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The Urban Libraries Council (ULC) has selected the Tulsa City/County Library Leadership Academy to receive the ULC/LSSI 2001 Award of Excellence in Public Library Management. The awards committee, chaired by Neel Parikh, Director of the Pierce County Library System (WA), agreed that the Academy provided Tulsa City/County Library staff with an outstanding opportunity to gain leadership skills.
The two-year Leadership Academy was established in coordination with the Tulsa Community College’s Management Program and serves Tulsa City/County Library staff members interested in personal and professional development. The goal of the program is to “prepare future leaders of the Tulsa City/County Library by providing them with an opportunity to gain knowledge and develop attributes and abilities essential to leadership roles.”
Leadership Academy classes include topics such as management essentials, human resource management, organizational behavior and business policy and are led by Tulsa Community College instructors. The four classes are offered over a two-year period of time. According to Tulsa City/County Library Director Linda Saferite, “The best feature of the class has been the interaction between class participants and the opportunity to discuss issues, to work together as a team, to share ideas, to try out solutions . . . [T]he result will be real learning and changed behavior as [students] put into practice what they have studied, discussed and implemented. This is bringing new energy to our leadership.”
Eliot Shelkrot, Chair of Urban Libraries Council Executive Board, stated, “Leadership development is a major area of concern for ULC. We are delighted to recognize Tulsa’s outstanding local program.”
The ULC/LSSI Award of Excellence in Public Library Management was established two years ago to recognize innovative practices and programs of public library managers in ULC member libraries. This year, the award focus is on strategies and/or programs that develop leadership skills among library staff and includes a $1,500 cash prize underwritten by Library Systems and Services (LSSI). Founded in 1971, the ULC offers advocacy, consulting, research and training support services to its members. |
