Fliss selected 2011-12 ARL Research Library Leadership Fellow

Susan Fliss, associate librarian of Harvard College for research, teaching, and learning, has been selected by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) as one of 25 individuals to participate in the 2011-12 ARL Research Library Leadership Fellows (RLLF) Program.

An executive leadership program, the RLLF meets the increasing demands for succession planning for research libraries with a new approach to preparing the next generation of deans and directors. Library directors are seeking a cohort of well-trained and sophisticated candidates who possess the necessary experience and perspective to succeed in premier leadership positions in large, complex institutions. The RLLF Program provides such a cohort.

This is the fourth cohort of the RLLF Program. HCL’s Rebecca Graham, associate librarian for preservation, digitization, and administrative services, was selected to participate in the first cohort, and Marilyn Wood, associate librarian for collection management, in the second, along with HUL’s Tracey Robinson, who heads the Office for Information Systems.

The upcoming two-year session was designed and sponsored by seven ARL member libraries: University of British Columbia Library, University of Illinois at Chicago Library, University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries, Dartmouth College Library, University of Miami Libraries, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries, and Northwestern University Library. The program begins with an introductory webinar comprised of an in-depth, 360-degree assessment overview designed to provide feedback to experienced library managers. The 2011–12 fellows will subsequently attend a Strategic Issues Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries from April 3-7, 2011.

The 2011-12 RLLF applicant pool was highly competitive. The selection committee, composed of the ARL directors sponsoring the program, chose 25 fellows representing a broad array of backgrounds and experiences and from multiple ARL institutions.