[Publib] Director Selection

[Edward Trever]

I was fortunate enough to have had a number of other relevant management 
courses while I went for my bachelors degree.  I had several government 
courses, economics, and a business minor.  As a recreation major, I received 
training in programming, maintenance, and a variety of management tasks 
through an internship under the direction of a small town recreation 
director.  I feel all of this background has been helpful.

Library school can only provide so much management information in a 30-36 
hour program.  Work experience, management institutes and the like are 
needed to complement what is learned in library school.

Ed Trever
Lincoln County Library Director
306 W. Main St.
Lincolnton, NC 28092
(704) 735-8044
Fax (704) 732-9042
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Buzzy Nielsen" <remnilk at hotmail.com>
To: <publib at webjunction.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2007 8:53 AM
Subject: Re: [Publib] Director Selection


I wholeheartedly agree that library managers should be aware of what
their libraries and librarians are doing. However, I can also see where
a library might want someone with a broad range of other experience as
well. Our professional training decently prepares us to be reference
librarians, catalogers, archivists, and the like. What it fails to teach
us are basic management skills. By the time you become director of a
medium-to-large public or academic library, your responsibilities often
belong more in the realm of public management than library science. It
would be nice if we could encourage librarians to pursue more management
training, as with the ALA's CPLA program. Perhaps such programs would
increase the pool of qualified applicants for director positions.

Cheers!
Buzzy Nielsen
MSI/MPP candidate, 2008
University of Michigan