LIS-S 558 Library Leadership
3 credits
- Prerequisite(s): LIS-S 500 and LIS-S 507
- Delivery: Online
- Semesters offered: Fall (Check the schedule to confirm.)
Description
This course explores the distinction between leadership and management, centering on developing a strong leadership identity. It establishes a space for critical dialogue that scrutinizes and challenges the norms, assumptions, systems, and practices perpetuating injustice. Leadership identity is developed by situating leadership in social-cultural organizational and community contexts to address complex local and global issues that affect communities. Leadership skills are honed through critical dialogue, active listening, and coaching. This course aims to bridge the gap in library and information science leadership education by preparing future leaders with knowledge, information, and data and facilitating learning strategies to resolve complex local and global issues effectively.
Program Learning Goals Supported
Instructors map their courses to specific LIS Program Goals. Mapped program goals drive the design of each course and what students can expect to generally learn.
Instructors map their courses to specific LIS Program Goals. Mapped program goals drive the design of each course and what students can expect to generally learn.
- Facilitate engagement in the information ecosystem
- Lead and manage libraries, archives and other information organizations
- Examine systemic inequalities to improve library and information practices through equitable and socially just interventions
Learning Outcomes
Instructors develop learning outcomes for their courses. Students can expect to be able to achieve the learning outcomes for a given course after successfully completing the course.
- Differentiate leadership and management; positional and emergent leadership to effectively lead in information organizations and community contexts.
- Evaluate complex local/global issues that impact libraries and communities to create learning and engagement experiences toward transformation (i.e. lead change).
- Interrogate assumptions, biases, systems, polices, practices that perpetuate social and knowledge injustice(s).
- Demonstrate coaching and listening skills necessary for effective leadership.
- Articulate a leadership philosophy/identity, situate leadership in context and apply leadership to a complex issue impacting the specified context.
Course Overview
Instruction is in Canvas. Lessons are organized into Modules whose length may vary.
This course develops leadership identity and equips students to enact change and organize work across positional and non-positional librarianship roles. Topics include leadership vs. management, scientific management theories, organizational structures, librarianship’s mission and values, situating leadership, and complex challenges. Students practice leadership and cultivate strategic vision through case studies.
The course begins with an introduction to leadership, followed by four three-week modules. Each module is themed to address leadership concepts as follows:
- Module 1: Leadership development, identity, and philosophy;
- Module 2: Situating leadership;
- Module 3: Complex local/global issues and imagination;
- Module 4: Leadership practice.
Each module includes a Leadership Profile and Conversations segment, dialogue, and an assignment. Module assignments build toward a final cumulative reflection paper. Leadership Profile and Conversations demonstrate historical and contemporary leadership across political, cultural/educational, and community contexts.
Policies and Procedures
Please be aware of the following linked policies and procedures. Note that in individual courses instructors will have stipulations specific to their course.