Posted on by hildaweisburg

Librarians Lead and Manage

I’ll never stop saying this – You must be a leader. It’s the first of your five roles as a librarian according to the AASL National Standards for School Librarians.But you also have four other roles: Instructional Partner, Information Specialist, Teacher, and Program Administrator. How do those fit into your work? When you think about these other roles, are you a manager or a leader?

For many of us, it depends on the situation. To get clear, look at your Mission and Vision statements. Your Mission is your Perspiration (the work you do). Your Vision is your Aspiration (what you’re working toward). Each of these roles supports both.

As an Instructional Partner, you may have initiated the connection as part of attaining your Vision. While you are engaged in the partnership, you are mostly managing it, although there may be times you are leading such as when you guide the teacher in developing what you will be doing together.

In your role as Information Specialist, you lead the way when introducing new resources into the curriculum. You help teachers master them, either by giving them one-on-one help, sending an email about it, or doing a grade/subject level meeting professional development workshop.

When Teaching, you’ll probably find yourself managing the class. However, you also will have an Essential Question which will lead students to think outside the box. As a leader, you are also thinking of ways to publicize student learning to show the value of the library program to people in and outside the school

Administering the library program requires developing a budget and planning for the future. This part of the task requires leadership and looking into the future for what your program needs. In maintaining the budget and curating sources you will use, you are managing.

When you’re having trouble seeing yourself as a leader, reflect on what you do to make the library indispensable to the educational community. Your leadership is there. You exhibit many of the endless lists of leadership qualities described in numerous business articles.

If you’re having trouble seeing some of your skills, Bart Finelli’s came up with Five Qualities That Set Leaders Apart from Managers. These three are in a librarians’ toolbox:

  • Leaders are coachable themselves – Even as we bring those new resources in our role as Information Specialist, we are always on the lookout for what the next one will be. In our search, we go to conferences, attend webinars, and belong to Professional Learning Networks. We know changes come fast and in order to bring it to our schools and districts we must be role models for lifelong learning.
  • A leader’s actions match their words – Almost all lists of leadership qualities include integrity. That is taken to mean you can be counted on to do what you said. You keep confidences, and people trust you. But this statement goes beyond that. You say the library is a safe, welcoming space for all. You speak of the importance of Intellectual Freedom. But are you living those statements? These are challenging times, and you may have to make difficult choices. Are you living your code of values? It’s tough but be honest with yourself.
  • Leaders are entrepreneurs – This is your Vision at work – and also your role as Program Administrator. You want to grow your library program, but money is scarce or non-existent. What do you do? Many of you have become expert at finding grants or using DonorsChoose.org. You find local businesses who contribute their knowledge/talent or sometimes materials for your Makerspaces. You not only think outside the box, you no longer have a box.

It’s summer vacation, and I know you are using the time to learn and grow even as you take the needed to time to rejuvenate. As you relax, reflect on your accomplishments, notice your moments of leading and managing and what that’s brought your students and your school. What you do is important, and despite the many challenges you keep going. You are a Manager. You are a Leader. You are a Rock Star.

Posted on by hildaweisburg · 1 Comment

ON LIBRARIES: Should You Be A Leader or A Manager?

The title is a trick question.

The answer is as a school librarian you need to be both. However, too many are almost always managers and the role of leader is sacrificed to the demands of managing. For your program to be successful, you need to employ the characteristics of both and know which role is necessary in the moment.

In the corporate world, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) is the manager, while the Chief Executive Officer is the leader.  As a librarian, you are both the COO and the CEO of your library program (minus the double salary).  It’s up to you to decide which hat to wear, and the decision is not always easy.

To recognize when you need to be one or the other, you must know what the differences are. In an article for Forbes, William Arruda defines 9 Differences Between Being a Leader and a Manager. Much that he says applies to the unique job you have as a school librarian.

Here is his list- with my translations into the education environment:

  1. Leaders create a vision; managers create goals. Having a Vision is a required attribute of leaders. You need to know where you are going. Hopefully, you all have Vision and Mission Statements. It’s the leader part of you that created the Vision. As a manager, you develop the goals to execute your Mission, which is your path to your Vision.
  2. Leaders are change agents; managers maintain the status quo. Leaders hold the big picture. They look to see what is likely to be the “next thing.” Their external scan of the environment goes beyond the library and even education. They are aware of developments in technology, psychology, and politics. Don’t panic.  It’s a scan.  Not an in-depth study.  The more you do it, the better you get at it, and the less time it takes.  The manager in you will want to focus on getting today’s job done.  While that is necessary, you can’t let it be the sole focus of what you do.
  3. Leaders are unique; managers copy. Leaders don’t try to reproduce the past even when it was successful. When I left one job where my library program was highly regarded, my successor, who had worked with me, tried to do everything the way I did it. But she wasn’t me, and it didn’t fit. Slowly the library program was reduced. When I retired from another school system, the librarian who took over had also worked with me, but she drew on her own strengths and expertise to move the library in another direction while keeping the values which she also embraced.  The program grew.
  4. Leaders take risks; managers control risk. Those of you who read this blog, read my books, or seen my presentations, know I am always encouraging librarians to step out of their comfort zones. Your Vision requires it. Managers fear failure, but as I said in my blog Dealing with Failure, it’s part of the process that gets you to success.
  5. Leaders are in it for the long haul; managers think short-term. You won’t attain your Vision in a year. You may never reach it. But those who know that is where they want their program to go will keep getting closer to it.  Some librarians may write their Vision because it’s what they are supposed to do, but they regard it as unattainable.  Then they don’t create strategic plans to achieve it—which guarantees it will never happen.
  6. Leaders grow personally; managers rely on existing, proven skills. If you aren’t growing, you are dying. We are role models for lifelong learning. What have you learned today? How can you use it in your program? Reflect on how many skills you have that you didn’t when you first became a librarian. Where would you be if you hadn’t learned them?
  7. Leaders build relationships; managers build systems and processes. Relationships are the key to our success. It’s through relationships that we build collaboration and create advocates for our program. No matter how busy you are, you cannot limit your attention to managing the library.  It won’t work without the relationships.
  8. Leaders coach; managers direct. This is about trusting that others have good ideas about the library program. Be open to suggestions from others and discuss whether or these can be integrated into the program. The more you recognize others, the stronger your program will become.
  9. Leaders create fans; managers have employees. I love this one. Your job is to empower others to be their best. As the saying goes, “Leaders don’t create followers; they create new leaders.” You not only need to empower your students; you also need to empower your teachers – and everyone else in the school community. Even, and sometimes especially, your administrators. The library has a huge reach. Use that to your program’s advantage.

Going from leading to managing and back to leading is a juggling act.  It’s easier when you are aware of the differences and know when it’s time to switch roles. One is not better than the other, but one to the exclusion of the other will not give you the success you want.