New England Library Association

The weather was fine as I drove to the Sturbridge Host Hotel. My first program was the New England Library Leadership Symposium: NELLS. I was a graduate of the 2003 NELLS program. This involved five days at Canonicus, a rural setting in Rhode Island. Maureen Sullivan was our teacher, and we had librarian mentors. During this time, Librarians from Academic, Public and Special Libraries gathered together to learn and share. (We also went swimming in the lake and watched adorable rabbits hop by).

With me on the panel were graduates of other NELLS sessions which were held after mine. We all agreed that it was an enriching experience. I was happy to encourage other library leaders to apply for this rewarding program. If anyone on our staff wants to know more about this terrific opportunity, please contact me.

An interesting point was made during this session. Leadership can occur at all levels of librarianship. For example, a Reference Librarian can add interesting and exciting new additions to a web site. A library staff member may take the lead and make sure that his or her shelfreading is done to perfection. There are so many ways to enrich one's library and to take pride in one's work accomplishments. This, too, is an example of leadership!