On this day Mrs. Kay Raseroka, the Director of Library Services of the University of Botswana spoke about the challenges and opportunities for African Librarianship.
She mentioned that the challenges we faced as African Librarians are promoting the use of information, promoting the use of Information Communication Technologies, having to deal with users who have the problem of language when they have to communicate or seek information, having the problem of not knowing if the information acquired is going to be used effectively.
She mentioned the opportunities as diversification of the profession, networking and partnerships with various professions, lifelong learning of Librarians and global Librarianship.
Prof. Christine Stilwell from University of Kwa Zulu Natal talked about the way forward for Libraries in South Africa. She used the 2007 Delphi study to discuss the most pressing issues facing Librarianship.
The Participants of the Delphi Study were required to rank the top nine Library issues, the issues were Funding from government. Public access computing, Information Literacy, Social exclusion and social capital issues, Information and Knowledge commons, Role of organized profession, Education and training, ICT infrastructure and More assertive Library
The 2007 Delphi Participants ranked Information Literacy as their number priority while the 2009 ranked it is number six. Government funding was ranked number two by the 2007 Delphi Participants while the 2009 Carnegie Leadership Participants ranked it as number 0ne.
We were also asked to ranked the top seven Top issues form the 2009 Carnegie Leadership Academy Participants, in our group Modles of Public Access was ranked number one, Education and Training number two and ICT and Connectivity number three,
All the groups agreed that ICT and connectivity plays a vital role in the development of our Libraries.
This was the last day of the 2010 academy. We concluded with the presentations from different groups. Prof. Bothma and Prof. Stilwell encourage us to improve our presentation skills, we were told not to look at the Power Point Presentation when presenting, but to face the audience, and Power Point slides not too be loaded with information but only six to nine bullet points.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
25 MARCH 2010
Dr. Danny Titus talked about multiculturalism in the workplace, nowadays South African workplace is dominated by people from diverse cultures. It is therefore important for a Leader to know how to handle the issue of multiculturalism within the organization.
Leaders must promote cultural awareness or tolerance by learning factual information about the cultures and groups with different backgrounds.
Dr. Danny Titus emphasized that Leaders must not be stereotyped and biased when dealing with diversity, they must teach others about cultural differences, inherit diversity issues in staff meetings at work, recognizes differences as diversity rather than as abnormal behavior and develop skills in cross cultural communication.
In the afternoon we visited Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg.
What is the Constitution hill
The Constitution Hill precinct, located at the western end of the suburb Hillbrow in Johannesburg, is the seat of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. The first court session in the new building at this location was held in February 2004. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Hill,_Johannesburg
The hill was formerly the site of a fort which was later used as a prison. The Old Fort Prison complex is known as Number Four. The original prison was built to house white male prisoners in 1892.
The Old Fort was built around this prison by Paul Kruger from 1896 to 1899 to protect the South African Republic from the threat of British invasion. Later, Boer military leaders of the Anglo-Boer War were imprisoned here by the British. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Hill,_Johannesburg
The Old Fort prison was later extended to include "native" cells, called Section 4 and Section 5, and, in 1907, a women's section was added. An awaiting-trial block was constructed in the 1920s.
Both political activists opposed to apartheid and common criminals were held at the prison. Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned here in 1906, and striking white mineworkers in 1907, 1913 and 1922. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Hill,_Johannesburg
Under the apartheid government, only whites were held in the Old Fort itself, except for Nelson Mandela, who was given a bed in the hospital section when he was as an awaiting-trial prisoner in 1962 prior to the Rivonia Trial. Joe Slovo, Bram Fischer, Albert Luthuli and Robert Sobukwe were also inmates. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Hill,_Johannesburg
The site housed prisoners until 1983, when it was closed. In 1995, the Constitutional Court justices began looking for a permanent location for the new Court. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Hill,_Johannesburg
The purpose of the visit was for us to learn more from the Constitution Library, to learn about the past history of South Africa, so that we can learn to forgive and forget and to learn more about the importance of the Constitution Law in our Country.
Useful website:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Hill,_Johannesburg
Leaders must promote cultural awareness or tolerance by learning factual information about the cultures and groups with different backgrounds.
Dr. Danny Titus emphasized that Leaders must not be stereotyped and biased when dealing with diversity, they must teach others about cultural differences, inherit diversity issues in staff meetings at work, recognizes differences as diversity rather than as abnormal behavior and develop skills in cross cultural communication.
In the afternoon we visited Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg.
What is the Constitution hill
The Constitution Hill precinct, located at the western end of the suburb Hillbrow in Johannesburg, is the seat of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. The first court session in the new building at this location was held in February 2004. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Hill,_Johannesburg
The hill was formerly the site of a fort which was later used as a prison. The Old Fort Prison complex is known as Number Four. The original prison was built to house white male prisoners in 1892.
The Old Fort was built around this prison by Paul Kruger from 1896 to 1899 to protect the South African Republic from the threat of British invasion. Later, Boer military leaders of the Anglo-Boer War were imprisoned here by the British. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Hill,_Johannesburg
The Old Fort prison was later extended to include "native" cells, called Section 4 and Section 5, and, in 1907, a women's section was added. An awaiting-trial block was constructed in the 1920s.
Both political activists opposed to apartheid and common criminals were held at the prison. Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned here in 1906, and striking white mineworkers in 1907, 1913 and 1922. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Hill,_Johannesburg
Under the apartheid government, only whites were held in the Old Fort itself, except for Nelson Mandela, who was given a bed in the hospital section when he was as an awaiting-trial prisoner in 1962 prior to the Rivonia Trial. Joe Slovo, Bram Fischer, Albert Luthuli and Robert Sobukwe were also inmates. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Hill,_Johannesburg
The site housed prisoners until 1983, when it was closed. In 1995, the Constitutional Court justices began looking for a permanent location for the new Court. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Hill,_Johannesburg
The purpose of the visit was for us to learn more from the Constitution Library, to learn about the past history of South Africa, so that we can learn to forgive and forget and to learn more about the importance of the Constitution Law in our Country.
Useful website:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Hill,_Johannesburg
24 MARCH 2010
We learnt about Digital Preservation on this day, the Presenters were Ria Gronewald and Heila Pienaar of the University of Pretoria.
Digital Preservation is the management of digital information over time.
The Client Service Presentation, was done by Hilda Kriel of the University of Pretoria, made me think about the service we provide in our Library.
I have learn that in order to provide a better service within our Library we must be committed to providing efficient and prompt service to our users, interact with them in order to determine what are their needs, review users complaints and feedback.
Ms. Christa North, head of quality assurance from the University of Pretoria talked about Quality assurance.
Quality assurance is defined set of activities that are carried out to set standards and to monitor and improve performance so that the care provided is as effective and safe as possible. http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/CityHealth/QualityAssurance/Pages/QualityAssurance.aspx
The Presenter for the second session was Dr Nisha Sewdass from University of Pretoria, she talked about Competitive Intelligence.
Competitive Intelligence is the action of defining, gathering, analyzing, and distributing intelligence about products, customers, competitors and any aspect of the environment needed to support executives and managers in making strategic decisions for an organization. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_intelligence
Competitive intelligence is not industrial espionage; it is the process of finding information about your competitors so that you can improve on the service you provide.
Competitive Intelligence is important in organizations because it makes them to strive for excellence service and to produce highly quality products, retain intelligent and hard working staff members.
The organizations compete for Products, Finance, Technology, People Reputation and Image.
She also mentioned that we must be able to indentify our competitors.
In the Library sector our competitors are Publishers, Booksellers, other Institutions for example in Pretoria; University of Pretoria Competitor will be Unisa.
Digital Preservation is the management of digital information over time.
The Client Service Presentation, was done by Hilda Kriel of the University of Pretoria, made me think about the service we provide in our Library.
I have learn that in order to provide a better service within our Library we must be committed to providing efficient and prompt service to our users, interact with them in order to determine what are their needs, review users complaints and feedback.
Ms. Christa North, head of quality assurance from the University of Pretoria talked about Quality assurance.
Quality assurance is defined set of activities that are carried out to set standards and to monitor and improve performance so that the care provided is as effective and safe as possible. http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/CityHealth/QualityAssurance/Pages/QualityAssurance.aspx
The Presenter for the second session was Dr Nisha Sewdass from University of Pretoria, she talked about Competitive Intelligence.
Competitive Intelligence is the action of defining, gathering, analyzing, and distributing intelligence about products, customers, competitors and any aspect of the environment needed to support executives and managers in making strategic decisions for an organization. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_intelligence
Competitive intelligence is not industrial espionage; it is the process of finding information about your competitors so that you can improve on the service you provide.
Competitive Intelligence is important in organizations because it makes them to strive for excellence service and to produce highly quality products, retain intelligent and hard working staff members.
The organizations compete for Products, Finance, Technology, People Reputation and Image.
She also mentioned that we must be able to indentify our competitors.
In the Library sector our competitors are Publishers, Booksellers, other Institutions for example in Pretoria; University of Pretoria Competitor will be Unisa.
23 MARCH 2010
Johan Greef from Treetops organization, talked about organizational culture.
Organizational culture is the personality of the organization.
Culture is comprised of the assumptions, values, norms and tangible signs (artifacts) of organization members and their behaviors. For example if at a certain Library, the photocopy machines or the printers are always out of order, people from the outside will know about this and they will never come to the Library because they know that the service is very poor.
It is therefore important that we as leaders provide our client with a good service which is efficient because first impression lasts.
We were privileged to be visited by Karin Kitching of the United States Embassy and Rene Schoombee, the 2007 Librarian of the year, from Laerskool Rustenburg; they addressed us on Library advocacy.
They define Library Advocacy as the act of pleading or arguing in favor of something, such as a cause, idea or policy, active support.
Rene Schoome mentioned that Librarians are the Library advocates, Library advocates belief that Libraries and Librarians are vital to the future of information Literate.
She also mentioned that we must be passionate about our profession, be enthusiastic and positive about being a Librarian , join Library associations , offer our services to the community and accept invitations to deliver presentations and develop and empower ourselves by applying for grants and scholarships.
She mentioned that we as Librarians must be proud to be Librarians and market our services.
I ‘m going to practice what I have from her, I now know that everywhere I go I must talk about our Library and tell people about the unique service we offer. I must not act like just a Librarian, I must talk about our services at the Faculty boards meeting, Library committee meetings and make our voice heard.
I have learnt a lot from Rene, in order to show that I’m a good leader ,from now on
I’m going to make sure that I become an active member of LIASA, contribute towards the development and empowerment of the people in my community and I’m applying for Full Bright Scholarship in order to further my Masters Degree.
The Director of Library Services University of Pretoria, Mr. Robert Moropa talked about: Is your Library well positioned in the minds of decision makers?
We learnt that as Leaders we must see ourselves and our Libraries adding value in the entire organization, for example many institutions of higher education and municipalities don’t value Libraries, therefore as Librarians we must be Library Advocates, learn to market our services, speak well about our Libraries and not act like just Librarians, we must not allow them to cut Library budgets and they must learn to value Libraries.
Useful website:http://www.liasa.org.za/advocacy/advocacy.php
Organizational culture is the personality of the organization.
Culture is comprised of the assumptions, values, norms and tangible signs (artifacts) of organization members and their behaviors. For example if at a certain Library, the photocopy machines or the printers are always out of order, people from the outside will know about this and they will never come to the Library because they know that the service is very poor.
It is therefore important that we as leaders provide our client with a good service which is efficient because first impression lasts.
We were privileged to be visited by Karin Kitching of the United States Embassy and Rene Schoombee, the 2007 Librarian of the year, from Laerskool Rustenburg; they addressed us on Library advocacy.
They define Library Advocacy as the act of pleading or arguing in favor of something, such as a cause, idea or policy, active support.
Rene Schoome mentioned that Librarians are the Library advocates, Library advocates belief that Libraries and Librarians are vital to the future of information Literate.
She also mentioned that we must be passionate about our profession, be enthusiastic and positive about being a Librarian , join Library associations , offer our services to the community and accept invitations to deliver presentations and develop and empower ourselves by applying for grants and scholarships.
She mentioned that we as Librarians must be proud to be Librarians and market our services.
I ‘m going to practice what I have from her, I now know that everywhere I go I must talk about our Library and tell people about the unique service we offer. I must not act like just a Librarian, I must talk about our services at the Faculty boards meeting, Library committee meetings and make our voice heard.
I have learnt a lot from Rene, in order to show that I’m a good leader ,from now on
I’m going to make sure that I become an active member of LIASA, contribute towards the development and empowerment of the people in my community and I’m applying for Full Bright Scholarship in order to further my Masters Degree.
The Director of Library Services University of Pretoria, Mr. Robert Moropa talked about: Is your Library well positioned in the minds of decision makers?
We learnt that as Leaders we must see ourselves and our Libraries adding value in the entire organization, for example many institutions of higher education and municipalities don’t value Libraries, therefore as Librarians we must be Library Advocates, learn to market our services, speak well about our Libraries and not act like just Librarians, we must not allow them to cut Library budgets and they must learn to value Libraries.
Useful website:http://www.liasa.org.za/advocacy/advocacy.php
22 MARCH 2010
On this day, Prof Ronel Rensburg talked to us about Marketing, branding and effective communication in our organizations.
We learnt that Informal and Formal communication are the very important means of organizational communication.
It is also vital for organizations to market their services in order that their client and customers must have knowledge of the products available and changes affecting them.
Branding defines what your organization is, What you stand for, what makes you unique, how do people perceive your organization, whether you could change peoples’ perception about your organization and if your organization can live up to the new brand it has created for itself.
useful websites:www.brandidentityguru.com/corporatebranding.htm
www.wisegeek.com/what-is-corporate-branding.htm
We learnt that Informal and Formal communication are the very important means of organizational communication.
It is also vital for organizations to market their services in order that their client and customers must have knowledge of the products available and changes affecting them.
Branding defines what your organization is, What you stand for, what makes you unique, how do people perceive your organization, whether you could change peoples’ perception about your organization and if your organization can live up to the new brand it has created for itself.
useful websites:www.brandidentityguru.com/corporatebranding.htm
www.wisegeek.com/what-is-corporate-branding.htm
20 MARCH 2010
We visited the National Library on this day; the main purpose of the visit was to celebrate the Launch of Library week. Library week is celebrated annually during the month of March, in order to coincide with the opening of the first Public Library in Cape Town Library on the 18 March it was an honored to celebrate the occasion with the likes of Nadine Gordimer, South African writer, political activist and Nobel laureate. She donated some of her books to the Library.
The theme for 2010 Library week, is Reading Changes Lives. The President of Library Association of South Africa (LIASA), Mrs. Rachel More, encouraged parents to buy book as a birthday present for their children instead of buying them toys.
After the LIASA library week program, we took the tour of the National Library of South Africa is one of the biggest and technologically advanced Libraries in the country. Their study carrels are sound proofed so that the students discussing in the Library don’t disturb others.
They have started a Project called Deacidification, which is a process of treating paper documents for the purpose of neutralizing acids within the paper and to create an alkaline buffer. High acidity levels contribute to the deterioration of paper, causing yellowing, brittleness, and instability.
This is a very good project; it will make the books to be used for a long period without losing its original color and tearing easily. It will be wise if other libraries can follow in the footsteps of the National Library
The theme for 2010 Library week, is Reading Changes Lives. The President of Library Association of South Africa (LIASA), Mrs. Rachel More, encouraged parents to buy book as a birthday present for their children instead of buying them toys.
After the LIASA library week program, we took the tour of the National Library of South Africa is one of the biggest and technologically advanced Libraries in the country. Their study carrels are sound proofed so that the students discussing in the Library don’t disturb others.
They have started a Project called Deacidification, which is a process of treating paper documents for the purpose of neutralizing acids within the paper and to create an alkaline buffer. High acidity levels contribute to the deterioration of paper, causing yellowing, brittleness, and instability.
This is a very good project; it will make the books to be used for a long period without losing its original color and tearing easily. It will be wise if other libraries can follow in the footsteps of the National Library
19 MARCH 2010
The main topics for presentations were Knowledge Management, Knowledge Society and Innovative thinking for contemporary Librarians.
The Presenters were Marietjie Schutte and Judi Sandrock. Their Presentations focused on the importance and implementation of Knowledge Management in the workplace.
Knowledge Management involves connecting people with people, as well as people with information. (Daikir, 2005:20)
I have also learnt that Knowledge Management helps people to do their jobs and save time through better decision making and problem solving, help people to be abreast and helps institutions to stay ahead of the competition.( Daikir, 2005:20)
Prof. Johannes Cronje presentation was on Innovations and thinking outside the box for South African Libraries, this was the most interesting session, the presenter was full of energy and it was an interactive presentation. We were asked to be creative for example, to create a door mat out of paper, to name five uses of paper clip and to draw an elephant.
The main purpose of the session was to show us how important is team work in the workplace and we must learn to think out of the box, must learn to substitute for example using a paper clip as an ear bud.
The four Learning styles were discussed namely Accommodator, Diverger, Converger and Assimilator.
Useful websites :www.media-access.com/whatis.html(knowledge management)
www.dlsu.edu.ph/conferences/etfp/papers/estacio.pdf -(km)
The Presenters were Marietjie Schutte and Judi Sandrock. Their Presentations focused on the importance and implementation of Knowledge Management in the workplace.
Knowledge Management involves connecting people with people, as well as people with information. (Daikir, 2005:20)
I have also learnt that Knowledge Management helps people to do their jobs and save time through better decision making and problem solving, help people to be abreast and helps institutions to stay ahead of the competition.( Daikir, 2005:20)
Prof. Johannes Cronje presentation was on Innovations and thinking outside the box for South African Libraries, this was the most interesting session, the presenter was full of energy and it was an interactive presentation. We were asked to be creative for example, to create a door mat out of paper, to name five uses of paper clip and to draw an elephant.
The main purpose of the session was to show us how important is team work in the workplace and we must learn to think out of the box, must learn to substitute for example using a paper clip as an ear bud.
The four Learning styles were discussed namely Accommodator, Diverger, Converger and Assimilator.
Useful websites :www.media-access.com/whatis.html(knowledge management)
www.dlsu.edu.ph/conferences/etfp/papers/estacio.pdf -(km)
18 MARCH 2010
The topic for the day was Ethical Organization; Presenters were Prof. Deon Rossouw and Ms. Mbali Cele.
Prof. Deon Rossouw talked about Business ethics, which he defines as ethical values that determine the interaction between a company and its stakeholders.
He also talked about how you manage ethical organizations and implementing ethical standards.
The Presentation by Ms. Mbali Cele from Freedom of Expression Institute was an eye opener for most of the participants.
She talked about Freedom of Expression. She emphasized that the South African Constitution states that every person have the right to freedom of expression which includes freedom of the press and media, freedom to receive and impart information or ideas, freedom of artistic creativity and academic freedom and freedom of scientific research.
The session was a very interesting session; the participants felt that more time was needed to discus since most of them have more questions than answers.
What I have learned from the session is that we as Librarians must not deprive our users information, for example during collection development we must try to purchase Library materials for everyone, we must not be biased, not let our political affiliation, religious affiliation, cultural beliefs and race influence us.
We visited the University of Pretoria after Ms. Cele presentation. The visit to University of Pretoria was so exciting, the Director of Library Services Mr. Robert Moropa, talked to us about their strategic plan and the services they provide.
We were taken on a Library tour, University of Pretoria Library is one of the most highly technological advanced. It is one of the Institution were some of us dream of working at.
Prof. Theo Bothma, head of Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Pretoria, took us to the department and we were so impressed by the technological advanced Lecture hall they got.
He talked about the Degrees they offer and their department, and indicated that most students are no longer registering for Library Science and Information Retrieval, which include cataloging and classification have been phased out because most student don’t want to study it.
As a Librarian of the 21st Century, I can say there is no need for Cataloguing and Classification nowadays, when we purchased books the books are already classified and the old system of cataloging is no longer relevant nowadays.
The Cataloguing Librarians also download the records form OCLC and make some few amendments really there is no need for it.
Prof. Deon Rossouw talked about Business ethics, which he defines as ethical values that determine the interaction between a company and its stakeholders.
He also talked about how you manage ethical organizations and implementing ethical standards.
The Presentation by Ms. Mbali Cele from Freedom of Expression Institute was an eye opener for most of the participants.
She talked about Freedom of Expression. She emphasized that the South African Constitution states that every person have the right to freedom of expression which includes freedom of the press and media, freedom to receive and impart information or ideas, freedom of artistic creativity and academic freedom and freedom of scientific research.
The session was a very interesting session; the participants felt that more time was needed to discus since most of them have more questions than answers.
What I have learned from the session is that we as Librarians must not deprive our users information, for example during collection development we must try to purchase Library materials for everyone, we must not be biased, not let our political affiliation, religious affiliation, cultural beliefs and race influence us.
We visited the University of Pretoria after Ms. Cele presentation. The visit to University of Pretoria was so exciting, the Director of Library Services Mr. Robert Moropa, talked to us about their strategic plan and the services they provide.
We were taken on a Library tour, University of Pretoria Library is one of the most highly technological advanced. It is one of the Institution were some of us dream of working at.
Prof. Theo Bothma, head of Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Pretoria, took us to the department and we were so impressed by the technological advanced Lecture hall they got.
He talked about the Degrees they offer and their department, and indicated that most students are no longer registering for Library Science and Information Retrieval, which include cataloging and classification have been phased out because most student don’t want to study it.
As a Librarian of the 21st Century, I can say there is no need for Cataloguing and Classification nowadays, when we purchased books the books are already classified and the old system of cataloging is no longer relevant nowadays.
The Cataloguing Librarians also download the records form OCLC and make some few amendments really there is no need for it.
17 MARCH 2010
The presenter was Mr. John Moalusi. He discussed the importance of Performance Management in the workplace; unfortunately Performance Management is not practiced at other institutions.
He emphasized that Conflict Management is important in the workplace, he asked us to mention the sources of conflict in the workplace. It was agreed during the discussions that the main causes of conflict in the workplace is Lack of Leadership, Lack of Resources and Multiculturalism.
He emphasized that Conflict Management is important in the workplace, he asked us to mention the sources of conflict in the workplace. It was agreed during the discussions that the main causes of conflict in the workplace is Lack of Leadership, Lack of Resources and Multiculturalism.
16 MARC H 2010
On this day, the main theme for the day was Organizational Leadership. This session emphasized the reason for us for attending the Academy.
The Presenter was Mr. John Moalusi, a very active, educated, knowledgeable person. It was a very interactive session, all the participants participated actively. This presentation made us look back to where we come from, the presentation made us to make self introspection, to check if we are leaders or managers, to check if we are good or bad leaders.
The theories of Leadership were discussed in detail, namely
1.“Great Man” Theories: Great Man theories assume that the capacity for leadership is inherent – that great leaders are born not made.
psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm
2. Trait Theories assumes that people inherit certain qualities and traits that make them better suited to leadership.
3. Contingency Theories: focus on particular variables related to the environment that might determine which particular style of leadership is best suited for the situation. According to this theory, no leadership style is best in all situations. Success depends upon a number of variables, including the leadership style, qualities of the followers, and aspects of the situation.
4. Situational Theories Situational theories propose that leaders choose the best course of action based upon situational variable. Different styles of leadership may be more appropriate for certain types of decision-making.
5. Behavioral Theories Behavioral theories of leadership are based upon the belief that great leaders are made, not born. Rooted in behaviorism, this leadership theory focuses on the actions of leaders, not on mental qualities or internal states.
According to this theory, people can learn to become leaders through teaching and observation.
psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm
6. Participative Theories suggest that the ideal leadership style is one that takes the input of others into account. These leaders encourage participation and contributions from group members and help group members feel more relevant and committed to the decision-making process. In participative theories, however, the leader retains the right to allow the input of others.
7. Management Theories focus on the role of supervision, organization, and group performance. These theories base leadership on a system of reward and punishment. Managerial theories are often used in business; when employees are successful, they are rewarded; when they fail, they are reprimanded. psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm
8. Relationship theories (also known as “Transformational theories”) focus upon the connections formed between leaders and followers. These leaders motivate and inspire people by helping group members see the importance and higher good of the task. psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm
I discovered during the presentation that I use more of Participative style of Leadership, because if I have to implement some changes in the day to day running of the Library I always consult with my subordinates and management to find out if what I have to introduce will benefit the Library or people will accept and not resist change.
Useful website: psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm
www.leadership-studies.com/documents/mgmt_standards.pdf
The Presenter was Mr. John Moalusi, a very active, educated, knowledgeable person. It was a very interactive session, all the participants participated actively. This presentation made us look back to where we come from, the presentation made us to make self introspection, to check if we are leaders or managers, to check if we are good or bad leaders.
The theories of Leadership were discussed in detail, namely
1.“Great Man” Theories: Great Man theories assume that the capacity for leadership is inherent – that great leaders are born not made.
psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm
2. Trait Theories assumes that people inherit certain qualities and traits that make them better suited to leadership.
3. Contingency Theories: focus on particular variables related to the environment that might determine which particular style of leadership is best suited for the situation. According to this theory, no leadership style is best in all situations. Success depends upon a number of variables, including the leadership style, qualities of the followers, and aspects of the situation.
4. Situational Theories Situational theories propose that leaders choose the best course of action based upon situational variable. Different styles of leadership may be more appropriate for certain types of decision-making.
5. Behavioral Theories Behavioral theories of leadership are based upon the belief that great leaders are made, not born. Rooted in behaviorism, this leadership theory focuses on the actions of leaders, not on mental qualities or internal states.
According to this theory, people can learn to become leaders through teaching and observation.
psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm
6. Participative Theories suggest that the ideal leadership style is one that takes the input of others into account. These leaders encourage participation and contributions from group members and help group members feel more relevant and committed to the decision-making process. In participative theories, however, the leader retains the right to allow the input of others.
7. Management Theories focus on the role of supervision, organization, and group performance. These theories base leadership on a system of reward and punishment. Managerial theories are often used in business; when employees are successful, they are rewarded; when they fail, they are reprimanded. psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm
8. Relationship theories (also known as “Transformational theories”) focus upon the connections formed between leaders and followers. These leaders motivate and inspire people by helping group members see the importance and higher good of the task. psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm
I discovered during the presentation that I use more of Participative style of Leadership, because if I have to implement some changes in the day to day running of the Library I always consult with my subordinates and management to find out if what I have to introduce will benefit the Library or people will accept and not resist change.
Useful website: psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm
www.leadership-studies.com/documents/mgmt_standards.pdf
15 MARCH 2010
The presenters for the day were Mr. John Tsebe, he talked about Locating Libraries on the national agenda.
Mrs. Rachel More, the president of LIASA talked about Leading Liasa and Liasa leading the Profession.
What interested me was when she talked about Professional Librarians not wanting to join Liasa because they claim that the association is not doing anything for them.
This is really happening at most institutions, the Professional Librarians have lost interest in Liasa, especially in KZN, because most of the short courses which can empower and develop them are offered in Gauteng, Librarians from other Provinces are left in the dark.
Prof Archie Dick talked about Social responsibility of Libraries and Librarians, his presentation was well structured, and he did a lot of research. He was able to give evidence that the burning of the Libraries is not a new thing but is the thing of the past.
During the talk I learnt that we as Librarians have a vital role to play in our communities, we must not stand back, we must involve the community in everything we do, let them be part of the decision makers in the matters of the Library, by so doing they will feel important and they won’t regard the Libraries as something which belongs to the government or municipality.
Prof Theo Bothma gave us class work to discuss in groups the next generations Librarians… how will we look now and where do we want to be?
This was an informative, educative and interactive session, all the groups came up with good ideas but the most important one was that all the groups emphasized that Technological changes is affecting all the Libraries, Public and Academic.
Libraries today are moving in the direction of hi-tech technology and Library users are more advanced than us. There are factors which affect us Librarians, for example Lack of financial support to acquire the latest technological equipment, access to social networking technological tools barred and problems with connectivity, offline or no electricity.
Pamoja, was a very interesting game to play, what we learnt from the game is that in the workplace Leaders must have good communication skills, negotiation skills, listening skills and tem work plays a vital role in the working environment.
Usefulwebsite ; http://www.nlsa.org.za
Mrs. Rachel More, the president of LIASA talked about Leading Liasa and Liasa leading the Profession.
What interested me was when she talked about Professional Librarians not wanting to join Liasa because they claim that the association is not doing anything for them.
This is really happening at most institutions, the Professional Librarians have lost interest in Liasa, especially in KZN, because most of the short courses which can empower and develop them are offered in Gauteng, Librarians from other Provinces are left in the dark.
Prof Archie Dick talked about Social responsibility of Libraries and Librarians, his presentation was well structured, and he did a lot of research. He was able to give evidence that the burning of the Libraries is not a new thing but is the thing of the past.
During the talk I learnt that we as Librarians have a vital role to play in our communities, we must not stand back, we must involve the community in everything we do, let them be part of the decision makers in the matters of the Library, by so doing they will feel important and they won’t regard the Libraries as something which belongs to the government or municipality.
Prof Theo Bothma gave us class work to discuss in groups the next generations Librarians… how will we look now and where do we want to be?
This was an informative, educative and interactive session, all the groups came up with good ideas but the most important one was that all the groups emphasized that Technological changes is affecting all the Libraries, Public and Academic.
Libraries today are moving in the direction of hi-tech technology and Library users are more advanced than us. There are factors which affect us Librarians, for example Lack of financial support to acquire the latest technological equipment, access to social networking technological tools barred and problems with connectivity, offline or no electricity.
Pamoja, was a very interesting game to play, what we learnt from the game is that in the workplace Leaders must have good communication skills, negotiation skills, listening skills and tem work plays a vital role in the working environment.
Usefulwebsite ; http://www.nlsa.org.za
14 MARCH 2010
This was a very interesting day; we had a very interactive session with a very energetic Ann De Boer .She presented to us the Hermann Brain Dominance Instrument.
The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) is the world’s leading thinking styles assessment tool, developed by the originators of Whole Brain Technology and Whole Brain Thinking.
It identifies your preferred approach to emotional, analytical, structural and strategic thinking. It also provides individuals with a significantly increased level of personal understanding it identifies and measures the strength of preference for each of the four distinct thinking style of thinking.
The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) helped me to identify and understand my thinking style and gave me a new perspective of myself and the people I deal with on a daily basis.
The highlight of the day was the Graduation ceremony of the 2009 Academy Participants. The Graduates gave us word of encouragement.
Useful Website :http://www.herrmann.com.au/hbdi-profile.html
The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) is the world’s leading thinking styles assessment tool, developed by the originators of Whole Brain Technology and Whole Brain Thinking.
It identifies your preferred approach to emotional, analytical, structural and strategic thinking. It also provides individuals with a significantly increased level of personal understanding it identifies and measures the strength of preference for each of the four distinct thinking style of thinking.
The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) helped me to identify and understand my thinking style and gave me a new perspective of myself and the people I deal with on a daily basis.
The highlight of the day was the Graduation ceremony of the 2009 Academy Participants. The Graduates gave us word of encouragement.
Useful Website :http://www.herrmann.com.au/hbdi-profile.html
13 MARCH 2010
On this day, we were taught Web 2.0. Technologies in the workplace. Introduction to Web 2.0. Technology was well presented by Johann Van Wyk He talked to us about a brief history of Web 2.0 Technologies and the importance of using it in the Library.
The Practical sessions on Web. 2.0. Technologies were conducted by Antoinette Lourens. She taught us how to create wikis and blogs. The presenter was so impatient and she was teaching us as if she is training a group of advanced students, I did not grasp a thing from her lessons until one of our colleagues come to my aid.
I have learnt that we can use wikis and blogs as Librarians in order to communicate with Library users and to market Library services, to promoting our Library online, developing communication channels with our users and improving internal communications.
Useful websites: http://www.blogs .com and http://www.wikispaces.com
Professor Theo Bothma from University of Pretoria gave a brief presentation about assignments and project for the academy, the presentation was well done.
The last session of the day was conducted by Ujala Satgoor and Hilda Kriel. Their presentation was based on Campbell Leadership Descriptor.
The Campbell Leadership Descriptor tool, emphasize that in order for people to develop their leadership skills and abilities, they must first be able to recognize their strengths and identify areas in which they need to improve.
The Campbell Leadership Descriptor was developed to achieve that purpose. The Descriptor is specifically designed for use in those situations in which a “self” versus “others” analysis of leadership characteristics would be useful. The Descriptor is a self-scoring questionnaire containing forty adjectives, each focused on a specific leadership characteristic, and grouped in nine major components
In order to evaluate “self” versus “others” analysis of leadership characteristics, the person must evaluate himself or herself based on the nine major components of Leadership , namely Vision, management, Empowerment, Diplomacy, Feedback, Entrepreneurialism, Personal Style and Personal energy .
We learned how to evaluate and assess a good leader and bad leader, what we have learned is that a good leader can have bad qualities and a bad leader can have good qualities.
The Practical sessions on Web. 2.0. Technologies were conducted by Antoinette Lourens. She taught us how to create wikis and blogs. The presenter was so impatient and she was teaching us as if she is training a group of advanced students, I did not grasp a thing from her lessons until one of our colleagues come to my aid.
I have learnt that we can use wikis and blogs as Librarians in order to communicate with Library users and to market Library services, to promoting our Library online, developing communication channels with our users and improving internal communications.
Useful websites: http://www.blogs .com and http://www.wikispaces.com
Professor Theo Bothma from University of Pretoria gave a brief presentation about assignments and project for the academy, the presentation was well done.
The last session of the day was conducted by Ujala Satgoor and Hilda Kriel. Their presentation was based on Campbell Leadership Descriptor.
The Campbell Leadership Descriptor tool, emphasize that in order for people to develop their leadership skills and abilities, they must first be able to recognize their strengths and identify areas in which they need to improve.
The Campbell Leadership Descriptor was developed to achieve that purpose. The Descriptor is specifically designed for use in those situations in which a “self” versus “others” analysis of leadership characteristics would be useful. The Descriptor is a self-scoring questionnaire containing forty adjectives, each focused on a specific leadership characteristic, and grouped in nine major components
In order to evaluate “self” versus “others” analysis of leadership characteristics, the person must evaluate himself or herself based on the nine major components of Leadership , namely Vision, management, Empowerment, Diplomacy, Feedback, Entrepreneurialism, Personal Style and Personal energy .
We learned how to evaluate and assess a good leader and bad leader, what we have learned is that a good leader can have bad qualities and a bad leader can have good qualities.
12 march 2010
BLOG ASSIGNMENT: MOITHEKI PATIENCE NTULI
CARNEGIE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
DATE: 12-26 MARCH 201O.
VENUE: LERIBA LODGE, CENTURION SOUTH AFRICA
BACKGROUND
In 2008 the University of Pretoria Library Services was awarded a $1m grant by the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY) to establish the Centre for African Library Leadership (CALL), within the Merensky Library, in Pretoria South Africa. http://www.ais.up.ac.za/aboutus/academy.htm
The CALL addresses the library leadership development needs within the South African LIS context by facilitating appropriate library leadership training and development programmes.
The Academy is designed to build leadership expertise in the academic, public/community and national libraries sectors. The programme focus is on best practices in library management, personal leadership & styles, advocacy and communication skills, organisational development, the multicultural workplace, introduction to Web 2.0 technologies, knowledge management, marketing and branding, etc. http://www.ais.up.ac.za/aboutus/academy.htm
Audience
The Academy will target senior and middle managers in academic, public/community and national libraries in South Africa. http://www.ais.up.ac.za/aboutus/academy.htm
Expectations
I attend the course because I wanted to know more about Leadership, wanted to know the differences between Leadership and Management.
I wanted to develop and empower myself as a Leader and to indentify the qualities that enhance me as a Leader.
I will make sure that I network, share and exchange ideas with other Librarians from different backgrounds, Provinces and institutions.
What I intend doing with my knowledge
I intend imparting the knowledge I have gained from attending the academy at my workplace, by organizing workshops and training sessions whereby I will train my colleagues on how to create wikis and blogs.
I will also encourage our Professional staff at our Institution to apply for the grant in order to get the opportunity to attend the academy to empower and develop them.
I will make sure that I implement some changes at our Library and make use of the new ideas I have gained from other Librarians from different institutions.
12 MARCH 2010
On the first day of the Academy we were asked to make presentation, making use of Power Point. The purpose of the presentation was to give a brief description of ourselves as individuals, talk about our Professional capacity within our institution and to indicate why we consider ourselves as Leaders.
CARNEGIE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
DATE: 12-26 MARCH 201O.
VENUE: LERIBA LODGE, CENTURION SOUTH AFRICA
BACKGROUND
In 2008 the University of Pretoria Library Services was awarded a $1m grant by the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY) to establish the Centre for African Library Leadership (CALL), within the Merensky Library, in Pretoria South Africa. http://www.ais.up.ac.za/aboutus/academy.htm
The CALL addresses the library leadership development needs within the South African LIS context by facilitating appropriate library leadership training and development programmes.
The Academy is designed to build leadership expertise in the academic, public/community and national libraries sectors. The programme focus is on best practices in library management, personal leadership & styles, advocacy and communication skills, organisational development, the multicultural workplace, introduction to Web 2.0 technologies, knowledge management, marketing and branding, etc. http://www.ais.up.ac.za/aboutus/academy.htm
Audience
The Academy will target senior and middle managers in academic, public/community and national libraries in South Africa. http://www.ais.up.ac.za/aboutus/academy.htm
Expectations
I attend the course because I wanted to know more about Leadership, wanted to know the differences between Leadership and Management.
I wanted to develop and empower myself as a Leader and to indentify the qualities that enhance me as a Leader.
I will make sure that I network, share and exchange ideas with other Librarians from different backgrounds, Provinces and institutions.
What I intend doing with my knowledge
I intend imparting the knowledge I have gained from attending the academy at my workplace, by organizing workshops and training sessions whereby I will train my colleagues on how to create wikis and blogs.
I will also encourage our Professional staff at our Institution to apply for the grant in order to get the opportunity to attend the academy to empower and develop them.
I will make sure that I implement some changes at our Library and make use of the new ideas I have gained from other Librarians from different institutions.
12 MARCH 2010
On the first day of the Academy we were asked to make presentation, making use of Power Point. The purpose of the presentation was to give a brief description of ourselves as individuals, talk about our Professional capacity within our institution and to indicate why we consider ourselves as Leaders.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)