Library Leadership Podcast

By now, you may have heard about a new American Library Association initiative called ALA Forward, but have you wondered how it will be used to reinvigorate the organization? On this show, Dan Montgomery, Executive Director of the American Library Association, shares details about ALA Forward, an initiative designed to unite and strengthen the work of libraries, and he explains how all of us can g...

Have you ever thought of your professional life as a series of highways and backroads, and wondered how to navigate? On this show, Sam Passey, Associate Dean of Library Services at Colorado Mountain College, shares his model for navigating organizational stoplights and roundabouts to better avoid congestion and ensure smooth progress.

Have you ever had an incident at your library and wondered how you could do more afterwards than just try to shake it off? On this show, Mary Graham, Service Delivery Manager, and Becky Potter, Library Experience Supervisor, with Calgary Public Library, talk about Debriefing After Challenging Situations. Timely and flexible debriefing can help staff deal with challenging situations. On this show,...

As librarians, how do we create effective communication campaigns that achieve our goals and craft messages that encourage people to engage with all we have to offer? On this show, Dr. Stevie Munz, Co-Owner and Consultant at Summit Communication Consulting, discusses how libraries are well-positioned to achieve strategic and effective messages. 

Have you wondered how you can support neurodivergent staff and volunteers in the workplace? On this show, Renee Grassi (she/her), Librarian and Accessibility Consultant, discusses cultivating an inclusive work environment for neurodivergent team members, including accessible communication and promoting neurodiversity in our organizations.

How can data help us transform our libraries? On this show, Sonia Alcantara-Antoine, Chief Executive Officer of Baltimore County Public Library and Past-President of the Public Library Association, discusses transforming the library with data-driven decisions. This valuable information can help us challenge our assumptions, optimize resources, and create impact.

Have you ever wondered how you can best serve older adults in your library? On this show, Suzanne LaPierre, Virginiana Specialist Librarian for the Fairfax County Public Library, discusses ways to serve older adults and provide exemplary access as our communities age. 

How do you make your case to potential donors for your library? On this show Craig Palmer, Fund Development Manager for Sonoma County Library, returns to the podcast to expound on what he shared last year about Building Strong Library Foundations. Here, he talks about case statements—what they are, how they work, and their critical role in helping donors understand how our cause can be their cause...

In your organization, are there ways to share negative viewpoints or emotions, and is it helpful to do so? On this show Carrie Rogers-Whitehead - author, library consultant, and Founder of Digital Responsibility - talks about The Glass Half Empty: the Positives of Negative Emotions. She shares how not allowing for negative emotions can hold back our teams and what we can do about it.

Have you ever wondered about the extent of sexual harassment of librarians in the workplace? On this show, Candice Benjes-Small, Head of Research at William and Mary Libraries, and Jennifer Resor-Whicker, University Librarian at Radford University, discuss their research on this topic. It's a conversation that opens the door for broader work on what can be done to combat sexual harassment in our f...

Do you have a building improvement or construction project coming up and want solid steps to make it a success? On this show Toni Lombardozzi, Project Manager at the Charleston County Public Library, shares how to navigate building projects in various stages. This information is helpful as many of us find ourselves tasked with changing, upgrading, or building to meet the evolving needs of our comm...

How can you understand  employees  in a way that creates better retention and engagement? On this show James Pugh, Director at the Cedar Springs Public Library, talks about  Retaining Employees  Through Stay Interviews. It's a way to help improve the workplace for  staff so they will want to stay and help serve our communities.

Have you wondered if there are ways for your library to engage your community in promoting civic engagement and bridging differences? On this show Jennie Garner, Director of the North Liberty Library, Shamichael Hallman, Director of Civic Health & Economic Opportunity for the Urban Libraries Council and the author of  Meet Me at the Library , and Tara Susman-Peña, Senior Technical Expert for IREX,...

Do you have hidden gems in your library collections that you would like to highlight by developing immersive VR experiences? On this show Beryl White-Bing, Virtual Learning Librarian at the Thomas G. Carpenter Library at the University of North Florida, and Trina McCowan, Director of Library Services for the Proctor Library at Flagler College, share valuable information about how they went about f...

What does your library need to harness the power of AI? This show is the second of a two-part series on AI with Christoper Jimenez, Web Services Librarian, and Melissa Del Castillo, Virtual Learning & Outreach Librarian, both with Information & Research Services at Florida International University Libraries. On this show, Melissa discusses Harnessing the Power of AI through collaboration, communit...

What does your library need to harness the power of AI? This show is the first of a two-part series on AI with Christoper Jimenez, Web Services Librarian, and Melissa Del Castillo, Virtual Learning & Outreach Librarian, both with Information & Research Services at Florida International University Libraries. On this show, Christopher discusses Harnessing the Power of AI through Literacy and Framewo...

How do we embrace experimentation in libraries to adapt to our rapidly changing professional landscape? On this show,  Cathryn Copper, Head of the Eberhard Zeidler Library in Ontario and the author of The Experimental Library, talks about how we can all use experimental techniques to create success in our organizations.

What can your organization do to embrace mentoring as part of succession planning? On this show, Ann Marie Barrett, Manager of the Bingham Creek Branch, and Maggie Mills, Manager of the Whitmore Branch, with Salt Lake County Library, talk about everything  to consider when making mentoring part of your succession planning.

How can our libraries support small businesses and nonprofits? On this show, Rachel Fuller, Information Services Manager, and Kristine Cook, Manager of the Adult Services Division for the Main Library, with the Columbus Metropolitan Library, share how they are  Empowering the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in their library system and how you can, too. 

Have you ever wondered how library foundations can open doors to untapped funding for your library? On this show Craig Palmer, Fund Development Manager for Sonoma County Library, shares how library foundations can activate fundraising for your organization and what drives giving for libraries. Whether you have an established library foundation or are thinking about this for the first time, this is...

Have you ever wanted to create a fun way to develop in-house leaders in your library? On this show, Judi Boyce, Assistant Director at Sublette County Library, Erin Wahl, Associate Professor University Archivist at New Mexico State University Library, and Eileen Wright, Library Director at Montana State University Billings, discuss a method they formed to develop in-house leaders that involves game...

Do you ever find yourself stuck in the routine work of librarianship in a way that makes you uncomfortable or frustrated? On this show Dr. Darin Freeburg, Associate Professor, and Katie Klein, Doctoral Student in Library and Information Science, in the College of Information and Communications at the University of South Carolina, share information about research they've been doing on problematic r...

What are ways we can engage our communities in work that embraces differences? On this show Essraa Nawar, Assistant Dean for DEI Initiatives and Development at Chapman University's Leatherby Libraries, shares her experiences regarding the power of being different and meaningfully connected to the rest of the world. She helps us learn how to engage in work that promotes cultural understanding and i...

How do we make our staffing plans match the needs and expectations of our organizations? On this show Daniel Neville-Rehbehn, Director of Customer Experience at the Salt Lake City Public Library, talks about the importance of creating staffing plans that optimize our most valuable resources, our people.

Who wants to handle a difficult conversation in the workplace? If you are saying, "not it" right now, this show is for you. And, let's be honest, this probably applies to all of us to some degree. On this show, you will get advice from a knowledgeable panel about how not to  sweat difficult conversations. Listen to find out how from Tiffany Peck, Director of Customer Experience, and Jen Wiese, Dir...