Start or Support a Program

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• Interested in Starting a Program and Not Sure Where to Begin?
• Resources and Templates

We recognize that Pathways to Leadership (PTL) came out of a large, urban system and has received extremely generous funding. Although not every library system has the resources or need to build a program of the same scope, various elements of PTL can be adapted to fit the needs of your library system.

Interested in starting a program or adapting an element of PTL, and not sure where to begin?

Step 1: Defining the Problem  

• Invite individuals from all levels of the organization to the conversation
• Contextualize the problem in the greater LIS field
• Get the data—and create visualizations
• Determine the root cause(s) of the problem that you are seeking to address
• Connect with individuals who have defined similar problems

Step 2: Building Your Team

• Determine your leadership team, including each person’s roles and responsibilities
• Determine your project partners
  • Reflect: Who is already doing similar work? Who has similar values? What strengths, skills and tools are we bringing to the table, and which are we missing? Have we created a comfortable environment for partners to work in?
• Determine your stakeholders
  • Reflect: What resources do we need, and is there someone in our organization, network or community who can help us access them? Which levels of the organization are we trying to influence? How can we connect this mission to the values, visions and work of our potential stakeholders? Are we considering a varied range of stakeholders?
• Be open to growing your team

Step 3: Creating a Proposal or Plan

• Set deadlines for drafting, revising and finalizing your proposal
• Think about your audience and what may resonate with them
• Explain what is at stake if this problem goes unaddressed
• Map out your ideal budget, your realistic budget and potential sources for funding (if relevant)
• Prioritize clarity, concision and sustainability
• Set measurable and concrete goals
• Ground your claims in data
• Share your ideas and drafts with a broad range of individuals frequently—and welcome feedback with open arms!

Step 4: Implementing Your Plan

• Stay curious and open-minded
• Delegate information and power; we recommend creating an advisory board and including stakeholders in each step of implementation
• Be open to change and prepared to pivot
• Get creative!
• Be willing to have tough conversations
• Document everything
• Follow up and follow through
• Track your progress and share it with your stakeholders regularly
• Set aside time regularly (and frequently) to assess and evaluate
• Make mistakes!

Step 5: Wrapping Up

• Complete administrative tasks (i.e. update documents, save files, etc.)
• Update stakeholders and send a final report
• Hold a debrief meeting
• Celebrate!

Resources and Templates for Scholarship Programs and Other Workforce Development Initiatives 

Enrichment Workshop ideas could include:  

• Business Writing Workshop
• Giving and Receiving Feedback
• Identifying Strengths
• Setting SMART Goals
• Igniting Your Superpower
• The ABCs of Academic Writing
• Presenting and Public Speaking 101
• Customer Experience 101
• Building Community in LIS
• Getting the Most Out of Mentor-Mentee Relationships

Once you’ve started your program, use these templates for different stages:  

• Onboarding surveys and templates
• Conference itinerary template
• Monthly meeting agenda template
• Program timeline template (how frequently to check in with scholars, plan programs, etc.)