TADL ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR PUBLIC SERVICE SELECTED TO ATTEND NATIONAL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

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TADL ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR PUBLIC SERVICE SELECTED TO ATTEND NATIONAL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
 

TRAVERSE CITY, MICH. (February 2, 2013) The Traverse Area District Library (TADL) is pleased to announce Jill Porter, TADL assistant director for public service, has been selected from among more than 160 applicants nationwide, to attend the upcoming Public Library Association (PLA) Leadership Academy: Navigating Change, Building Community March 4-9 in Chicago. 

 

“Jill brings a unique and appreciated blend of education, experience, skill, and drive to the TADL team and in turn our community,” said Metta T. Lansdale Jr., TADL director. “We are proud of Jill and excited for her to have this opportunity to expand and build upon her leadership skills and abilities. Coming out of this experience she will have an edge when it comes to identifying and going after new opportunities for positive change and innovation when positioning the library within our community.”

 

Porter in addition to 23 other exceptional PLA Leadership Fellows from across the country have been reviewed and selected by the PLA Leadership Development Committee to participate in this pilot project developed with support from an Institute of Museum and Library Services planning grant with the intent to design a leadership training model that enhances the capacity of libraries to advance community goals and to be active change agents in communities across the United States. 

 

Lansdale said Porter’s diverse background including experience in both law and business as well as the private and public sectors has equipped her with the know-how and integrated approach needed when it comes to moving beyond the customary and routine to expand and enhance the reach of the public library. 

 

In her role with TADL, Porter is responsible for coordinating and overseeing reference services, programs and collection development in the Adult and Teen Services departments and in the Kingsley and East Bay Branch Libraries. She is the supervising librarian for the Talking Book Library and the Law Library as well as the overall administrator of the Processing Department, which handles ordering, cataloging and preparation of library materials. Porter has been serving TADL since 2008 as the law librarian and more recently as head of adult services. She brings experience from New York Public Library in its history and social science division, Northwestern Michigan College where she provided information literacy training and reference service, and the Chadbourne & Parke law firm where she coordinated a reference services division of 13 reference librarians, specializing in business as well as legal research. She holds a Masterʼs of Science, Information and Library Science from Pratt Institute (NY).

 

Developed in collaboration with the International City and County Management Association (ICMA), the PLA Leadership Academy: Navigating Change · Building Community will offer a groundbreaking focus on developing the skills needed to work with local government and community partners to enhance the position of the library within the community and improve the effectiveness of library activities and programs. It will include lectures, team activities and a professional coach program with experienced public library leaders and city managers.

 

The PLA Leadership Academy will be assessed for effectiveness and sustainability. The curriculum is designed by the PLA Leadership Task Force with the assistance of ICMA and Adam Goodman, director of the Center for Leadership, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., and builds on PLA’s previous leadership training initiatives.

 

The Traverse Area District Library is a network of community libraries serving Grand Traverse County through the following locations: Main (Woodmere) Branch, East Bay, and Kingsley Branch Libraries, Fife Lake Public Library, Interlochen Public Library, and Peninsula Community Library. Learn more at www.tadl.org.
 

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About the PLA 
PLA division of the American Library Association. PLA’s core purpose is to strengthen public libraries and their contribution to the communities they serve. Its mission is to enhance the development and effectiveness of public library staff and public library services. For more information about PLA, contact the PLA office at (800) 545-2433, ext. 5PLA, or visit PLA’s website at www.pla.org.

 

ICMA is the premier organization of professional local government leaders building sustainable communities to improve lives worldwide. ICMA provides member support; publications; data and information; peer and results-oriented assistance; and training and professional development to nearly 9,000 city, town, and county experts and other individuals and organizations throughout the world.

 

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Through grant making, policy development, and research, IMLS helps communities and individuals thrive through broad public access to knowledge, cultural heritage, and lifelong learning.