2017 Charleston Library Conference

Library leadership is one of the much debated and talked about subjects in library and information science. Yet, librarians tend to not associate themselves in the context of leaders or leadership. Whether you’re a driven librarian or an ambitious young librarian, or you’re an ambitious and driven person, in fact, library leadership is a rather remote subject for most librarians and information professionals. Why is this case? This presentation will guide a walkthrough the world of library leaders and leadership.

This session is directed for early career librarians who are thinking about leadership or wondering about becoming a library leader. The session assumes that you are curious about leadership and someday, you want to be a leader if you are not one already. To encourage and guide early career librarians or even for library school graduate students, this session would offer much needed food for thought. What makes an effective leader? Can any person become a leader? How do I uncover the secrets of becoming a leader?

The presenters aim to deconstruct the myths about leaders and leadership. The challenge for the presenters is to be able to convince the audience how leadership happens in the library context and how to prepare yourself to be a library leader or to be a better leader (if you’re already a leader) by exploring how library leadership can be understood and developed. The current library leaders including administrators who want to create a culture of innovation, change of culture, and nurture future leaders are encouraged to join the session to share their point of view on leadership.