Developing Leaders Academy

The University of Pittsburgh and PSLA offer its sixth Leaders Academy—the Developing Leaders Academy (DLA)--to 18 PA school librarians through a Library Services and Technology Act grant from Commonwealth Libraries, PA Department of Education.  The Academy will be held from January through September 2019.  

The Leaders Academy, which will be offered in a combination of face-to-face meetings and video conferencing, strives to:

• Build and strengthen your content, interpersonal, communication, presentation, and leadership skill-set as part of a cohort of like-minded, supportive librarians; and
• Gain professional confidence to position yourself as a recognized librarian leader in your school and school district as well as in your professional associations. 

Each participant is matched with an individual mentor to help the participant assess the library situation, establish realistic priorities, and plan an effective library program that will help teachers teach and students learn.

Since 2014, 104 PA school librarians have participated in five Academies and have taken on new responsibilities in their school districts, built peer and mentor networks of support and affirmation for themselves, and become officers and committee chairs in PSLA.

2018-2019 Developing Leaders Academy Overview & Participants 

Detailed Information can also be found on the Leaders Academy LibGuide (http://paschoollibraryproject.org/academies/DLA). If you have any questions, please contact Mary Kay Biagini quickly at [email protected] or 412-624-5138.

Steering Group:

• Deb Kachel, Instructor, Antioch University, WA; Instructor, MS in School Librarianship McDaniel College, MD
• Cindy Keller, Instructor, MS in School Librarianship, McDaniel College, MD
• Nancy Latanision, Instructor, Libraries and Learning Technologies, Kutztown University (retired)