When I put together that slideshow that you mentioned early in your article, I was happy that I went through the program (2007), but I was frustrated by so many things, most of which has already been communicated in this post. It is frustrating to see that so many of the problems I listed in that slideshow still exist. But like Peter Bromberg and others suggested in previous comments, I think it’s time for me to stop sitting on the sidelines and listening to other people complain about the program, but time to get involved to help make it a better program for all involved.

On a side note, the wiki says to contact someone from the ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment, but I have tried twice to contact this person about getting more involved, and I get no response. Kim – you said you sent your survey out to the listserv, and I’ve changed jobs since my involvement in the EL program and thus never got the announcement. I suspect that there are many others in the same boat. I have kept my email current with ALA, so I’m not sure what the holdup is. So it might be good to post the information about the planning meeting at ALA in Chicago in multiple places for the time being, while Project V does their thing in getting the communication channels laid out.

I hope other “Emerged Leaders” will be become more involved in the future of the Emerging Leaders program, too. Thanks for your inspiration, Kim!

“…I believe that there is a significant gap between the inspiring, boundless encouragement given to ELs to reenvision ALA and the reality of how change might actually happen within the organization.”

It’s really something I picked up on throughout the article, but I think this statement really captures my own frustrations. It’s not specific to the Emerging Leaders program, but rather a frustration I feel as a newer member of ALA Council. There is such energy and passion for wanting to assist in positive change for the organization, but it often feels like we encounter roadblock after roadblock in the journey to do so.

It is right to encourage patience, but the suggestion wears thin after a time and the cry for patience starts to feel like an excuse to resist moving ahead. I don’t know what creates it as there are times I see a real desire to move the organization forward, but alongside that desire are some very piercing cries against the movement.

I find it difficult and painful to keep my energy positive in that kind of environment, and I worry that, as a result, newer leaders in ALA will burn out far quicker than ALA is used to. I passed a link along elsewhere urging those interested in ALA’s future and leadership to read this article. While the topic at hand here is the EL program, I think it speaks to a much larger issue facing ALA these days.

Thanks, Kim, for writing this and inspiring such thoughtful conversation for us all.

Kim is getting buried under the weight of this thread.

Laura Z. make a good observation I am interested to learn more about the perceived tension in the dynamic.

Although I have not participated in the EL program, I think you hit on a core issue that affects more than just ALA when you said “…there is a significant gap between the inspiring, boundless encouragement given…to re-envision…and the reality of how change might actually happen within the organization.”

I liked your suggestion to have ALA focus more on general leadership skills, etc., if they really didn’t want feedback. Perhaps the larger library community could consider this concept as well. It is very frustrating to have energy and ideas and continually have them not be put to any fruitful use. Eventually the ideas and energy (or at least the desire to contribute them) will cease, which technically is the opposite of what ALA (or libraries in general) say that they want. I find the tension in this dynamic interesting, but frustrating. Thanks for bringing light to it and for your thoughtful observations.