University of Calgary
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is accepting applications for the 2023–2024 cohort of the Leadership Fellows Program (LFP).
The LFP is a thirteen-month hybrid experience that provides the next generation of senior and executive leaders with exceptional opportunities for growth in research libraries and archives. Through a multifaceted curriculum, peer and individual mentoring, self-assessment, executive coaching, and site visits, the LFP builds upon each participant’s foundations and enhances skills to develop innovative and successful leaders of complex organizations. Participants also form a lifelong community of supportive colleagues that extends far beyond the program.
Program Components
Program components include:
- Self-assessments and career coaching: Each fellow will complete self-assessments, coupled with career coaching sessions to help fellows understand their individual strengths and challenges as emerging leaders.
- Monthly virtual sessions focused on aspects of leadership in complex organizations: Fellows will attend monthly learning sessions on such topics as values-driven leadership; leading for diversity, equity, and inclusion; strategically managing budgets and other institution assets; fundraising; navigating internal organizational politics; and more.
- Guided individual learning: Fellows will complete readings, videos, and other exercises related to the monthly session theme.
- Peer mentoring: Fellows will participate in a leadership experience for small (four-person) cohort teams, structured around social learning theory that spans the entire length of the program.
- Individualized sponsor for career support: Each fellow will be connected to an ARL library director with the goal of forming a sponsorship relationship.
- Site visits: Fellows will attend two multi-day visits to distinguished host site institutions that will include enriching engagement with institution leaders, special events, and tours.
- Learning Summit: Fellows will attend two in-person learning summits at the commencement and towards the experience.
- Meeting attendance: If possible, fellows will attend at least one ARL Association Meeting and two Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) Membership Meetings, and participate in planned sessions for the cohort at each meeting.
Eligibility
To be eligible to participate in the Leadership Fellows Program, you must fulfill the following requirements:
- Be an established senior or emerging executive leader of a library, archive, and/or library system
- Established is meant to describe one who has served in your position for over five years; emerging is one who has served in your current position for approximately three years or less.
- Titles may vary as administrative structures differ by institution (senior titles may include assistant/associate director/dean/university librarian; executive titles may include director/dean/university librarian).
- Responsibilities should include direct contributions to the oversight of the institution and informing high-level, broad strategies and organizational management.
- Be located in Canada or the United States
To Apply
All applicants are required to submit the application form, which includes five brief writing prompts, and confirmation of institutional support by the institution’s executive leader. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. Hawaii–Aleutian time (UTC–10:00) on Tuesday, September 12. For more details on the application process, see the ARL website.
Informational Session
An informational session about the Leadership Fellows Program was held on Monday, August 21.
About the Association of Research Libraries
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of research libraries in Canada and the US whose vision is to create a trusted, equitable, and inclusive research and learning ecosystem and prepare library leaders to advance this work in strategic partnership with member libraries and other organizations worldwide. ARL’s mission is to empower and advocate for research libraries and archives to shape, influence, and implement institutional, national, and international policy. ARL develops the next generation of leaders and enables strategic cooperation among partner institutions to benefit scholarship and society. ARL is on the web at ARL.org.
