Leadership

My definition of a leader is someone who sees a void, a demand for something, and fills the gap: someone who takes charge of a situation and sees that the end goal is met. During my MLIS studies I have had several opportunities to step up and take charge. Whether I'm working on a group project that goes a bit awry or diving in on a project, my personal work ethic drives me to help out however I can. I believe part of the reason I pursued librarianship was because of my desire to help people and offer my knowledge where it can best serve the greater need. I've detailed several experiences below that have challenged my leadership skills and helped me feel more comfortable taking charge when it's needed.

Group projects

I worked on a software development team for nearly five years. During that time I learned a lot about sharing workloads, creating project schedules and working with different personality types. When I started the MLIS program, I really thought the group projects would follow a familiar process but I quickly learned this was not the case. Unlike in my work setting where job roles were clearly defined and there was a known hierarchy, my class groups often lacked someone who wanted to take charge, and often their were differences of opinion about process and workload. Usually a leader emerged and the group carried on and completed the designated project, but not always. In several of my groups I was compelled by my own frustration to take charge and begin defining roles because I feared things would not get done. Working in groups in the MLIS program has had a profound impact on how I approach working with others. I think the greatest lesson is never to make assumptions about working styles, and certainly be prepared to step up when called upon to do so.

Book group

After two quarters of discussing books with Nancy Pearl and learning the ins and outs of readers advisory, I had a great appreciation for the value of being able to talk about what you are reading. The end of the classes left a large hole in my life that I wanted to refill. One of my fellow classmates (Anne) and I decided that we should start a book group. At the end of the quarter we pulled together emails of interested classmates and planned a meeting during September to kick off our book group.

Before these classes I'd never been in a book group, so I wasn't sure what all would be encompassed in the planning. Anne and I looked at some different resources on forming a book group and pulled together what we had learned in our class. In late September our group met for the first time. We met at Anne's house for light snacks and talked about our summer reading. At the end of the meeting we selected our first book and agreed to meet a month later. Now that the group has met several times the void created by the end of my classes has been filled with what I hope will be a long term relationship with other classmates who love books. None of this might have happened if Anne and I hadn't decided to pursue it, and it has reminded me of the value of reaching out for the things you want in your life, because often you aren't the only one, other's just may not be up to taking charge.

SALA distance representative

My first year in the MLIS program I responded to a request from the officers of the iSchool's student chapter of the American Library Association (SALA), they were looking for someone from the distance program that would be interested in acting as a liaison to the group. The Distance Representative would make sure that distance students were being included in communications about events and work with the group to try to provide for opportunities for distance students to stay involved despite not being able to physically attend events.

When I first introduced myself to the distance cohort and explained that I would be working to include distance students in the group, I got an overwhelming response asking various versions of the same question, "Why should I pay to be part of a group when I can't attend any of their events?" After consulting the other SALA officers I took on the project of creating a resource for students outside the Seattle area to help them reach out to the ALA chapter nearest them, and identify some of the types of resources available to them through their membership. The document, which I called The Benefits of Joining SALA, detailed the goals of the student chapter as well as some of the benefits that are available to all members of ALA. In addition I pulled together contact information for the chapters in states where I knew we had distance students. While I had the benefit of being in Seattle, I tried to approach the document with a mind to what it might be like to be studying in a more remote community, and I knew in a similar position I would want to find a way to connect with other librarians. The year I spent in the Distance Representative role really gave me an appreciation for what I had, and a great respect for the needs of distance students when they can't be near the campus.

• Benefits of Joining SALA

Engineering Bridge display

Every year the School of Engineering holds an open house; as a supporting resource for the school, the Engineering Library always participates. In the spring of 2005 the librarian that normally pulls together the display was faced with a family crisis and unable to take on the project. I thought it would be great fun and offered to create the display. She and I decided to create a display about bridge engineering and I started looking for ideas for the board. I found a wealth of information online and in the various books on bridge engineering that were part of the libraries' collection. In the end, I had so much information I had to narrow the project to cover two basic areas; bridge types (arch, beam, cable stayed, suspension, etc.) and bridge disasters. I pulled together the board with the information I had gathered and wrote some trivia questions for patrons. In addition I borrowed a copy of the video showing the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows bridge which was played on a monitor during the open house.

The final project was a huge success, and I felt very proud of what I had accomplished. By offering to help out my co-worker I got an opportunity to learn about putting together a library display and gained some confidence in my ability to put together a successful learning tool.

• Open house trivia
• Display - Books and Video
• Display - Video and Board
• Display - Board
• Display - Detail