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Idaho Librarian
Vol. 56, No. 3/4

February 28, 2005

Barbara Greever, President
Idaho Library Association
University of Idaho Library
PO Box 442350
Moscow, ID 83844-2350

Dear Idaho Librarians:

I am writing to thank the Idaho Library Association for its support of the Pacific Northwest Library Association’s first Leadership Institute, which took place October 24-29, 2004. Your board provided financial support and input that was essential to the planning and execution of this professional training. Your state provided some very important people power. PNLA could not have delivered such an intensive continuing education opportunity without the support of its chapters.

ILA may be interested to know that the following Idaho librarians participated in the Leadership Institute:

• Larry Almeida (mentor)

• Gaila Clough (participant)

• Tamra Hawley-House (participant)

• Susannah Price (Institute coordinator)

• Diane Rice (participant)

• Carolyn Ruby (mentor)

• Elaine Watson (planning committee member)

• Mary DeWalt (planning committee member; PNLA President during planning)

• Dawn Wittman (participant)

These librarians made a tremendous contribution to the Institute, at many different levels, and we are very appreciative of their wholehearted participation.

Overall, our 36 registrants and 8 mentors, who came from around the PNLA region, evaluated their experience at the Leadership Institute very highly. When asked “What was your most significant learning from the institute?” participants made some very powerful statements, including the following:

• I discovered that I must move toward personal achievement and toward a positive focus.

• It helped me to look inward at issues I’ve wanted to address.

• Leadership is a personal journey.

• I need to change my life.

In a follow-up survey, 97% of respondents indicated that they had made gains in self-awareness as a result of the Institute. Similar gains were made in other key areas of leadership ability, such as conflict management, collaboration, visioning, self-empowerment, and risk taking.

We are all interested in where our future association leaders will come from, and PNLA feels it is significant that in this same survey, 77% of respondents indicated that they are more likely to pursue involvement in their state association as a result of the Institute. We hope that ILA will be able to harvest some of the growth that occurred in participants from your state and will draw on them when association leadership opportunities arise.

In closing, I am pleased to announce that the PNLA Board has decided to offer another Leadership Institute in Fall 2006. Idaho’s own Mary DeWalt has agreed to act as the Institute Coordinator for 2006. Thank you again for your generous support of our first leap into the world of leadership development.

Sincerely,

Jan Zauha, President
Pacific Northwest Library Association
MSU Libraries
PO Box 173320
Bozeman, MT 59717-3320