Saying No to Say Yes

Librarians Managing from the Middle

Presenter: Rita Premo

Co-Presenter(s):
Catherine Fonseca, Hilary Smith, Kaitlin Springmier

Presenter Status: Faculty

Academic Year: 21-22

Semester: Fall

Department: Library and Library Science

President's Strategic Plan Goal: Diversity and Social Justice

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1gX55msegTFIzk91dgEFIiW3kW-7UnztE

Abstract:
This session invites participants to reflect on the ways middle leadership roles offer distinct opportunities to see and surface inequities on campus. Faculty librarians discuss how they leveraged their middle position to respond to technology-related inequities during the pivot to remote instruction, from establishing safe working conditions for staff, to increasing students' access to lending equipment, and providing instructional support to non-library faculty. Panelists share best practices for establishing and enforcing boundaries: necessary steps when resources are limited, priorities differ, and vulnerable populations are overlooked. Panelists also offer strategies for boundary-setting amidst varied stakeholder groups—that is, managing up, managing laterally, and managing down. Participants will be invited to reflect on and share examples of ‘saying no’ as a strategy for prioritizing underserved populations at their campuses. By empowering middle leaders to enact boundaries, institutions better position themselves to transition their crisis-informed actions towards lasting, equitable change across the university.