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Beth Dempsey, 248.349.7810 or beth@bethdempsey.com

Moss Heads to Harvard with ULC Grant
OCLS Assistant Director Earns Joey Rodger Grant for Kennedy School Program

June 24, 2007 (WASHINGTON, D.C.)  -- Debbie Moss, assistant director of the Orange County (FL) Library System (OCLS) has been awarded a grant from the Urban Libraries Council�s (ULC) Joey Rodger Fund for Library Leadership.  Ms. Moss will attend �Driving Government Performance: Leadership Strategies That Produce Results� at Harvard�s John F. Kennedy School of Government.  The program is designed to provide participants with results-oriented tools to improve the performance of their organizations.

Ms. Moss� interest in challenging the relevance of traditional roles of the public library and create a new future drove her to seek the grant.

�The image of the library to many decision makers in our communities is that of a favored aunt,� said Ms Moss.  �The public library cannot survive another 20 years relying on the warm feelings of the public.  We need results that can demonstrate to the public a significant contribution to the well being of our communities.  My goal is to participate as a leader to help create this future.�

OCLS has a track record for both service innovation and measurement of results, setting the stage for Ms. Moss to apply what she learns in the library and then, measure its impact in the community.  �The application of this knowledge can only improve library service for the community,� she said. 

�ULC embraces voices like Debbie�s that challenge traditional thinking about the future of libraries and look for real results,� said Mart�n G�mez, president of the ULC.  �We�re delighted to fund continuing education that will not only impact OCLS, but our membership at large.�

Grants from The Joey Rodger Fund for Library Leadership require recipients to share the knowledge gained from their leadership experiences to ULC members.  Ms. Moss will present what she learned to ULC�s executive board and then, develop a webinar that can be accessed by members no matter their location.  Recorded presentations will also be available for on-demand learning. 

Leadership development is a key initiative of ULC, with the Joey Rodger Award as one of a number of programs available to organization members.  It 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 urbanlibraries.org.