Media contact:
Beth Dempsey, 248.349.7810 or beth@bethdempsey.com
May 27, 2008 (Chicago) -- Norice Lee, manager of the Dorris Van Doren Regional Branch of the El Paso Public Library, has been awarded the 2008 Urban Libraries Council (ULC) Joey Rodger Library Leadership Grant. Ms. Lee will attend the Brookings Institution’s “Leadership Lab,” offered through its Executive Leadership Program. ULC’s Joey Rodger Grant program aims to seed the library industry with innovative public sector leadership training.
“An important way to strengthen our members is support them as they hone their organizations’ leaders,” said Martín Gómez, president of the ULC. “We’re delighted to fund continuing education that will not only impact Norice’s branch, but El Paso and our membership at large.”
Ms. Lee began her career in academic libraries, but moved to public libraries to have a greater community impact. The Brookings Institution’s training will expand upon work she has completed at the University of Texas at El Paso’s Institute for Policy and Economic Development (customized for City employees), where she improved her knowledge on ways libraries can position themselves to be considered essential assets.
“The buzz phrase we most typically hear in our business is the value of ‘library as place,’” said Ms. Lee. “I believe that ‘the place of the library’ -- where we are positioned, our status, our ranking within the larger organization -- is what will help us get the resources we need to perform important work. It takes strong leadership to strategically position the library to its best advantage.”
Grants from The Joey Rodger Fund for Library Leadership require recipients to share the knowledge gained from their leadership experiences with ULC members. Ms. Lee will present what she learned at ULC conferences. “Librarians are increasingly unable to attend training sessions and conferences away from their libraries,” said Ms. Lee. “I continuously strive to share and distribute information as broadly as possible.”
Leadership development is a key initiative of ULC’s effort to build its members’ organizational strength. The Joey Rodger Grant, one of a number of programs available to ULC members, was established in 2004 to honor Eleanor Jo “Joey” Rodger, who led the ULC from 1992 to 2004. Fund organizers raised more than $50,000 in donations from individuals and institutions.
To learn about this and other awards, visit ULC at www.urbanlibraries.org.
About the Urban Libraries Council
For more than 30 years the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) has worked to strengthen public libraries as an essential part of urban life. A membership organization of North America�s premier public library systems and the corporations that serve them, ULC serves as a forum for sharing best practices resulting from targeted research, education and forecasting. ULC's programs are acclaimed for inspiring new organizational models that invigorate urban libraries and enrich the areas surrounding them. ULC is headquartered in Chicago. For more information, visit the group on the Web at www.urbanlibraries.org.
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