from one academic library's initial efforts in this area. In 2005, Cornell University Library convened the Library Innovation Implementation Team, with the charge to "Identify the skills and resources needed for library innovation and continued excellence and [to] develop new competencies by training and recruitment." The research findings and recommendations of the team (including, but not limited to, qualitative information gathered through internal and external peer interviews) will be presented. A discussion of the organizational and personal attributes that facilitate or obstruct innovation, as well as recommendations on how to foster innovation and continued excellence in libraries will also be furnished. Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences in implementing innovation.

Learning Outcomes
• Gain the ability to evaluate the approach to innovation in your library and innovation, and identify critical areas for action.
• Learn how to motivate people across the organization to identify ideas for new products and services which are congruent with the mission, vision, and values of the organization.
• Gain the ability to establish a structure to support and sustain an innovation culture within the organization.

Presenter(s): Deborah Schmidle, Olin Library, Cornell University
Date/time: Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. CT

Empowering Managers: Implementing Projects at a Self-Managed Library
This presentation will demonstrate methods practiced by librarians in a self-managed library to accomplish the administrative responsibilities of middle managers. It will include examples of largely Library 2.0 methods of communication and collaboration including Google calendar, Google docs, wikis, and podcasts, and explain successful methods for conducting strategic planning and the development of creative new projects and services. Using these methods can speed up the development, approval, and implementation of creative ideas that often get stymied by cumbersome approval processes in large hierarchical management structures. Lack of need for permission in order to implement every innovative and fresh idea fosters an environment for middle managers to thrive. This autonomy allows for experimentation and quicker implementation moving their institution to the cutting edge of the library world. The presentation will include a comparison between the implementation procedures of hierarchical management styles and those of a self-managed team and its impact on the middle manager's ability to be an effective agent of change. Periodic audience surveys of participant experiences, methods and goals can provide further examples of how librarian middle managers can successfully lead creative, enthusiastic departments.

Learning Outcomes
• Learn how to make use of valuable tools to expedite the process of creating ideas from development to implementation, providing middle managers a means to take stronger leadership of new projects and ideas.
• Discover how to make use of valuable tools to enhance communication and collaboration to get projects done.
• Gain awareness of how other libraries are already using these tools in creative and innovative ways.

Presenter(s): Joyce Gotsch, Dowling College; Michael Aloi, Dowling College
Date/time: Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. CT

Analog, Digital and In-between: Managing Transitions in the Media Center
In 2004, Ames Library staff and librarians collaborated to create a Strategic Plan that would guide efforts to improve existing services and develop new ones. Part of the plan called for re-visioning media services to be more collaborative with faculty and information technology staff. "Analog, Digital and In-between" will discuss how the transition from media center to digital center began and how it has impacted services, staffing, technology and relationships in and outside the library. Future goals will also be presented, along with sample action plans. This program is relevant to librarians who have an interest in managing media centers, creating new services, and learning about successful transitions. The presentation will use online polls and writing prompts to engage participants.

Learning Outcomes
• Define desired outcomes for a successful transition;
• Identify skills needed for a successful transition;
• Predict challenges to achieving a successful transition; and Compile ideas and strategies for post-transition planning.

Presenter(s): Stephanie Davis-Kahl, The Ames Library, Illinois Wesleyan University
Date/time: Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. CT

Communication Strategies in a Library 2.0 Environment
In the past few years we have witnessed the rapid growth of communication technologies from blogs to Facebook. As more interactive communication technologies become available, there are more choices of how to communicate ideas with others. This webcast will provide a framework for thinking about new communication technologies as they arise, will discuss how technology influences the distribution of information within an organization and the larger community, and will show participants how they can use information flow to help position themselves to be leaders within their own organizations the larger library community. Several new communication technologies will be discussed in a demonstration of how technology can change organizational culture. Participants will be encouraged to participate in polling throughout the session as well as contribute to a discussion period at the end of the presentation.

Learning Outcomes
• Gain a framework for thinking about new communication technologies.
• Learn about how technology can influence organizational culture.
• Consider specific communication tools that could be useful for their own communication style.

Presenter(s): Lauren Pressley, Wake Forest University, Z. Smith Reynolds Library
Date/time: Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 2:45 - 3:45 p.m. CT

Developing Partners in Professionalism
This webcast presenter maintains that middle managers benefit from well-informed mentoring and participation in a particular type of work-based learning. The presenter will draw on experiences as a young and middle-aged manager in Access Services. Early in her library career she was granted a professional middle management position while taking MSLIS courses. In both arenas, seasoned mentors offered pivotal leadership development opportunities that are easily adaptable. In both instances technology and relationships were valued. Examine mentoring scenarios and discover how librarians interested in creating leaders can benefit from a study of Carol Gilligan's theory of "development in relation."  Hear how Gilligan's theory and other experiences inform the presenter's  unique approach to development: a method whereby all members of a department become involved in every aspect of the learning process through a rotation  called "Musical Chairs: A Successful Method for Adapting New Technology"

Learning Outcomes
• Acquire knowledge of Gilligan's theory of "development in relation"
• Acquire knowledge of how work-based learning is important to maintaining leaders in today's ever-changing technological environment
• Acquire knowledge of processes whereby "partners in professionalism" can be developed

Presenter(s): Karin Medin, Ottenheimer Library, University of Arkansas
Date/time: Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 2:45 - 3:45 p.m. CT

Failure, Doubt, and Missed Opportunities
If success comes through experience learned from failure, how are we to identify areas for safe failing? The reliance upon best practices within libraries may frame failure as customization of best practices to a new environment. Conventional wisdom suggests that the biggest failure is to fail to take a risk. Adults frequently are risk-adverse, but there is a growing trend in management to encourage failure as a way to support creativity. How do we handle our own personal failures? What is the line between failing at a project (or just having a bad day at work) versus something that threatens your job? What are our responses to our colleagues' failures? How do we as managers react when our employees fail? This webcast will discuss types of failure and its effects, offer ways to manage failure individually, and suggest opportunities in which library managers and staff can model safe failing as a way to inspire creativity in meeting users' needs. Polls will be used to solicit feedback from participants' experience of failure in advance of and during the webcast, and a discussion board will allow us to continue the discussion of managing failure beyond the presentation.

Learning Outcomes
• Examine your own experiences in order to identify your personal responses to failure.
• Identify additional responses to failure in order to respond to your own and others' failures that supports creativity and risk-taking.
• Assess the value of creativity for their organizations in order to justify the risk of failure.

Presenter(s): Sarah Wessel, The Ames Library, Illinois Wesleyan University
Date/time: Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 2:45 - 3:45 p.m. CT