Melissa Dennis and Judy Greenwood
Twenty-six students participated in the yearlong Mississippi Library Leadership Institute, designed to develop the next generation of library leaders in Mississippi. Of those participants, two were librarians from the University of Mississippi Libraries: Melissa Dennis and Judy Greenwood.
The Mississippi Library Leadership Institute is a transformational experience requiring participants to attend four three-day training sessions, study leadership theory between sessions and undertake a community project.
Participants represented 21 different institutions from across the state, including K-12 schools, public libraries, community colleges, private colleges, four-year universities, archives and state agencies.
“Participating in the Leadership Institute was at times fun, demanding, exciting and challenging; I thoroughly enjoyed the experience,” said Judy Greenwood, UM interlibrary loan librarian. “The institute’s leadership training provided me with the toolset needed to be an effective and confident leader. It provided the opportunity to grow personally and professionally, establishing connections with librarians across Mississippi.”
The Mississippi Library Leadership Institute is made possible in part by a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Mississippi Library Commission.
“Part of the grant allowed participants to spend $1,000 on a service project for their library,” said Melissa Dennis, outreach and instruction librarian. “Judy and I are able to use this money to pilot an iPad lending program at the J.D. Williams Library. Without this leadership institute and funding, a project like this would not exist.”
The iPad lending program project is being tested internally at the university and will soon roll out to the public at the J.D. Williams Library and the local Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library.
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