LIS 5023 Management / Summer 2018

Instructor: Dr. Betsy Van der Veer Martens

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Course Goals:

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• Course goals are to introduce the theory and practice of management in general as well as specific foundational managerial competencies, particularly those defined in the ALA Library Leadership and Management Association Current Standards, and to help students further develop these skills in contexts appropriate to their own career goals, while also critically reflecting on the specific information environments involved.

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Student Learning Objectives include these ALA LLAMA competencies:

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• Communication skills

• Change management

• Team building (personnel)

• Collaboration and partnerships

• Emotional intelligence

• Problem solving

• Evidence-based decision making

• Conflict resolution (personnel)

• Budget creation and presentation

• Forward thinking

• Critical thinking

• Ethics

• Project management

• Marketing and advocacy

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My Experience:  

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     Being in administration as a supervisor and support person myself, I have had amazing experiences good and bad throughout my career.  What I loved about this class is that it allowed me to look at the intent behind the day-to-day functions within management.  I was able to apply every concept introduced here to my own roles in administration whether as a support person or as someone who has a supervisory role. The class provided me with a well-rounded picture of what it means to manage and to do it successfully in terms of establishing and maintaining a healthy and productive work environment for employees, encouraging a communication style that allows for collaboration, and establishing relationships with community and other stakeholders for the benefit of all parties. The class also taught me to be aware of the community climate and to use that information to respond accordingly in order to meet the unique needs of the community users.

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     What really stood out for me is the creation of the strategic plan for a specific library assignment.  Although I was in a summer class and the assignment had students update existing strategic plans, I was able to apply all that I learned to update and improve upon my chosen library. I liked the idea of having such a plan as a road map to use every year(s) as a checklist to refer to in order to ensure that my library is providing high quality services, aspiring to improve upon or change services to meet the ever-changing technology field, setting and following a library budget that is feasible for all parties, and to make progress towards defined goals.

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     I was able to take the strategic plan concept and apply it to other classes in the degree program and refer to it in order to understand other types of tools to assist in other areas of library management and operations.

I was also reminded through this class, the human component of management.  In order to be successful in any management position, we need to be skilled in promoting healthy communication, which includes conflict resolution, encouraging open dialogue that results in critical and forward thinking.  I have participated in many scenarios over the years that have resulted in amazing ideas that were implemented and successful!  The best communication skills will reap the rewards of a positive and productive environment not to mention reliable and trustworthy relationships with vendors, liaisons, stakeholders, community, and our users.

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     This class was an amazing complement to the skills I do have and additional skills and theory that I will use in the future!

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