Library Leadership
in a Global Community:
Thinking Outside the Borders
Barbara J. Ford
Susan Schnuer
Sara Q. Thompson
Mortenson Center for
International Library Programs
Established by two generous gifts from
C. Walter and Gerda B. Mortenson
Mission:
To strengthen international ties among libraries and librarians worldwide for
the promotion of international education, understanding and peace.
More than 800 librarians from 87 countries have already taken
advantage of this center — the only one of its kind in the world.
Thinking Outside the Borders:
Funding and Partners
 Funding for this
three-year project
comes from the
Institute of Museum and
Library Services (IMLS),
an US Federal Organization
www.imls.gov
Partner: Illinois State Library
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/
Goals
 establish common language for talking about leadership
and better understanding of leadership traits in a global
context
 develop cross-cultural communication strategies
 gain deeper appreciation and understanding of the
context of library operations in other countries
 build lasting professional relationships with librarians from
other countries
Guidelines
 residential for more informal discussions
 participants evenly split between
international and U.S. librarians
 speakers from U.S. and other countries
 presentations and activities new to all participants to create an
even field for learning
 content based on concrete concepts common to all librarians
 mixture of lectures, workshops, group activities and a project
Guiding Principles
 Global Leadership Qualities
 International Leadership in Action
 A Space, a Place, and a Time
 Moving outside of the U.S. context
 A level-playing field
 An environment of trust and inclusion
 Connecting through Local Touch and Global Reach
Content
 Cross-cultural




communication
Advocacy
Negotiation
Disaster preparation
Cultural simulation games
 Pamoja
 World Cafe
 Assessment Tool:
Campbell Leadership
Description
 Multicultural awareness
 A global view
 Culturally sensitive
 Globally innovative
 Effective global leadership
image
 Internationally resilient
“… so many different approaches to creating a culture, communicating, and
making things work on many different levels…”
-- institute participant
“… I feel that [Pamoja] was the catalyst to develop the trust needed to
move beyond your ‘average’ participation.”
-- institute participant
“This kind of lighthearted interaction was the most enlightening to me. I
actually began to connect with my peers, both international and American.”
-- institute participant
For More Information:
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/mortenson
Barbara J. Ford
Susan Schnuer
bjford@illinois.edu
schnuer@illinois.edu