iLead

Last week I spent some time with the Colorado cohort of the iLead USA project: an Institute of Library and Management Services grant that focused on growing the next generation of library leaders. That's a goal I heartily support. I was privileged to give one of the keynotes, which streamed out to cohorts in other states. I also managed to stick around for a day and hear the pre-recorded speech by David Lankes. Lankes is one of our best voices: a library professor in New York who turned his recent bout of cancer into a powerful and inspirational message of passionate librarianship. Although we hadn't talked beforehand, I saw of lot of similarities in our beliefs: the notion that the work of librarianship should be FUN; the idea that libraries aren't about technology, ultimately, but about connection and transformation both personal and social. (And lest anybody get alarmed by librarians trying to transform things, I just mean "enable individuals and communities to look around at the choices, then help them progress in whatever way they decide").

The Colorado cohort (and I'm sure others) have some very bright people involved. It's fun to work with them.