LLAMA Career Institute slated for ALA Annual in San Francisco

For Immediate Release
Tue, 04/07/2015

Contact:

Fred Reuland

LLAMA Program Officer

LLAMA

312-280-5032

freuland@ala.org

MIND OVER MATTER: SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS FOR LIBRARY LEADERS

LLAMA CAREER INSTITUTE SLATED FOR ALA ANNUAL IN SAN FRANCISCO

CHICAGO — Do you have days on the job – even the job you love – when it feels like a pressure cooker? Faced with a demanding schedule, an impossibly long “to do” list and staff and patrons and board members who need your attention, you feel drained, frazzled, ineffective and less than the leader you truly want to be. On those days, do you wonder if there is secret skill that could make you a more effective leader, calm the chaos and insulate you from burnout? That skill might be mindfulness adopted deliberately as a core practice to bolster your resilience and enhance your ability to face challenges.

Enter the LLAMA Career Institute’s program, Mind Over Matter: Sustainable Success for Library Leaders, which will feature Kim Nicol and be offered from 1 to 5 p.m. on Friday, June 26, 2015. Sponsored by LLAMA’s (Library Leadership & Management Association) New Professionals Section and Human Resources Section’s Career Institute Planning Committee, this LLAMA Career Institute will be the first career institute to be offered at an ALA Annual Conference.

“Mindfulness is like a super-power that you already have. It's incredibly useful for cultivating your leadership ability, no matter what stage you are in your career,” according to Kim Nicol, creator of 5 Mindful Minutes Meditation Program (www.5mindfulminutes.com).

An advocate and supporter of libraries and librarians, Nicol will lead this half-day interactive workshop outlining mindfulness and how it can enrich a career while guiding participants through a series of concepts and practical tools to help increase focus, mental clarity, efficiency and overall job satisfaction. Based in San Francisco, Nicol (www.kimnicol.com) has traveled worldwide to lead retreats, continuing education classes, corporate trainings and workshops. Nicol, a former lawyer, has developed programming to sustain developing careers of lawyers, tech entrepreneurs, data scientists and other creative thinkers.

The institute will cover the basics of mindfulness and meditation and the relationship to leadership at the individual level as well as within organizations and professional communities. Nicol will demonstrate how to build a framework for practicing mindfulness in your life and work on a day-to-day basis. Guided exercises will allow participants to experience meditation, build a framework for practicing mindfulness and learn how to turn inspiration into action. The workshop will feature interactive components and facilitated discussions and participants will be able to develop a personal action plan.

Participants in this workshop will learn about practical tools and how to utilize mindfulness training to amplify their strengths and to build a balanced and healthy career. The workshop will:

  • introduce participant to the concepts and framework of “Mindfulness, Leadership and Career”;
  • prompt participants to reflect on their own experiences and engage with other participants through practical tools and exercises they can integrate into their work/life management;
  • allow participants to gain personal insights into their own leadership skills and walk away with a custom action plan with next steps to take; and
  • enable discussion with a world-class mindfulness coach on ways to improve work/life balance, mental clarity, energy, and resilience.

The LLAMA Career Institute is open to all and is relevant to LIS students and to professional librarians and paraprofessionals at any career stage.

Fees are:

  • $195 for LLAMA Divisional Members AND for LIS Student Members and current and past ALA Spectrum Scholars, ALA Emerging Leaders, ALA Leadership Institute participants (use code “LLAMA2015” when registering);
  • $245 for ALA members; and
  • $295 for Non-Members.

On-site registration will be subject to availability and will be $295.

Pre-registration prior to June 1 recommended as space is limited. Register online at: http://alaac15.ala.org/ticketed-events#LLAMA  – this takes you to “Ticketed Events” on the ALA Annual site; then search for LLAMA Institute (Event Code LLA5-Preconference).

Introduced in 2013, the LLAMA Career Institute is a continuing education offering aimed at early-career professionals and professionals at any career stage seeking to acquire new knowledge, skills, and competencies in support of active and ongoing career development or potential career changes.

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