Wilson Mericle
Entrepreneurial Leadership- The student applies advocacy, marketing, and communication principles for entrepreneurial leadership.
I have held various leadership roles throughout my life; however, I rarely thought of myself in a leadership capacity until entering this program. I began reflecting on my leadership style in LIS 650: Library Administration and Management. My personal style is one of open communication, support, and inclusion. Each course I have taken while gaining my MLIS has informed and built upon these ideas and increased my confidence in my leadership skills.
In LIS 650, our final assignment was to write a leadership and management treatise. As outlined above, I believe that good communication between faculty, staff, and patrons is key to creating a positive work environment where professional relationships are cultivated and high quality service is paramount. Providing appropriate support for library staff is also important. A leader must know when to inspire and push as well as when to encourage independence. Inclusion of all library staff on decisions regarding change and innovation within the institution reinforces each person's value in the library.
In reflecting on this assignment I realized that I have grown a great deal during my time in the MLIS program. For instance, I no longer see introversion as an obstacle to overcome. As a reference intern in UNCG's Jackson Library, I discovered that I enjoy helping others as well as being a "behind the scenes" librarian. Additionally, the confidence I have gained in my skills as a librarian has abated my aversion to pursuing a management role at some point in my career.
As mentioned in previous SLOs, advocacy is an important aspect of providing quality service to patrons. Marketing and advocacy tend to go hand in hand. Whether the library is promoting a special collection, or advocating for the inclusion of materials, leadership is critical. In my advocacy/ethics project from LIS 600, I worked for the inclusion of LGBTQ materials in libraries. The case study that inspired the project demonstrated how an oversight could cause a major ethical dilemma. In the case of DC College, multiple campus leaders had to work together to remedy the situation. My project showed how something as simple as creating a book display can inform patrons and staff of an issue in need of consideration. As such, taking a leadership role can be as small as starting an advocacy project, which can in turn lead to further discussion and resolution.