The Massachusetts Library System presents a day long event in which attendees will be asked to re-envision library leadership and actively strategize the role they want to play in our community. After this event attendees will have cultivated tools and skills that will help strengthen their roles as future and current library leaders using a nontraditional path.
Chera Kowalski is committed to transforming the way public libraries respond to the needs of the communities they serve. In her former role as the Adult/Teen Librarian at the Free Library of Philadelphia’s McPherson Square Branch, located in Kensington, the epicenter of the city’s overdose crisis, this meant volunteering to receive overdose reversal training through Prevention Point Philadelphia after witnessing overdoses in the library. Shortly after the training, she put her knowledge into action - saving six lives. Chera now advocates for library staff and community members to learn how to administer naloxone- a life-saving drug that reverses the effects of opioids - along with advocating for the Kensington community, which for decades has experienced the effects of economic hardship as well. She and her Free Library colleagues have garnered attention from local, national, and international media outlets for these efforts. Currently, Chera serves as the Assistant to the Chief of Staff at the Free Library and is a graduate of Temple University and the University of Illinois.
Find her on Twitter at @chera_k
Not everyone takes a traditional leadership role. With this panel we will explore the various ways these librarians have taken on leadership roles within our community. They will share examples of projects and roles that have helped them develop their skills and careers. We will discuss the challenges of leading from a non management role, how they make tough decisions, and how they stay passionate about the work they are doing. Our panel will also share their advice for new and seasoned leaders, resources for professional development, and people/organizations to follow on social media.
Panelists:
Collecting, understanding and using data effectively can help library staff drive innovation and change within libraries and the communities they serve. Outcome is a way for libraries to capture information about the patron-reported value of their programs and services. Good leaders knows how to prioritize when and to measure outcomes, as well as how to use the results to meet communication, advocacy, programming, funding, partnership or strategic planning needs. This session will train attendees on how to become outcome measurement experts using the Public Library Association’s Project Outcome. Project Outcome is a free online toolkit that gives libraries access to quick and simple surveys, resources and training to help libraries throughout the outcome measurement process, and for public and academic libraries, access to a survey management toolkit and interactive data dashboards.
Emily Plagman is the Manager of Impact & Advocacy for the Public Library Association, implementing the organization’s goals of supporting the field’s ability and ability to collect, analyze and advocate using data, expanding its own internal data collection efforts, and developing of new data-based projects for the field. She also manages PLA’s performance measurement initiative, Project Outcome, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, overseeing its development and implementation. Prior to joining PLA, Emily worked as a project manager, at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning on an energy efficiency grant. Emily received her Master’s in International Public Affairs from the LaFollette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin and her Bachelor’s in Political Science at Marquette University. Emily Plagman is Manager of Impact & Advocacy for the Public Library Association, implementing the organization’s goals of supporting the field’s ability and ability to collect, analyze and advocate using data, expanding its own internal data collection efforts, and developing of new data-based projects for the field. She also manages PLA’s performance measurement initiative, Project Outcome, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, overseeing its development and implementation. Prior to joining PLA, Emily worked as a project manager, at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning on an energy efficiency grant. Emily received her Master’s in International Public Affairs from the LaFollette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin and her Bachelor’s in Political Science at Marquette University.
DATE: Friday September 13th, 2019
TIME: 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
LOCATION: Courtyard Marriott, 75 Felton St. Marlborough MA 01752
COST: $40 per person
REGISTRATION:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/building-your-leadership-toolbox-tickets-64185626938
9:00 AM - Registration, Coffee, and Connections
9:45 AM - Welcome
10:00 AM - Keynote address with Chera Kowalski
11:00 AM - Panel “How to be a Leader when not in Leadership (aka management): Claiming and Expressing your Personal Power”
12:00 PM - Lunch and Table Discussions - "Setting Goals and Defining Success on Your Own Terms"
1:00 PM - Workshop "Outcome Measurement as a Tool for Leadership" with Emily Plagman from ALA's Project Outcome
3:00 PM- "What we've learned from the day?" Wrap Up with Plus/Delta
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