Tag Archives: Soft Skills

Meet Our New CPDWL Standing Committee Members

We are thrilled to introduce you to the new members of the Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning (CPDWL) Standing Committee. Each member brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and commitment to lifelong learning in the library profession.

Helen Chan

Helen Chan, the current Chair of the Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning (CPDWL), is an accomplished academic and professional in the library and information science sector. Prior to her current role, she chaired the IFLA Professional Division Committee of Division F and the Action Plan Review Committee, which introduced the widely used ‘Infinity’ platform within IFLA at WLIC 2023. Helen’s strong academic background, including over a decade teaching the Master of Science in Library and Information Management (MsLIM) program at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), enriches her role in CPDWL. Her passion for accessible information led to the creation of a new course for Bachelor of Science in Information Management (BsIM) students at HKU. Beyond academia, Helen supports teacher-librarian training in Hong Kong and participates actively in local non-profit work, holding directorship roles in an educational fund and a local secondary school board.

Joan Weeks

Joan Weeks is the Head of the Near East Section and Turkish Specialist in the African and Middle Eastern Division (AMED) at the Library of Congress where she supervises a staff of seven, including Arab, Persian and Armenian specialists with responsibility to acquire, process, and serve the Near East Collections. Prior to this, she was a Sr. Instruction Librarian at the Library of Congress where she designed and taught courses on the Library computer systems to staff. Joan is an elected member-at-large of the American Library Association (ALA) Council, and chairs the Near East and Southeast Asian Committee of the International Relations Committee of ALA. In IFLA, she was the Information Coordinator for the Section on Education and Training (SET), promoting programs such as the webinar series for LIS students.  She has a strong interest in library professional development instruction, making her a valuable addition to the CPDWL as the newly appointed Information Coordinator.

Julia Gelfand 

Julia Gelfand, a staunch advocate for global communication and cooperation, has been a vibrant part of the ALA’s IRRT Roundtable throughout her career. Julia’s international experience, from Europe and Asia to the Middle East and Africa, has enriched her work with IFLA for over 30 years. She’s been a pivotal part of the Science & Technology Section, the Acquisitions & Collection Development Section, and has contributed to numerous engaging programs. Now joining the professional development section, Julia looks forward to addressing the vast changes in libraries and librarianship, from technology to open movements, in innovative ways.

Tina Yang

Having worked in the library and information industry across China, Australia, and Hong Kong for nearly three decades, Tina Yang now serves as the Associate Librarian at the University of Hong Kong Libraries. In her role, Tina leads a dynamic team in providing diverse information, learning, and research services. Tina has witnessed the transformative power of technology in libraries and emphasizes the importance of mindset and capabilities in embracing this digital shift. As a library manager, Tina values continuing education and is excited to join CPDWL, where she can collaborate with passionate professionals in fostering lifelong learning in the library profession. Tina has also served in various roles within the IFLA Regional Standing Committee of Asia and Oceania.

Jorun Systad

Jorun Systad, Library Director in Sunnfjord municipality, Norway, brings her experience from IFLA’s Libraries for Children and Young Adults section to her current role. She’s particularly interested in enhancing public library services for smaller municipalities, focusing on collaboration with local organizations. Jorun has previously worked as a reading-motivator for “Foreningen!Les” and is an active member in the Norwegian Library Association and National Library’ strategic committee for 2020-2023. Her work emphasizes the need for libraries to facilitate ongoing staff development and workplace training.

Tina Gorokhova

Svetlana Gorokhova

Svetlana Gorokhova, an active participant in IFLA since 1994, firmly believes in the importance of continuous learning within the library community. She is excited to join the CPDWL in providing a seamless space for professional development across all sectors of the library community.

Anna Reddacliff

Anne Reddacliff 

Anne Reddacliff began her rewarding library career in 2001 as a volunteer. Today, she contributes to the Australian Library and Information Association’s (ALIA) Rainbow and Sustainable Libraries groups, remaining connected and inspired. With a love for writing and meeting new people, Anne is excited to bring her skills to IFLA CPDWL, expanding her influence internationally. She eagerly anticipates making new connections and contributing to the profession on a global scale.

Mingyan Li

Mingyan Li

Mingyan Li serves as the Metadata Librarian and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. With over 15 years of diverse library experience, she specializes in metadata workflows. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Bradley University, Mingyan is dedicated to advancing metadata management through innovation and accessibility.

Susan Cherono

Susan Cherono

Susan Cherono, a Librarian at the United States International University-Africa, brings over 14 years of experience in the field of Librarianship to CPDWL. With her passion for innovation and learning, she looks forward to contributing to CPDWL meetings and trainings.

Florian Forestier

Florian Forestier is in charge of social innovation and diversity politics at the French National Library and is also the project manager for the creation of the research center. He is passionate about training and development of staff skills, particularly regarding preventing discrimination and changing managerial attitudes.

Simona Marilena Bursasiu

Simona Marilena Bursasiu

Simona Marilena Bursasiu is a librarian at the Politehnica University of Timișoara, Romania, and an associate lecturer in the field of library and information sciences. As a former president of the Education and Training section of the Romanian Library Association, she is committed to providing online training for librarians around the world through CPDWL.

We welcome a group of dedicated professionals to the Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning (CPDWL) Standing Committee. Each individual brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and a commitment to ongoing professional development within the library and information sector. We eagerly anticipate the valuable contributions and fresh insights they will undoubtedly bring in the coming years.

For those interested in learning more about our new members, stay tuned for the upcoming issues of the CPDWL Newsletter. We will be featuring self-introductions from different standing committee members, offering you an in-depth look at their professional journeys, their passions within the field, and the unique perspectives that they bring to our committee.

Watch out for these enlightening features, and please join us once again in extending a warm welcome to our new members of the CPDWL!

Stay tuned and connected with CPDWL!

“Soft Skills are Heart Skills”- Part 2: More Take Aways from the Library 2.0 Conference: Wholehearted Libraries

On March 10, 2020, I attended the virtual conference Library 2.020: Wholehearted Libraries: Soft Skills for 21st Century Information Professionals. I previously described my take aways from the opening keynote session of the conference. This blog post addresses some of my takeaways from other sessions I attended at the conference.

The recordings for the keynote and regular sessions are all posted on the main event page for Library 2.0: https://www.library20.com/wholehearted. Please note that you need to be a member of Library 2.0 (free) to view them. If you aren’t a member, just click “Join” on the top right of the homepage. You can then view all of the presentation recordings for free.

Here are my takeaways…

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Library Leaders Are Failing Librarianship: Soft Skills Needed for Human Library Leadership
Steven Bell, Associate University Librarian, Temple University Libraries

I attended an excellent session by Steven Bell focused on “Library Leaders Are Failing Librarianship: Soft Skills Needed for Human Library Leadership.” He identified common library leadership concerns including that staff are disengaged, staff have low morale, and staff lack confidence and trust in their leaders. For more on Low Morale Among Academic Librarians, see the research conducted by Kaetrena Davis Kendrick. He also mentioned a related article he wrote: How about a little kindness for library leaders? Leading from the Library.

Bell recommended that library leaders focus on three areas of human leadership. Human leadership means:

  • creating a culture of change readiness,
  • adopting new power (open, participatory, peer-driven) vs. old power (exercise new power), and
  • establishing a self-aware empathic approach which means understanding workplace issues from the perspective of workers.

Bell identified 5 soft skills for human leaders:

  • Engage in focused listening, e.g., talk less and listen more.
  • Give meaningful feedback, e.g., give positive and negative feedback and engage in two-way feedback.
  • Help others grow, e.g., nurture others and support their growth.
  • Be flexible.
  • Practice balanced leadership.

For next steps in human leadership, Bell recommended the following:

  • Commit to being a human leader
  • Commit to being a learning leader
  • Commit to being a reflective leader
  • Start with a small change, e.g., focus on more listening and less talking.

For additional reading, see Daring Leadership: What Library Leaders Can Learn from Brene Brown and SmartBrief Leadership.

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Wholehearted Hypergrowth: Scaling Up in Silicon Valley
Elizabeth Borghi, Knowledge Program Manager, Knowledge Bee Knowledge Management Consulting

Before making the transition into knowledge manager roles in the Silicon Valley, Elizabeth Borghi started her career in public and academic libraries. Through her work in the Silicon Valley, Borghi learned the critical importance of soft skills and how, in fact, soft skills are key to team success.

She shared her experience of working at a rapidly growing startup company which had to scale its global employee hiring very quickly. She was asked to develop a 2-week-long training program for all new employees and to on board these new employees quickly.

Through this experience, Borghi identified the following as key elements of wholehearted workplaces:

  • Empathy – for our customers and for one another; this should be part of everything we do.
  • Curiosity and growth – through a supportive learning environment, which can provide job shadowing, mentorship, lending library, and exposure to new opportunities.
  • Radical trust – support employees when mistakes happen; encourage failing forward. Make sure that employees know that you are there to help them succeed, and that you show up to work giving 100% to the job. It is also important that we give one another feedback.

Summing up her talk, she quoted Rumi:

“Wherever you stand be the soul of that place.” Rumi

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Closing Keynote
Michael Stephens, Associate Professor in the School of Information at San Jose State University
@mstephens7
Stacie Ledden, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Anythink Libraries @ilovemyanythink

Dr. Michael Stephens kicked off the closing keynote by asking Library 2.0 conference attendees to reflect on 3 AHAs that amazed you, 2 concepts you want to focus on, and 1 idea to apply immediately. A couple of AHAs participants shared were that we have to serve ourselves, libraries are central to meeting basic needs, a strong library = a strong community, and kindness is important. A couple of concepts participants wanted to focus on included self-care and developing more empathy. One idea that a participant wanted to apply immediately was being more kind to myself.

Dr. Michael Stephens then interviewed Stacie Ledden about Anythink Libraries and her views about wholehearted libraries.

  • Q: What does it mean to you to be a wholehearted library?
    A: It means putting people at the center and helping people fall in love with libraries. Anythink is a values-based organization focused on: Compassion, Eagerness, Passion, Everyone is creative, and Optimistic attitude.
  • Q: What skills do you look for in Anythinkers?
    A: As a competency-based organization, Anythink hires and reviews people based on their 13 core competencies, which includes I am customer focused; I am flexible and embrace change; I am a problem solver; I am emotionally mature; among other competencies. Anythink Libraries believe that they can teach their staff skills but they need to hire for the soft skills and attitudes (in other words, the innate sense of a person) that they are looking for.
  • Q: What can we do to increase empathy in staff?
    A: She recommended looking outside ourselves and our industry for inspiration and looking in the community.
  • Q: What do you do if you feel some of your staff may not have that level of empathy that is needed? Can we teach it?  What happens to people who aren’t where they should be?
    A: She suggested that solid mentorship can help.
  • Q: What story do you want to tell as Anythink Libraries?
    A: She likes to think of Anythink Libraries as “Town Square” – the library is the place where people come together and can have dialogues for civic engagement.

Dr. Michael Stephens then concluded the conference with a brief conference wrap up. He reviewed some of the themes that emerged from the conference, including the importance of the following: love and taking care of people, “hygge” or sense of community, kindness, compassionate service, and compassionate leadership.

“We are the heart of our communities, and that only works because of what the people who work in libraries give of themselves. The best make that emotional investment because they believe in the institution and the communities they serve.” Dr. Michael Stephens

In sum, the heart of library means that:

  • We listen to our users
  • We teach in every sense of the word
  • We build community
  • We let everyone in.

“Libraries encourage the heart, which means we should…lead from the heart, learn from the heart, and play from the heart.” Dr. Michael Stephens

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If you enjoyed this Library 2.0 conference, you might also be interested in speaking at and/or attending other upcoming Library 2.020 virtual conferences (all 12-3pm Pacific Time):

  • Small, Rural and Independent Libraries Wednesday, June 17, 2020. This conference is being organized in partnership with Jim Lynch from TechSoup for Libraries, Kate Laughlin from the Association for Rural & Small Libraries, and the School of Information at San José State University.
  • Sustainability in Libraries Wednesday, October 14, 2020. This conference is being organized in partnership with Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, executive director, Mid-Hudson Library System (New York), and the School of Information at San José State University.

For answers to frequently asked questions about the Library 2.0 conference, go to: https://www.library20.com/page/miniconferencefaq.

“Soft Skills are Heart Skills”: Take Aways from the Opening Keynote at the Library 2.0 Conference: Wholehearted Libraries

On March 10, 2020, I attended the virtual conference Library 2.020: Wholehearted Libraries: Soft Skills for 21st Century Information Professionals. With its focus on the human side of 21st-Century information work, I found this conference a welcome and uplifting diversion from the non-stop COVID-19 global pandemic news. This blog post addresses some of my key takeaways from the opening keynote session from the conference.

More than 4500 people participated in this conference from around the world – Egypt, Lithuania, Ecuador, New Zealand, Poland, Malaysia, Chile, Puerto Rico, Norway, Italy, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, among other countries, as well as all over the United States from Alaska to Pennsylvania. 

The recordings for the keynote and regular sessions are all posted on the main event page for Library 2.0: https://www.library20.com/wholehearted. Please note that you need to be a member of Library 2.0 (free) to view them. If you aren’t a member, just click “Join” on the top right of the homepage. You can then view all of the presentation recordings for free.

The conference kicked off with a thought-provoking opening keynote panel featuring four distinguished speakers:

  • Michael Stephens, Associate Professor in the School of Information at San José State University @mstephens7
  • Loida Garcia-Febo, International Library Consultant @loidagarciafebo
  • Christian Lauersen, Director of Libraries and Citizens services, Roskilde Municipality, Denmark @clauersen
  • Rivkah Sass, Library Director, Sacramento Public Library @Rivkah

Dr. Michael Stephens, participating from Michigan, USA, started the panel off by addressing the ways that information professionals take care of the people who come into libraries, use the power of stories to help us learn about each other and how we view the world, create a space for all by focusing on people and not books, and make connections and open doors for learners.He also discussed some of the key soft skills that information professionals need for wholehearted libraries:, namely: Curiosity, Creativity, Confidence, Empathy, Character, Compassion, Mercy, and Understanding.

“We are the heart of our communities, and that only works because of what the people who work in libraries give of themselves. The best make that emotional investment because they believe in the institution and the communities they serve.” Dr. Michael Stephens

Christian Lauersen, participating from Copenhagen, Denmark, started his talk by stating that “Libraries are a people business.” He discussed Maslow Hierarchy of Needs and how humans are driven and motivated by “love and belonging.”He said it is important to ask the right question:

“To which challenges in your community are the library the answer?” Christian Lauersen

Some of the challenges communities today are facing include inequality, loneliness, polarization, and social inclusion. For more of his thoughts on the topic of inclusion and libraries, see his blog post “Do you want to dance? Inclusion and belonging in libraries and beyond.” Similar to other panelists, he emphasized that the key to libraries as forces of social good is the library staff. 

Loida Garcia-Febo, participating from New York, USA, talked about the importance of “Serving with Love” by embedding equity, inclusion and diversity (EDI). She also highlighted the need to create community spaces that build respect, to be intentional in our thinking and intentions for change, and to counter negative forces. When she served as the American Library Association (ALA) President, one of things she focused on was the need for diverse and equitable services in our libraries and the importance of advocating for all people, especially for vulnerable groups. She created a video series around EDI that explored the way that EDI factors into daily life, what challenges librarians face, and how libraries can promote EDI in their communities. She discussed how library programs and services should be related to and reflect human rights – through empathy, humanism, compassion, reflective action, among other skills.

“Libraries are community as well as knowledge hubs, and should promote and harness civic activism.” Loida Garcia-Febo

Rivkah Sass, participating from a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan where she was volunteering, shared some of the impressive work that the Sacramento Public Library has engaged in that resulted in this library winning the inaugural Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize. She said that in order to build community, you have to start with your staff. Her tips for being a wholehearted library were to:

be all “in”; listen to the community (for example, using something like The Harwood Institute Community Conversation Starter); listen to staff; try things, fail, try more things; identify what can you really impact; find something else if you aren’t happy; and be a glow worm. Rivkah Sass

I am not certain what “be a glow worm” means because unfortunately Rivkah lost internet connection at this time, but it comes from a Winston Churchill quote “We are all worms, but I do believe that I am a glow-worm.” There was some speculation in the participant discussion about the meaning of this, with one person guessing that being a glow worm is to show your light to other customers and be awesome. I think that sounds pretty good!

One of the discussion questions at the end of the keynote session asked: What does outreach and user engagement with libraries look like to you in 2020? What soft skills are required for this new normal? This question generated a range of responses from both the keynote presenters and the participants about the soft skills that are critical for outreach and user engagement. These included compassion, knowledge of your community, emotional and social intelligence, empathy, kindness, curiosity, cultural awareness, listening with your heart not just your ears, and understanding diversity and meeting diversity needs.

In sum, I found this opening session to be an inspiring and engaging way to get the conference started.  By focusing on the human spirit, the session reminds us why working in the field of library and information science is so rewarding. The main message – “soft skills are heart skills” – also reminds us about the ways that information professionals around the world bring their heart into the work every day and, by doing so, continue to have a huge impact on the communities that they serve.

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If you enjoyed this Library 2.0 conference, you might also be interested in speaking at and/or attending other upcoming Library 2.020 virtual conferences (all 12-3pm Pacific Time):

  • Small, Rural and Independent Libraries Wednesday, June 17, 2020. This conference is being organized in partnership with Jim Lynch from TechSoup for Libraries, Kate Laughlin from the Association for Rural & Small Libraries, and the School of Information at San José State University.
  • Sustainability in Libraries Wednesday, October 14, 2020. This conference is being organized in partnership with Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, executive director, Mid-Hudson Library System (New York), and the School of Information at San José State University.

For answers to frequently asked questions about the Library 2.0 conference, go to: https://www.library20.com/page/miniconferencefaq.

Learn About Soft Skills for 21st Century Information Professionals at the next Library 2.020 Virtual Conference

The next Library 2.0 virtual conference – Library 2.020: Wholehearted Libraries: Soft Skills for 21st Century Information Professionals – will take place on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020 from 12:00 – 3:00 pm US-Pacific Standard Time (click for your own time zone). This conference will be held online and is also recorded. It is free to everyone to attend!

REGISTER HERE to attend live and/or to receive the recording links afterward. Please also join this Library 2.0 network to be kept updated on this and future events.

This mini-conference will explore the human side of 21st-Century information work. As Dr. Michael Stephens, Associate Professor at the School of Information at San José State University and co-organizer of this event explains, “soft skills are heart skills.” Specifically, the conference aims to:

  • Define what soft skills are,
  • Understand how and when to use various soft skills,
  • Identify types of training that can improve soft skills, and
  • Explore how to share emotionally engaging stories.

The conference will kick off with an opening keynote panel featuring a range of experts from around the world who will tackle important questions about soft skills. The keynote panelists are:

  • Michael Stephens, Associate Professor in the School of Information at San José State University @mstephens7
  • Loida Garcia-Febo, International Library Consultant @loidagarciafebo
  • Christian Lauersen, Director of Libraries and Citizens services, Roskilde Municipality, Denmark @clauersen
  • Rivkah Sass, Library Director, Sacramento Public Library @Rivkah

The closing keynote will be given by Stacie Ledden who is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Anythink Libraries. @ilovemyanythink

In addition to these keynote sessions, there are several concurrent, crowd-sourced sessions. Some of these sessions include:

For more information about the Library 2.020: Wholehearted Libraries: Soft Skills for 21st Century Information Professionals, go to: https://www.library20.com/wholehearted.

You may also be interested in speaking at and/or attending other upcoming Library 2.020 virtual conferences (all 12-3pm Pacific Time):

  • Innovation in Small, Rural and Independent Libraries Wednesday, June 17, 2020. This conference is being organized in partnership with Jim Lynch from TechSoup for Libraries, Kate Laughlin from the Association for Rural & Small Libraries, and the School of Information at San José State University.
  • Sustainability in Libraries Wednesday, October 14, 2020. This conference is being organized in partnership with Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, executive director, Mid-Hudson Library System (New York), and the School of Information at San José State University.

For answers to frequently asked questions about the Library 2.0 conference, go to: https://www.library20.com/page/miniconferencefaq.