ODU Libraries Key Accomplishments 2017-2018 [Annual Report]

Key Accomplishments of the ODU Libraries for 2017-2018 based on the Libraries\u27 strategic goals

New Perspectives in Leadership: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Public Speaking

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author\u27s experience of overcoming the fear of public speaking

New Perspectives in Leadership: No More Square Pegs for Square Jobs: A Proposal for a New Recruitment Mindset for the Future of Libraries

The article suggests how managers can adopt job crafting and positivity so to make a productive workplace that is also a happier workplace. Managers aiming for a positive environment, good employee morale and commitment, even in the face of hardships and crisis, may want to try how job crafting and positivity might improve their organization

Design Your Library Video Like a Hollywood Blockbuster: Using Screenplay Structure to Engage Viewers

The article presents a framework of storytelling principles used in Hollywood films to help librarians make compelling and interesting videos for their users. It mentions that dramatized and non-dramatized are library video\u27s two basic types. It states that an effective story contains the structure, the most significant component in the construction of a story, and conflict, which occurs when something prevents the character to reach his or her goal. It suggests that the first act of the film should hook the attention of the audience as most viewers decide whether they like or dislike the film in the first ten minutes

Personal Goal Setting Behavior and Professional Outlooks of Academic Library Employees

Studies indicate correlations between personal goal-setting behaviors, performance and attitude in professional roles. An online study was developed and conducted in 2016 with academic library employees to better understand the goal-setting behavior of library employees in a particular context, via setting New Year’s resolutions, which is defined as a decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner . Results show that nearly half (49.6 percent) of all respondents set New Year’s resolutions in 2016. Goals related to health and fitness topped the list of goals that were set, followed by occupational goals. Of those who felt unclear about their purpose in life, 57 percent felt they were somewhat to very likely able to accomplish their top goals. Comparatively, 82 percent of those who had a clear sense of purpose in life felt the same

New Year\u27s Resolutions, Career Outlook, and Personality: An Investigation of Library Employees\u27 Goal Setting Behaviors

Many organizations use goal setting as a professional tool to get employees to achieve gains within the workplace. Many librarians in the United States participate in setting New Year\u27s resolutions as part of their personal goal-setting behavior. As studies indicate correlations between personal goal-setting behaviors, performance and attitude in professional roles, the researchers posit that learning how library employees set and achieve New Year\u27s resolutions could provide insight into how organizations can improve employee goal setting. An online survey was conducted in 2016 with 512 respondents. Results showed that respondents who self-reported as ambitious tend to be more successful in achieving their goals. Furthermore, ambitious respondents utilized goal-setting best practices more than less ambitious respondents. Respondents with a less clear sense of purpose in life tended to put in less effort or gave up more often than those with a clearer sense of purpose

The Drive to Create an Assessment Plan: A Department Head\u27s Roadmap

In an effort to become a data-driven department, the Head of Faculty and Graduate Services, in collaboration with the Office of Library Planning & Assessment, introduced a strategy for developing an assessment plan to instill a culture of assessment in the department; help team members gain confidence in the practice; and effectively utilize in-house resources to create a practical approach to assessment. A three-prong approach is proposed. Destination: Instill a culture of assessment by demonstrating to the team that assessment can be applied on an everyday level, and can lead to effective decision making. Route: Team members participate in a simple assessment project that gives actionable results quickly. A case study will be discussed. Destination: Help team members gain confidence in assessment. Route: Give team members a strong foundation in the various areas of assessment by inviting experts to conduct training. The goal is to equip members with the ability to ask the right questions, and develop their own basic tool boxes. Destination: Effectively utilize in-house resources. Route: Collaborate closely with the Office of Library Planning and Assessment to develop a systematic consulting service for the team. This presentation will be a progress report of the implementation of this roadmap

An Investigation of Factors Impacting the Wellness of Academic Library Employees

The term wellness is fast garnering attention on how it affects one\u27s professional and personal life. This study explores the multi-dimensions of wellness and investigates factors that might impact the wellness of employees in academic libraries. The research topic was addressed through quantitative analyses of responses to multiple choice, ranking and qualitative analyses of responses to open-ended items. With a total of 1123 respondents, key findings include: there are statistical relationships between how respondents characterize themselves and how often they felt overwhelmed; the respondents\u27 age and how often they felt overwhelmed; the respondents\u27 age and how important they feel eating healthy is; the respondents\u27 current position and how important is being optimistic is to them

New Perspectives in Leadership: How to Lead from the Middle with Evidence-Based Decision Making: A Conversation with a New Department Head

An interview with Adriana Gonzalez, head of the faculty and Graduate Services Department at Kansas State University (K-State) Libraries is presented. She relates how she became convinced that high value should be placed on assessment. She suggests several ways for instilling confidence in team members. She describes her approach to creating an assessment plan for her department

Plan Your Impact: Stacking Your Skills to Make Yourself Irreplaceable [Chapter 12]

After reading this chapter, you will be able to: • construct and maintain a professional reputation in order to advance in the profession and be sought after for service and scholarship opportunities; • describe effective methods of becoming involved in professional associations in order to bypass the barrier of needing-to-have-experience-to-get-experience; and • construct effective narratives in order to effectively advocate for promotion and/or tenure. Introduction Success, defined as career progression, is a primary concern for new librarians and library school students in this era of constantly shifting priorities. Stacking your own unique skill sets establishes your professional reputation and can make you irreplaceable. Being thought of as irreplaceable can lead to significantly higher job security, better pay, more opportunities, respect from your peers, awards and honors for your work, and leadership opportunities. Succeeding as an academic librarian requires the construction and maintenance of a professional reputation, involvement in professional organizations, and construction of effective narratives in order to effectively advocate for yourself in promotion and/or tenure reviews. Conclusion Imagine your career as a movie and that you are the writer and director. One of the most famous screenwriting mottos is “know your ending,” which, in this case, is your vision. How do you envision your career? The clearer you can see it, the easier it is going to be to reverse-engineer your way there. Once you know the direction you must take, you can create steps and goals that help you achieve that vision. Each goal can be broken down into smaller, easy-to-complete mini-goals. Each step will bring you closer to the destination, just as each goal you set will build your capacity to reach your career nirvana