INFOhio Community

Are you interested in an initiative to encourage Ohio library staff to collaborate and develop innovative ideas that address current library needs and challenges? Do you want to be involved in a program that would develop your leadership, team-building, and project management skills? 

The State Library of Ohio and OhioNet are pleased to announce ILEAD Ohio 2023 application is open. ILEAD Ohio helps develop present and future Ohio library leaders, no matter their position or title, through a team-based, problem-solving project. The goal of ILEAD Ohio is to support participants in addressing professional and/or community needs through the exploration and application of innovative communication, technology, and collaborative tools and skills. 

In ILEAD Ohio, participants will form a team of four to five and apply as a group. We strongly encourage diversity by selecting applicants from a variety of library types – public, school, academic and special. Applicants are not required to have a master’s degree in library science. Successful applicants will be Ohio library staff members who are innovative and interested in growing their leadership skills and working with their peers to address a need in the library profession and/or their communities. This means you will need all four or five of your team members and a project idea before submitting your application. Visit ILEAD Ohio’s page to download the application documents   The deadline to submit a team application is February 24 by 11:59 p.m.

To learn more, the ILEAD Ohio steering committee will host an informational webinar on January 12, 2023, at 2 p.m. Participants will learn about the ILEAD Ohio program, application process, creating a team, and ask questions. The webinar will be recorded. 

The teams selected to participate in ILEAD Ohio 2023 will implement collaborative and/or interactive tools that foster community engagement as well as develop leadership, creativity, and solution-focused change.  Through the 9-month program, participants engage in a conversation to identify a community need; identify user representatives to provide critical feedback during the development of the project; and grow as a leader and gain valuable experience in project management. 

“ILEAD Ohio introduced me to a wealth of fresh viewpoints and new experiences in all aspects of librarianship: project management, leadership, advocacy, and so much more. It was also a safe space that encouraged introspection and relationship building. ILEAD greatly enriched my professional life, in terms of both the knowledge I gained and the friendships & contacts I made.” Jeff Laser, ILEAD Ohio 2017 alumni, Continuing Education Coordinator, Northeast Ohio Regional Library System.

Register for the webinar at https://ohionet-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwscuurrzwtGNHpNk-S-dLrcU3pYqlYDpmM. If you need assistance creating your team or developing your idea, please contact Erin Kelsey at ekelsey@library.ohio.gov or 614-644-6889.