Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Nurturing Failure: Creating A Risk-Tolerant Library Culture That Embraces Change And Innovation, Christopher Sweet

Scholarly Publications

The culture of success is pervasive in our society. It is unacceptable to get anything other than an “A”. “Win at all costs.” “No room for error.” At the same time, we know that great inventions always come after a long string of failures. In the corporate world, a few very successful companies and entrepreneurs have learned that calculated risk and the freedom to fail are the keys to innovation and progress. This webcast will examine how creating a risk-tolerant culture can aid in keeping academic libraries both vibrant and relevant in the current economy.

Nurturing Failure: Creating A Risk-Tolerant Library Culture That Embraces Change And Innovation, Christopher A. Sweet

Christopher A. Sweet

The culture of success is pervasive in our society. It is unacceptable to get anything other than an “A”. “Win at all costs.” “No room for error.” At the same time, we know that great inventions always come after a long string of failures. In the corporate world, a few very successful companies and entrepreneurs have learned that calculated risk and the freedom to fail are the keys to innovation and progress. This webcast will examine how creating a risk-tolerant culture can aid in keeping academic libraries both vibrant and relevant in the current economy.

The Importance Of Being Earnest: A Librarian's Approach To Academic Leadership, Susan G. Broome

Georgia Library Quarterly

When accepting universitywide leadership roles, academic librarians bring skills in partnering, administration and sharing information that can build trust, lead to informed decisions, promote good will and strengthen the organization. Service in this capacity requires an understanding of and an appreciation for the community that resides within the institution.

Mindful Leadership, Lyn Hopper

Georgia Library Quarterly

The author proposes mindful leadership for library officers and staff. She says that such leadership may be difficult to practice amid declining budgets but it is essential for effective leadership. She adds that psychologist Ellen Langer noted that job mindfulness boosts productivity, flexibility, leadership, innovation and job satisfaction. She claims that mindfulness originated from Buddhism by Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh to reduce stress and encourage healing.

Librarianship In The 21st Century: Lessons In Leadership, Rob Morrison, Jack Fritts

Faculty Publications

Many of the challenges librarians face in the 21st century have existed for years and reflect the nature of higher education and society in the United States. One issue the presenters have observed is that librarians, like many educators, react to rapidly changing systems, pressures, economics, and technologies by “balancing” workloads and budgets and not by deeply reflecting on how to change strategies in order to integrate themselves more fully into academic curricula, prove the library’s value to administrators, and develop meaningful services and resources.

In order to thrive and survive, librarians must be proactive at their institutions in areas …

Librarianship In The 21st Century: Lessons In Leadership, Rob Morrison, Jack Fritts

Rob Morrison

Many of the challenges librarians face in the 21st century have existed for years and reflect the nature of higher education and society in the United States. One issue the presenters have observed is that librarians, like many educators, react to rapidly changing systems, pressures, economics, and technologies by “balancing” workloads and budgets and not by deeply reflecting on how to change strategies in order to integrate themselves more fully into academic curricula, prove the library’s value to administrators, and develop meaningful services and resources. In order to thrive and survive, librarians must be proactive at their institutions in areas …

Libraries And Sustainability In Developing Countries: Leadership Models Based On Three Successful Organizations, Athena Michael

Collaborative Librarianship

The purpose of this study is to examine leadership styles highly effective in building sustainable libraries in developing countries. The author studies the leadership of three organizations: Room to Read, Central Asia Institute (CAI), and the Hester J. Hodgdon (HJH) Libraries for All Program, each focusing to some extent on libraries and literacy in developing countries. Following a review of the history of sustainability in the library community, aspects of Andy Hargreaves’ and Dean Fink’s principles of sustainable leadership are referenced in an analysis of the leadership styles found in these organizations. The author concludes that, although Room to Read, …