Pat Vera
On June 17, a group of 24 librarians identified as future leaders, six other experienced librarians serving as mentors, and a project manager met at Harambe Oaks Ranch in the Texas hill country for a week of leadership training. The institute faculty was composed of Maureen Sullivan, an organizational development consultant from Annapolis, Maryland, and Jack Siggins from George Washington University in Washington, DC. Project manager was June Kahler-Berry, a school librarian, adjunct professor and former employee of the Texas Education Agency. An especially welcome mentor was Robert Martin, Director of the Texas State Library. Other mentors included Steve Brown, director of the North Richland Hills Public Library; Ruth Dahlstrom of the Goliad ISD libraries; Barbara Gubbin, director of the Houston Public Library; Maureen Pastine of the S.M.U. Library; and Dana Rooks from the University of Houston.
To get to the institute, we drove across the "Devil's Backbone," a dry hilly country of white gravel dotted with dusty cedars, large oaks, and buzzards circling overhead, until we thought we had reached the end of civilization. At first glance, Harambe Oaks Ranch seemed just that--with no television, radio, outdoor eating on picnic tables shaded by large oak trees, and only one phone on 75 acres. However, upon staying a while and enjoying the great food and evenings on the porch talking and relaxing, most people were considering returning for a vacation. Soon after arrival, we were introduced to camp supervisor Judy Rinker and her partner Phyllis Bigby. We learned that the two women had bought the ranch 18 years ago in a "moment of madness" from a private girls' camp and turned it into a meeting place for workshops, family reunions, Elderhostel programs, company picnics, and church retreats. These amazing gray-haired dynamos, looking deceptively like someone's grandmothers, designed and built over half the buildings and furniture, "by guess and by golly," and learned plumbing and electrical work by reading library books, Judy said. Now they cook and serve anywhere from 40-1,000 people three hot meals a day, and with a staff of nine, maintain and add to the buildings. They chose the name "Harambe" from the Swahili word for "friendship," and many friendships were made during the leadership workshop.
The workshop leaders, skilled at helping organizations, especially libraries, train leaders for the future, conducted both morning and afternoon sessions. Beginning with large groups, then small groups, then sessions with mentors individually, attendees learned their personality types from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator; how to enhance effective communication in groups; how to cope with conflict; how to develop working teams; ways of motivating staff to higher achievement; coaching skills for counseling, mentoring, tutoring, and challenging; ways to manage change; leadership styles, characteristics, and values; and were aided in setting goals and career planning. After clarifying personal values, we set vision statements and mission statements, and devised goals and strategies to achieve our visions. From small town librarians, to school librarians, to university librarians, all found common ground to discuss and help each other plan.
At the end of the institute, each person was given a "personal action agenda" to complete and return to the Texas Library Association headquarters, with a statement of purpose, goals, strategies, and encouragement to take an active leadership in TLA, as well as the American Library Association. Mentors spent time discussing these individually, so that each person has someone to look to for continued advice, by phone, e-mail, or mail. All attendees were encouraged to keep in touch and support each other as a team. For those of use relatively new to the profession, we felt it to be an honor to even meet the mentors. And we were doubly enthralled to learn that we could actually bounce ideas around with them and get new insights and different suggestions to help us solve our problems in our own libraries. To learn that these people cared how we functioned strengthened our self- confidence. To know that we could call on them again for help was like a rainstorm breaking the heat of the Devil's Backbone! Now we had a reason to become more active in TLA--someone cared enough to help us, and we needed to live up to their faith in us as future leaders trying to help others.
By the end of the week, we felt less like strangers from different worlds, and more like family members who live in different areas, but still have a concern for each other. Our differences were minimized and our strengths maximized. Whether we are public, school, or academic librarians, we can and will work together to strengthen each other and the profession of librarianship.
Pat Vera is director of the Crowley Public Library.
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Last Modified: 3/25/1997