Library Supervision and Management

Do you want to be a leader in your organization? Have you taken on a new role that includes managing people? There are many ways to lead, and as you find your own path, you’ll need skills and expertise to succeed.

In this six-week course, you will:

• Advance your knowledge of key management principles
• Develop practical skills you need to deal with day to day responsibilities
• Understand the organizational and community dynamics that impact your decisions as a leader
• Build confidence in your effectiveness as a supervisor

Each week, we’ll examine issues such as labor laws, managing people, leadership qualities, planning and evaluation tools, policy, budgeting, and community engagement, with opportunities to reflect on your practice among colleagues. This course aims to provide a well-rounded overview of core management topics alongside optional resources for those who want to explore ideas in-depth. With a flexible, self-paced format for weekly readings, you can choose to focus on essential information or take a deeper dive into extended readings. Assignments can be completed in a variety of formats, providing an opportunity to polish your communication and presentation skills.

Course Description: In this self-directed course, you will find weekly readings, useful resources, and practical assignments. Each week, learners will be expected to interact in the online discussion forums and complete an assignment. The instructor will participate in the discussion forums and will provide feedback.

Course Outline: When you log in to the Infopeople online learning site, you will see weekly modules with these topics:

• Week 1: The Legal Landscape
  • Federal labor laws
  • State and local laws
  • Library privacy laws
• Week 2: Human Resources
  • Managing people
  • Performance reviews
  • Recruitment and hiring
• Week 3: Leadership
  • Leadership competencies
  • Individual perspectives on leadership
  • Staff training and development
• Week 4: Planning
  • Community profiles
  • Data analysis
  • Assessment and priorities
  • Planning tools and techniques
• Week 5: Library Operations
  • Effective meetings
  • Policies and procedures
  • Budget basics
• Week 6: Community Engagement
  • Marketing and messaging
  • Customer service
  • Partnerships

Time Required: To complete this course, you can expect to spend 2½ hours per week, for a total of fifteen course hours. Each week's module contains readings and various options for assignments. You can choose the options most relevant to your work and interests. Although you can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night, it is recommended that you complete each week's work within that week to stay in sync with other learners.

Who Should Take This Course: New and aspiring managers and supervisors and current managers and supervisors who want to reflect on their practice.

Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC): This course is approved as covering the Supervision and Management competencies for the LSSC program.

Do you work in a rural or tribal library? If so, you may be eligible for a course fee waiver for this course. This Infopeople course has up to five no-cost seats allocated for rural or tribal libraries. Fill out a fee waiver request, and if a no-cost seat is available you will be notified via email.

Keywords: leadership, supervision, management