Building a Program that Cultivates Library Leaders from Within the Organization

These days few libraries can afford to hire new leaders to head teams, manage people and projects effectively, and contribute to the vision and direction of the organization. As organizational charts flatten increased levels of responsibility are expected of employees. These changes require libraries to increase the leadership skills of the talented librarians and staff members already working at their libraries. This paper describes a collaborative project between the University of Houston Libraries Training Committee and the University of Houston Human Resources Department (HR) in which emerging leaders within the library attended a semester-long intensive program designed to nurture Excellence in Library Leadership (ELLP). Successful applicants to the University of Houston Libraries ELLP participated in personality and emotional intelligence assessments; attended six interactive day-long sessions with content specifically tailored to leadership skills in the library setting; and formed a cohort that has been active in planning and advocating for continued leadership and emotional intelligence training within the organization. This paper discusses the content of the program, the lessons learned from two cohorts, information about how other libraries might pilot a similar program, and a description of how the ELLP is impacting UH Libraries' culture.