Leadership and Management

Core competency guidelines

Students will be able to perform effectively in the library and information professions by demonstrating competency in leadership and management.

By the conclusion of the master’s degree program, students should be able to: 

• identify and define goals; develop measureable and single-outcome objectives for each goal and define effective strategies for achieving objectives as part of the strategic planning process 

• design and conduct community analysis, needs assessment, and/or outcome evaluation 

• develop appropriate content for funding proposals 

• explain supervisory styles and organizational/management structures 

• explain strategies for successful financial management, public relations, and marketing 

• explain and design effective strategies for community and institutional advocacy 

• promote the role of information services in facilitating diversity and global awareness 

• analyze ethical issues and develop strategies to address them

Work sample

Description

The attached grant proposal was created with three team members as a project during our Leadership in Information Organizations course. The grant proposal consists of a complete application for funding a library-run community garden and related education and programming for community members. I demonstrated mastery of leadership and management in the creation of this project by conducting a community analysis and needs assessment for a hypothetical community that needed additional food supply options. Community details, described in answer to question number three and throughout the proposal were based on census data and reports of community garden projects in communities that experience food scarcity. I further demonstrated mastery by developing appropriate content for the funding proposal and identifying and defining project goals. In addition to programming, events, training, and education - all based on successful community garden projects or the professional experience of team members - I planned outcome evaluations for how a community garden and related programming would impact such a community. The goals included measurable objectives and strategies for meeting the objectives of each goal. They were focused on improving the quality of life, literacy, health, and nutrition of the community members and were supported by research findings on the impact of community gardens in communities similar to the hypothetical one developed for the project. The proposal includes a budget plan and narrative that describes the financial management strategy for the project. Additionally, public relations and marketing strategies are included in the sections that detail the partnerships, promotion plan, project activities, timeline, and budget. 

Analysis 

Basing the hypothetical community demographics and needs on assessments and data from real communities in the South Carolina area was an essential piece of constructing an effective grant proposal. Planning the project would not have been possible without learning about the hypothetical community and connecting the community data to the proposed project. This also made creating the goals and objectives for the program possible. Clear, realistic, measurable goals are critical to a project's success and can only be effective with an understanding of what the community is capable of and interested in. Utilizing data from similar projects also helped ensure that the goals and objectives were reasonable. Planning the budget proved to be more challenging than expected. It worked best when done simultaneously with planning the project scope, activities, timeline, and promotion. Trying to complete these pieces of the grant separately resulted in frequent gaps or redundancies which required backtracking to fix. Working with a hypothetical library also created some unexpected challenges. It seemed simple to imagine donations and volunteers into existence but, in trying to be realistic, it was difficult to create those relationships out of thin air. This was a reminder of the very real and meaningful effort that goes into building community partnerships for the library and the impact that those relationships have on the library's potential.

Reflection

Completing this project provided insight into the importance of having a well-rounded team when applying for grants and beginning large, expansive programs. In this case, it ensured we were able to meet the demands of the assignment and competently execute the many specialized tasks associated with the project. More broadly, cultivating teams with diverse perspectives and skills results in balanced programs that can serve a wider variety of community members and needs. The challenges in creating imagined community partnerships underscored how difficult the process of fostering those relationships would be in real life. The challenge led to much discussion on the effort it takes to build and maintain community and professional relationships in real life. Libraries must work as community partners to not only successfully start a new program like a community garden but also to execute the library mission with often limited resources, to effectively serve library users, and to engage with the broader community and non-library users. Working as a team to complete this project also served as a reminder to designate roles and responsibilities early and clearly and to maintain clear communication throughout the planning process to minimize confusion, frustration, and overwork. Maintaining some flexibility and openness to team feedback is also important, as the challenge with writing the budget showed, since adjustments may need to be made throughout the process to improve workflow, team morale, or even the project itself.