Library Leadership Training Resources

This resource list represents leadership development training opportunities for library professionals at all levels and specialties within the library community. 

Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and Harvard University, Graduate School of Education 
Leadership Training: ACRL/Harvard Advanced Leadership Institute for Senior Academic Librarians

The Advanced Leadership Institute for Senior Academic Librarians enables senior library leaders to better understand and respond to a complicated set of leadership challenges facing academic libraries. The institute reviews foundational concepts from LIAL, applies them to the dynamic competitive environment now facing libraries and extends them to the leadership challenges confronting the 21st century library. The institute creates a highly-interactive and engaging learning environment that will strengthen your strategic leadership skills, enhance your ability to forge effective partnerships and help you better understand how to position the library for future success.

American Library Association (ALA)
Leadership Training:  Emerging Leaders

The ALA Emerging Leaders (EL) program is a leadership development program which enables newer library workers from across the country to participate in problem-solving work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity. It puts participants on the fast track to ALA committee volunteerism as well as other professional library-related organizations.

Association of Research Libraries (ARL)
Leadership Training:  Leadership Development

ARL's Leadership Development initiatives assist research libraries to meet the instructional and research needs of higher education. In 2006–07, an ARL Board Task Force on Leadership Development identified executive leadership development and succession planning in research libraries as priority activities. A limited number of leadership and management skills training events are available only to member libraries on demand.

The Aurora Foundation Ltd.
Leadership Training:  The Aurora Library Leadership Institute

The Institute's mission is to assist future leaders to recognise and develop their leadership abilities.  The Aurora Foundation seeks to position leaders as dynamic and effective voices in our sophisticated information environment. They are the principal opportunity for those in the Australian and New Zealand library profession, and others from associated information industries, to explore leadership concepts and their own potential.

California State Library, in partnership with Infopeople
Leadership Training:  Eureka! Leadership Program: Discover the Leader Within

The California State Library, in partnership with Infopeople, is pleased to offer an exciting professional development initiative - the Eureka! Leadership Program: Discover the Leader Within. The Program has been designed for professional librarians with between three and ten years of professional library experience, but is also open to those in library management positions who do not have an MLS. The Program is looking for California library staff who exhibit leadership potential and are willing to share with others their enthusiasm, optimism, and vision for future library services.

Canadian Federation of Library Associations
Leadership Training:  Unknown

Contact current board or executive director for details.

Florida State Library & Archives
Leadership Training:  The Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute

The primary goal of the Institute is to assist in preparing library leaders to provide the highest quality library services to the citizens of Florida in the most effective and innovative manner that will meet today's needs and tomorrow's challenges. 

Illinois State Library, the Illinois Library Association and partners
Leadership Training:  Synergy: The Illinois Library Leadership Initiative

The Illinois Library Leadership Initiative is the statewide library community's proactive movement to recruit and nurture future Illinois library leaders. Objectives include self-assessment; discovering and developing personal values; identifying the local, state and global environment; fostering and expanding skills and tools for personal, professional and positional leadership; creating a cohort group; establishing mentoring relationships; and developing a vision of and beyond the field of librarianship

Iowa Library Association (ILA)
Leadership Training:  ILA Leadership Institute

The Iowa Library Association has established a comprehensive leadership development program to ensure that its members are prepared to actively shape the future of Iowa libraries. An ILA member (may be MLS or non-MLS) working in any Iowa library.  A total of 25 individuals will be selected to attend the institute. At the institute you will participate in activities designed to help you: recognize yourself as a leader and develop the confidence to become a change agent in your library as well as in the larger community, assess your personal leadership style and develop the skills to use that style for effective decision making, seek creative solutions to shape the future of the Iowa Library Association and library service in Iowa, and connect to a supportive network of successful library leaders.

Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and  the Massachusetts Regional Library Systems
Leadership Training:  Library Leadership Massachusetts (LLMA)

Participants are practitioners of library science or library advocates with fewer than ten years in their roles.LLMA takes place on alternate years, with the next event planned for 2011.  The Institute was federally funded in part by LSTA funds administered through the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. It was implemented by the six MA Regional Library Systems with a coordinating committee of LLMA alumnae.

Michigan Library Association (MLA)
Leadership Training:   MLA Leadership Academy

The Michigan Library Association’s Leadership Academy is an intensive, experiential and focused program to prepare individuals for leadership roles within MLA, as well as prepare them for leadership roles within the library workplace.

Montana State University
Leadership Training:  Tribal College Librarians Professional Development Institute

The Tribal College Librarians Professional Development Institute is held annually at Montana State in Bozeman and has promoted professional development activities for tribal college librarians. At the present, the institute is defined specifically for librarians at tribally-affiliated institutions with a post-secondary primary clientele.

New England Library Association and all six New England State Library Associations.
Leadership Training:  NELLS (New England Library Leadership Symposium)

The purpose of this symposium is to foster the mentoring and development of leaders in state and regional library associations. NELLS students will be library professionals, paraprofessionals, or volunteers (trustees, friends, etc.) in mid-career (3-15 years experience in or with libraries). The attendees may be recommended by someone or may make their own application for this leadership training. Each student must be a member of his or her state library association or NELA in order to apply..

New York Library Association
Leadership Training:  Library Leadership and Management Academy

The New York Library Association's Library Leadership and Management Academy is an educational program for emerging leaders in the library profession. Participants will gain the skills and knowledge they need to advance up the career ladder in library management. Enrollment in the Library Leadership and Management Academy is limited and enrollees are required to complete ten courses over a three year period to receive a Leadership and Management Academy Certificate.

North Carolina Library Association (NCLA)
Leadership Training:  NCLA Leadership Institute

The Core Purpose of the Leadership Institute is to create excitement, energy, and passion across North Carolina for transforming library customer experiences. The Vision for the Future is to develop entrepreneurial and serving leaders who strategically build and creatively use high performance libraries to make a significant personal impact on customers and deliver measurable value for the communities they serve.

Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA)
Leadership Training:  PNLA Leads!  Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA) Leadership Institute

PNLA Leads responds to IMLS Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program Priority 6, Continuing Education, in that it will enhance a fledgling program of continuing leadership education and training for librarians and library staff in the Pacific Northwest.   It will provide opportunities for emerging leaders serving in any capacity in a library in the Pacific Northwest with a desire to network with other leaders and increase skills.  It will benefit multiple institutions and diverse constituencies, and meet well-understood library service needs in the region’s communities, particularly underserved rural settings.

Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA)
Leadership Training:  The PaLA Academy of Leadership Studies (PALS)

The PaLA Academy of Leadership Studies (PALS) is a cooperative initiative between PaLA and the Office of Commonwealth Libraries to offer leadership development for librarians.  The PaLA Leadership Development Committee envisions having a multi-tier approach to leadership development. Ideally, the first tier would focus on new librarians, having worked as a librarian for less than six years. A second tier would focus on librarians who are in management positions and may need to enhance their leadership skills. There would also be a tier for those established leaders who may want to re-think their leadership roles or learn how to serve as mentors for upcoming library leaders. There will also be on line training options, 1-day workshops, and many other opportunities to develop your leadership potential. Obviously, this is a very ambitious goal and is actually several goals which will take place over several years.

Siena College
Leadership Training:  Leadership Institute for Academic Library Managers

The Leadership Institute for Academic Library Managers is offered as a part of Siena College’s Institute for Leadership Development (ILD) The purpose of the ILD is to utilize the expertise of Siena faculty members to provide leadership development, strategic planning, team building, communications and executive coaching. With a focus on college and university library setting, this institute is design to help academic librarians build their leadership skills. It provides advanced instruction in management topic relevant to today’s libraries, as well as prepares academic librarians to become highly skilled and successful managers.

Texas Library Association
Leadership Training:  TALL Texans Leadership Development Institute

The program provides leadership training for the Texas Library Association membership by offering an annual Leadership Development Institute for librarians and laypersons.

University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
Leadership Training:  UCLA Senior Fellows Program

The Senior Fellows Program is the premier public engagement program of the School of Public Affairs. Each year 8 to 10 distinguished leaders from the public, nonprofit, and private sectors are invited to be Senior Fellows of the school. These accomplished leaders volunteer their time and expertise for the Policy School and its students. The requirements of the Senior Fellowship include delivering a policy briefing on a leadership, management or policy issue in one's area of expertise, and mentoring one or more students.

University of Wisconsin – Madison
Leadership Training:  Archives Leadership Institute

The University of Wisconsin - Madison is pleased to announce the 2010 leadership institute for archives professionals. The week-long event will feature presentations by dynamic people in the archival field and relevant leaders outside the profession. The goal of the project is to examine the leadership needs of the archives profession and to prepare participants to influence policy and effect change on behalf of the profession (and ultimately, on behalf the public served now and in the future.) The program is directed primarily at mid-level to senior staff --archivists who aspire to leadership roles in their organizations and/or professional associations.
 

Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College
Leadership Training:  Academic Library Leadership

The Institute for Academic Library Leadership focuses on the higher education context in which libraries exist. The institute explores new roles for libraries that may emerge from that context to support the goals and priorities of the parent institution. Participants identify ways to position their libraries to be agents for change within their institutions, in order to strengthen support for the library’s services and resources. The institute is highly participative and tailored to the interests of those selected as summer fellows.

Wisconsin Library Association
Leadership Training: Leadership Development Institute

The Leadership Development Institute is a highly immersive training program designed specifically for our profession. Based on several overarching leadership competencies, participants will interact in cohort groups throughout the six-month program. Each module includes the introduction of problem-solving skills and real-life applications. Instructors represent a wide range of disciplines both within the library community as well as outside of our profession.

Wyoming State Library
Leadership Training:  Wyoming Library Leadership Institute

The Wyoming Library Leadership Institute operates two institutes. During the even-year summer we will hold the library leadership institute for new attendees. During the odd years we will hold an advanced leadership institute opened to anyone who has attended in the past. The Library Leadership Institute exists to provide opportunities for learning, mentoring and developing leadership skills to promote the personal and professional growth of the Wyoming library community.The institute is a tool for nurturing both degreed and non-degreed individuals in leadership roles. It is not a workshop on becoming a library director or a workshop on library administration.

For additional library leadership resources, you may also want to visit the Library Leadership & Management Association (LLAMA), a division of the American Library Association.  

This page is maintained by the ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR) on behalf of the ALA Training, Orientation and Leadership Development (TOLD) Committee.  For questions or comments, please contact, Lorelle R. Swader, Director.