Sessions and Descriptions
Library Management and Leadership Conference:
Future Focused Leadership
May 20, 2022
9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Great Wolf Lodge
Mason, Ohio
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, Conference Keynote
Conference Schedule
9:30 a.m. | Registration
10:00 a.m. | Welcome and General Session
Kathy Bach, Conference Chair, Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library and Michelle Francis, Executive Director, Ohio Library Council
Keynote: Aftab Pureval, Mayor of Cincinnati
11 a.m. | Break
11:15 a.m. | Breakout Sessions
| 1A | 1B | 1C |
| I Get By with a Little Help from a Mentor: Mentoring Programs in Libraries | Internal Customer Service: It’s More Than Just “Being Nice“ | To Infinity and Beyond! From Youth Services to Management |
| Core Competency: Leadership | Core Competency: Personnel Management | Core Competency: Adaptability |
Learn more about Core Competencies
12:15 – 1 p.m. | Lunch and Networking
1-2 p.m. | Breakout Sessions
| 2A | 2B | 2C |
| Leading Without a MLS | Creating a Leadership and Management Program for Your Staff | Investing In and Developing Your Teams for Great Mission Impact |
| Core Competency: Leadership | Core Competency: Staff Development | Core Competency: Leadership |
2- 2:15 p.m. | Break
2:15-3:15- p.m. | Breakout Sessions
| 3A | 3B | 3C |
| Creating Leaders at All Levels with Project Teams | Managing as an Ally | Compensation Beyond Pay |
| Core Competency: Leadership | Core Competency: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion | Core Competency: Personnel Management |
3:15 p.m. | Break
3:30-4:30 p.m. | Closing Session — Speed Mentoring
Panel members:
- Luke Bentley, Director, Briggs Lawrence County Public Library
- Paula Brehm-Heeger, Eva Jane Romaine Coombe Director, Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
- Kim Garrett, Deputy Director, Warren-Trumbull County Public Library
- Mary Ellen Icaza, CEO/Executive Director of Stark County District Library
- Janet Ingraham Dwyer, Library Consultant, State Library of Ohio
- Moderator: Michelle Francis, Executive Director, Ohio Library Council
Session Descriptions
11:15 a.m-12: 15 p.m.
1A. I Get By with a Little Help from a Mentor: Mentoring Programs in Libraries
Presenters: Christiana Congelio, Grandview Heights Public Library and Kate Folmar, Worthington Libraries
Whether you have new employees with tons of potential or a great employee taking the next step in your organization, you’ll undoubtedly want to help them grow. Mentor programs contribute to the development of a better-trained and engaged workforce and they’re easier to find (and start) than you think! Join us as we talk through and share what a mentorship program can do for your library, where to find one, and how to build your own.
1B. Internal Customer Service: It’s More Than Just “Being Nice”
Presenter: Mary Frankenfield, Mansfield/Richland County Public Library
In 2021, the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library’s Customer Service Standards were being evaluated for an update. While deliberations for the new set of standards were going on, the administration noticed that the old standards referred to “Internal Customers” in only a vague and passing way. It was decided that this was not enough and that a separate set of internal standards was necessary. Wanting the entire staff to feel ownership over these new Internal Customer Service Standards, the staff first received training about Internal Customer Service, and then were challenged to take the existing Customer Service Standards and re-envision them as Internal Standards. The result was a comprehensive set of standards that clearly expresses the value found in our internal customers and specific descriptions of how coworkers will be treated at MRCPL. In this program, Deputy Director Mary Frankenfield will share the library’s Internal Customer Service training program and the process that resulted in the standards being created, refined, presented, and embedded into the organization.
1C. To Infinity and Beyond! From Youth Services to Management
Presenters: Samantha Lumetta, Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library; Annamarie Carlson, Upper Arlington Public Library; Celeste Swanson, Lane Libraries; Sagoree Chatterjee, Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
In this session, you will hear from a panel of former youth services frontline staff, who are current supervisors or managers. They will share how they used the tips and tricks of managing youth and supervising storytimes to ace that interview and land their next position. This panel discussion will be moderated by a member of the OLC’s Children’s Services Division and will included time for Q&A.
1-2 p.m.
Presenters: Carrie Strong, Alexandria Public Library and Stacey Russell, Muskingum County Library System
Are you looking to be a leader at your library, but do not have an MLS/MLIS? Do you want ideas on how to advance your career? If so, then this is the session for you. Come listen to and chat with Carrie Strong, Director of the Alexandria Public Library, and Stacey Russell, Executive Director of the Muskingum County Library System. Each will share their path to leadership as well as tips and tricks they’ve learned along the way.
2B. Creating a Leadership Management Program for Your Staff
Presenters: Rachel Gut and David Hicks, Dayton Metro Library
In 2019, Dayton Metro Library established the Emerging Librarian Leadership Academy (ELLA) to create an opportunity to prepare staff for potential management openings. During this session, Deputy Director Rachel Gut will provide an overview of the ELLA training, the process of creating the training, and how it could be adapted to your library, regardless of size, budget and staff.
2C. Investing In and Developing Your Teams for Greater Mission Impact
Presenter: Valerie Kocin, Director, Cuyahoga Falls Public Library
Regardless of the level of dysfunction in your team or organization, you can develop an intentional strategic approach to engage, retain and grow your best and brightest employees. This session will show you how with immediate, actionable steps for your library, regardless of size or budget constraints. You learn how to:
- improve employee engagement at your library using a mission driven imperative
- avoid common pitfalls that occur when focusing on learning and development (particularly leadership development)
- overcome the resistance to change
- replace perfection with excellence
- leverage relationships and
- embrace DEI initiatives that foster respect for all individuals and points of view.
2:15-3:15 p.m.
3A. Creating Leaders at All Levels with Project Teams
Presenter: Casey Titschinger, Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
Learn how creating internal project teams at your library can eliminate bottlenecks, honor staff strengths, and encourage leadership development for non-MLS staff members. Casey Titschinger, Senior Branch Manager of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, will discuss strategies for identifying areas within your own workgroups that may benefit from a delegated, staff-led project team. She will also explain how to select staff to lead the project teams.
Presenter: Shaun Wright, Dayton Metro Library
In our field of librarianship, there is an increasing awareness of the many marginalized groups that are within libraries, both as staff and patrons. Many of these groups are facing continued and increasing barriers, both socially and legally. Our staff are no different and could use meaningful support from their managers in order to feel safe and valued at work. This session will take a closer look at one manager’s experience learning how to balance being a manager and an ally to his staff. Wright will explore managing vs. leading in the framework of allyship as well as the benefits and challenges of being an ally to your staff. You’ll come away from this session with ideas and resources to support your library staff and create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. After all, we cannot expect our patrons to feel safe and welcome in our libraries, if our staff do not.
Presenter: Cate Crusham, Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
As managers of publicly-funded institutions, we don’t have all that much say in the compensation of our staff. While we may want to reward our employees for their hard work, we are limited by our budget. We need to be creative and find other ways to make our team feel valued outside of pay alone. While our country is experiencing the Great Resignation, efforts toward retention of staff are more important than ever. It’s time for branch and department managers to think about how they can improve the work/life balance of their staff. In this session, we will evaluate what is in our control as public library managers. We will discuss everything from strategic scheduling and flextime for work/life balance to helping staff meet their career goals.
