Introduction

As in any profession, it is important for those working in library and information science to have professional leadership and communication skills.

Leadership

Leadership skills are important for information professionals to develop. Leadership is not the same as management; it is “focused on managing change; thus, the skills and competencies of leaders have great bearing on the ability of a leader to guide change” (Albright, 2022). Where managers administer, leaders innovate; where managers accept reality, leaders investigate it.

Change management is one of the most important skills for a leader. Change leaders can have a positive impact on an organization’s environment; they “are often the first to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset, exhibit a high degree of comfort with risk-taking, and lead pilot projects happily and with a true interest in finding sustainable answers” (Barefoot, 2022). Information professionals can improve their change leadership skills by getting to know themselves better and interviewing change leaders. “Effective change leaders begin by fostering an atmosphere of acceptance and transparency” (Barefoot, 2022).

In the archives profession, there are leadership training programs like the Archives Leadership Institute that build skills while also “expanding, reinforcing, and strengthening professional networks,” although the program only admits 25 members per year (Soyka, 2022, p. 632). Archival leadership happens at least on four levels: “in the archival repository … in the larger institutional setting … in the archival profession, at local, regional, and national levels … and in our public interactions with society” (Mariz et al., 2011, p. 115).

Communication

Information professionals need to be able to communicate in a variety of ways, both face-to-face and in virtual environments. Successful communication happens “when others receive the exact message that was intended by the sender” (Alman, 2022). Communication may be two-way, where “the receiver should respond to the sender’s message,” or one-way, such as a post on social media. Sauer (2009) argues that archivists should be leaders in scholarly communication to “strengthen ties to library colleagues while also providing opportunities for outreach to faculty and, possibly, greater visibility within the institution,” as well as to promote collaboration with others in institutional organizations (p. 57).

Soft skills, ones that are not hard skills like technical knowledge and professional skills, are an important part of communication. Shlenova (2024) states that soft skills include “critical thinking, effective communication, creativity, time management, and the ability to work collaboratively” (p. 45). She argues that soft skills are “indispensable for success” in the information, library, and archival fields, because of the relationships between information professionals and users and “the rapid changes occurring in information technology and society” (Shlenova, 2024, p. 45, 46).

Effective virtual communication is important now due to “the increase in virtual meetings and social media announcements” (Alman, 2022). Clear speaking and writing are more needed skills than ever, especially for information professionals who work with the public. If an information professional does not have the skills to understand nonverbal cues, they should focus on improving them, since “nonverbal behaviors account for 60 percent or more of the message that is transmitted from the sender,” and those cues are more difficult to “read” in virtual settings.

Evidence

Artifact 1

Assignment: Discussion Post: Leadership Characteristics
Course: INFO 204, Information Professions
Description: This assignment had two parts. I had to identify and cite an article that helps identify and define leadership characteristics and traits like emotional intelligence, servant-leaders, and e-leadership. Next, I had to pick a leader, preferably in my area of interest in the information professions, and analyze the individual and their leadership characteristics.

I chose to discuss Brewster Kahle, a digital librarian, computer engineer, and leader for the Internet’s democratization. He is best known as the founder of the Internet Archive, and is still the digital librarian for the Archive. I discussed Kahle because I am passionate about digital preservation, web archiving, and democratizing the Internet. This post demonstrates my understanding of professional leadership skills. I talk about servant leaders, who focus on the needs of their followers, allowing them to become leader themselves, which I categorize Kahle as. I also discuss how Kahle uses change management and forward thinking skills to improve the Internet Archive.

Artifact 2

Assignment: “Several archivists were injured, but none critically”: Dangerous archives in Star Trek (p. 10-12)
Course: no course
Description: This piece of evidence is an article written for Archeota, the official publication of the Society of American Archivists chapter at SJSU. In 2024, after watching an episode of Star Trek: Discovery that depicted archives in a particularly dangerous way, I decided to look closer at different depictions of archives across all of Star Trek. Archives are depicted as both places where danger happens and the danger itself. In entertainment in general, archives are often depicted as esoteric, dangerous, dark, and mysterious. In my article, I argue that because Star Trek associates archives with negative plot points and connotations, it is contributing to the mischaracterization of the profession in the media.

I chose this article as an example of my communication skills, particularly scholarly communication, which Sauer (2009) argued is important for archivists as a way to improve ties to colleagues and gain greater visibility.

Artifact 3

Assignment: Peer Mentor Reflection
Course: INFO 298, Peer Mentoring for INFO 203
Description: This assignment asked me to write a reflection about my time peer mentoring for INFO 203. I was excited to get to peer mentor new students, since I had been in their situation less than two years before. I got to use the skills and knowledge I have learned in the MLIS program to prepare new students for their own programs. I gained experience as a leader at different levels, since I was a leader to the students, but answered to the professor, who helped me hone those leadership skills.

In the reflection, I specifically talk about how my time peer mentoring meets Competency M. As a peer mentor, I had to communicate with students from the perspective of an instructor for the first time. I learned that students communicate in many different ways, some clear and some not. One of the more surprising things I learned was how different students communicate with instructors, especially when talking about their assignments. Some students messaged me to apologize for not finishing them, which was surprising, while others completely ignored my messages to them. I had to learn how to clearly communicate expectations to students the fact that the burden of doing the work falls on them.

Conclusion

I will continue to hone my professional leadership and communication skills as I enter the information profession. There are many resources I can use to keep up with research and trends, from professional organizations’ publications like the Society of American Archivists’ Archival Outlook to the American Library Association’s list of library leadership training resources.

References

Albright, K. (2022). Leadership skills for today’s global information landscape. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction. Rowman & Littlefield.

Alman, S. W. (2022). Communication, marketing, and outreach strategies. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction. Rowman & Littlefield.

Barefoot, R. (2022). Change management. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction. Rowman & Littlefield.

Mariz, G., McCrea, D. E., Hackman, L. J., Kurtz, T., & Jimerson, R. C. (2011). Leadership skills for archivists. The American Archivist, 74(Spring/Summer), 102-122. https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.74.1.h65171q8q115557g

Sauer, A. (2009). Why archivists should be leaders in scholarly communication. Journal of Archival Organization, 7(1-2), 51-57. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332740902897444

Shlenova, M. (2024). Soft skills as a key factor in the future professional success of students majoring in information, library, and archival studies. Image of the Modern Pedagogue, 6(219), 44-47. https://doi.org/10.33272/2522-9729-2024-6(219)-44-47

Soyka, H. (2022). Professional career building in the archival field: Studying the Archives Leadership Institute. The American Archivist, 85(2), 609-637. https://doi.org/10.17723/2327-9702-85.2.609