1. Leadership Philosophy
DeShea Jones
9/20/09
LIBS 6031
Dr. Gail Munde

2. My Leadership Style Democratic:
Involves the participation of all, collaboration of participants, and good communication (Prentice, 2005).
Employees and all team members are involved in the decision making process.
Look for ideas and suggestions from team members.
However, the leader does have the final say in all of the decisions (Williger, 2007).

3. Leadership Philosophy Statement
My Values:
My leadership philosophy is focused on showing respect to everyone I come into contact with.
I want to exhibit honesty, ethical behavior, and practice continuous collaboration.
My Priorities:
As a School Media Center Specialist my main priorities will be to support the curriculum, create lifelong readers, and to help students become contributing members of society.

4. Leadership Philosophy Statement
What Can Be Expected of Me:
I will always seek advice and opinions on topics. I will not make unilateral decisions.
I will always be respectful to staff, students, parents, community members, and administration.
I will exhibit the type of behavior I expect from others (lead by example).
I will try to treat everyone justly.
I will approach a situation calmly and non-confrontationally.

5. Leadership Philosophy Statement
What Can Be Expected of Me:
I will acknowledge the achievements of others, including staff and students.
I will practice open communication and ensure that everyone is kept informed.
I will practice self-reflection.
I will participate in professional development.
I will not let my personal beliefs or opinions stand in the way of doing my job.

6. Explanation of My Leadership Values
Respect
Honesty/Ethical Behavior
Collaboration
One of my main goals as a person and as a leader is to show respect for everyone I encounter. The best way to gain respect from others is to be a respectful person. Showing respect will also make it easier to solicit people’s help and cooperation. A leader must also respect the work they are doing (Prentice, 2005).
It is extremely important for those in a leadership position to be honest and ethical. It is also important for people to trust the leader and one way to gain trust is through honesty and acting ethically. Integrity is a leadership value that many look for in a manager (Prentice, 2005).
Enlisting the help of others and soliciting their opinions is essential if a leader wants those same people to accept the decisions that are made and feel like they are valued. “Anyone who will have to live with the results of the idea should be part of the planning and development” (Prentice, 2005, pg.113).

7. Explanation of My Priorities
Supporting The Curriculum (including technology training)
Creating Lifelong Readers
Creating Contributing Members of Society
A school librarian should support the curriculum by purchasing materials. They should also teach lessons on technology and other topics to both students and staff. Librarians can even work with teachers to develop the school’s curriculum. Helping students learn to effectively use technology is of vital importance to school librarians (Rich, 2009).
The school librarian should encourage students to read and create lifelong readers among their students. School libraries should provide materials for students’ leisure time, as well as academic materials, because students will enjoy reading more if they can read materials that interest them.
School libraries should help mold students into contributing and informed citizens. The school library should help students learn to navigate through society by teaching students valuable skills like, research, critiquing websites, properly using technology, and even how to engage in their civic duties.

8. My Goals as a Library Leader
To open communication lines with teachers to help them understand the role of the library and what services are offered.
To self-audit the library and my performance to ensure the library is providing appropriate services and that I am performing at my highest level (Darrow, 2009).
To recognize everyone’s accomplishments and abilities.
To ensure that the library is patron driven and I am helping my patrons (Prentice, 2005).

9. My Goals as a Library Leader
To create a Mission Statement for my school library (Abilock, 2003). This will enable me to show the school how the library fits into and supports the organization.
To create a Collection Development/Library Selection Policy (Abilock, 2003). This will help to clearly communicate to the school and parents how the library makes the purchasing decisions.
To obtain National Board Certification (Abilock, 2003). This will help me develop my leadership skills and gain more exposure to professional development.

10. How I Model These Leadership Traits
Communication:
Last year my main goal for my IGP (Individual Growth Plan) was to improve my communication with parents. I now update my website at least once a week, send a weekly to all of the parents with important updates, and respond to parent s or phone calls within 24 hours. I have received substantial positive feedback from parents for my communication skills.
Collaboration, Seeking Advice:
I constantly ask for advice and help from other teachers who have more experience than I do. I also work closely with other teachers, especially with the other 8th grade social studies teacher, to come up with ideas to use in the classroom. I also solicit student feedback, ask for their ideas, and give them choices for many of the decisions. I like the students feel they have some control.
Self-Reflection, Professional Development:
I always reflect on how I am doing, including writing a reflection on each lesson. I also like to read within my discipline to get new ideas. For example, over the past three months I have read three education books to help improve my classroom management skills.

11. How I Model These Leadership Traits
Honesty/Ethical Behavior:
I always try to exhibit honesty and ethical behavior. I strive to maintain professionalism and gain the trust of others. When I am in doubt of the correct path to take I solicit help from others.
Respect:
I always try to show respect to all and hope to receive respect in return. At the beginning of the year I explained to my students that I will always aim to treat them respectfully and that I expect the same in return. I also let the students know that if I ever did anything they felt was disrespectful they should calmly discuss the situation with me.
Acknowledge Others Achievements:
I always make an effort to focus on other people’s positive accomplishments. For example, I send five Good News cards home to parents each quarter that lets the parents know about something positive their child has done. I try to send the cards to students who may not normally receive positive feedback.
Don’t Let Personal Beliefs Interfere:
It is difficult to teach social studies and keep your opinions to yourself, but I always strive to do my best. For example, with the presidential election I presented the students with the platforms of both sides, made the students form their own opinions, and did not let the students know my opinion.

12. Conclusion
My goal as a library leader is to do the best job possible. I want to show everyone I encounter respect. I also intend to exhibit honesty and ethical behavior. I plan to practice continuous collaboration with teachers, parents, students, administration, and other librarians. I will also practice self-reflection and engage in professional development opportunities. Finally, I will strive to practice good communication skills and recognize the achievements of others.
My main priorities as a library leader will be to support the curriculum, create lifelong readers, and to help students become contributing members of society.

13. Works Consulted
Abilock, D. (Ed.). (2003). Put yourself in your administrator’s shoes. Knowledge Quest, 32(2), 6-9.
Darrow, R. (2009). School libraries are essential. Knowledge Quest, 37(5), Retrieved September 6, 2009, from Library Literature and Information Science database.
Prentice, A. (2005). Managing in the Information Age (1st ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press.
Rich, M. (2009). In web age, library gets update. The New York Times, Retrieved August 29, 2009, from
Williger, D. (2007). An Overview of the Different Types of Leadership In Existence. Ezine Articles, Retrieved September 20, 2009, from