Leadership and Managment
Core Competencies:
a. identify and define goals; develop measurable and single-outcome objectives for each goal and define effective strategies for achieving objectives as part of the strategic planning process
b. design and conduct community analysis, needs assessment, and/or outcome evaluation
c. develop appropriate content for funding proposals
d. explain supervisory styles and organizational/management structures
e. explain strategies for successful financial management, public relations, and marketing
f. explain and design effective strategies for community and institutional advocacy
g. promote the role of information services in facilitating diversity and global awareness
h. analyze ethical issues and develop strategies to address them
Description
For the advocacy group plan, my group and I chose to focus on the specific library of Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. We decided that the Malpass academic library of Western Illinois University could bring about changes to more fully engage students (specifically first-year students) in use of library resources. This is what my group focused on in our advocacy plan.
Analysis
For the advocacy plan analysis, my group did a SWOT analysis concerning the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the Malpass Academic Library at Western Illinois Univeristy. When it comes to strengths, we agreed that "large, varied collections across multiple locations," and the fact that "Malplass Library is a central hub on campus are the strengths of the Univeristy Library." When it came to weaknesses, we agreed that "changing leadership," which Malpass had recently seen, "leads to uncertainty and lack of direction, and ongoing fiscal concerns lead to lack of resources. For "opportunities," we found that, "new leadership may take the library and campus in a new positive direction." As well as, "online resources and instruction developed during the pandemic open the door for higher enrollment due to greater access." Finally, when it came to threats to the Malpass library on the Western Illinois University campus, we found that "state funding and enrollment are both still weak, leaving Western Illinois University vulnerable," and that, "racial tensions in the surrounding community harm reputation and turn students away." Overall, even though there are difficulties relating to the Malpass Public Library such as, "weak state funding and enrollment," "racial tensions," and, "ongoing fiscal concerns," we also were spurred to help by asking Malpass to create new "opportunities," such as, starting with the "new leadership," and "large, varied collections across multiple locations," that they had already begun with.
Reflection
In reflection, the advocacy plan I promote is, with my group, a way of analyzing and making changes to an academic university library. The specific library we chose was the Malpass Library and Western Illinois University and the changes we considered making were, "creating awareness for incoming first generation and rural students," "maintaining an existing relationship with experienced students," and, "strengthening relationships with students of color," as there are cultural tensions in the wider community of Macomb, Illinois. In the future, if I were asked to create and advocacy plan, I would, like this one, look for strengths and weaknesses already present and, if working with partners, come up with new strengths that could help the said library improve.