Tracie HallÂ
Assistant Dean, Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science
Don’t “shrink yourself” or minimize your talents or ambitions to make others feel comfortable. It never works in the end. If you feel like a big fish in a small bowl, break out and find that ocean.
Briefly, how do you describe what you do as a librarian to your family or to people at a party?
I describe my work in libraries as an element of my community development and “culture work”.Are you or have you been involved in library or other associations? Are you or have you been involved in committees, initiatives, special projects (in associations or at work)? What are/ were they? How did you first get involved?
I am very involved in the profession. My interests now tend towards LIS education and LIS organizational development. To that end I am currently a member of the ALA presidential taskforce on LIS accreditation and a frequent grant writer and reviewer of IMLS grants. But even when I first started working in libraries I became active in regional and state library assns.
What or who influenced you to become a librarian?
Satia Orange of ALA’s Office of Literacy and Outreach Services first talked to me about the Spectrum Scholarship and I was hooked. But my other influencers were my first library “boss” Ray Serebrin who hired me at Seattle PL (he is now director of a library in Washington State). Later Anwar Ahmad who hired me at Hartford PL became a mentor and librarian role model.
If you could have done anything in your career differently, what would that be and why?
I got a great job offer while I was still at ALA. I wish I could have split myself in half and remained in the office for Diversity and still be Assistant Dean at Dominican Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
Tell us from your own experience one leadership lesson that you have learned.
Don’t “shrink yourself” or minimize your talents or ambitions to make others feel comfortable. It never works in the end. If you feel like a big fish in a small bowl, break out and find that ocean. The profession needs people who are willing to think outside the box/bowl. Don’t try to fit into small places.
How do you recognize contributions of others in your library and in your community?
I am always quick to tell people thank you, congratulations, or to write little notes. I also know that complimenting others publicly is a great way to acknowledge that person and to be sure that others acknowledge them as well.
What advice would you give to up and coming librarians?
Choose and area of the field that you are absolutely passionate about and then strive to become an expert/opinion leader in that area. That way you’ll ensure that what you love to do will more and more become a part of your everyday work.
Also, continue to challenge yourself. Don’t grow too complacent. If you settle too soon, you’ll never know how far you could have gone.
What do you think are the top three issues facing librarianship (positive or negative) that could change the course of things? If we should try to change that course, how should we go about it?
Right now the changing nature of customer expectation and attention span is necessitating that libraries do all they can to provide better and faster access in the format and style that users expect.
Demographic diversity and global citizenry also means that potential and existing library users are somewhat more sophisticated about the world and their own identities. In libraries we must recruit, retain, and promote people who are comfortable with diversity and with the reality that there is not one cultural norm, but many. If not librarians and library staff will come off appearing too insulated from the “real world”
What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned in your current position?
That serving is one of the most valuable components of leadership and often the most difficult to master. What I am learning is that it is often easier to be the head honcho than it is to be the person supporting a vision generated by someone else. But serving is essential for true leadership. It makes you aware of your own leadership behaviors and where you need to tone down a bit or to be more of an advocate.
What are the top three things they don’t teach you in library school (or did not teach you in LS) that you think are critical?
—-Marketing and Public Relations
—-Leadership development
—-Organizational managment