Leadership, Management and Organizational Development

Panel

Confronting the Monolithic Library: Why Empathy is Key to Achieving Inclusive Excellence in Your Organization

Panel Organizer(s)

• AL

  Adriene Lim, Ph.D.

  Dean of Libraries and Philip H. Knight Chair
  University of Oregon

Panel Presenter(s)

• JC

  Jon Cawthorne, Ph.D.

  Dean, University Libraries, including School of Information Sciences
  Wayne State University
• CH

  Cynthia Henderson, MILS, AHIP

  Associate Dean, Health Sciences Libraries & Director, Norris Library
  University of Southern California

Presenter(s)

• JC

  Janet Clarke, PhD

  Associate Dean, Research & User Engagement
  Stony Brook University Libraries

Leaders within all levels of library organizations can confront the monolithic library by infusing empathy into their leadership practices, campus/community coalition building, service design and assessment, and staff development. This panel of diverse library leaders will engage the audience in an exploration of the importance of empathy in library contexts, and will share their scholarship and ideas about organizational empathy. Panelists will also offer practical advice about the ways in which empathy can improve libraries' inclusive excellence and benefit diverse constituents. Questions addressed during the session will include: What is organizational empathy and how and why it is related to diversity and inclusion? Can empathy be learned? What effect does a lack of empathy have on an organization? How can an expanded capacity for empathy improve a library's administrative and decision-making processes, collaborative relationships, universal design, and staff training programs?

 

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the definition of empathy and the importance of deploying empathy in library contexts.
• Learn methods by which empathy can be learned and/or skills developed at both a personal and organizational level.
• Gain practical advice and ideas for infusing empathy in their administrations, operations, and relationships.