Simmons University (Simmons University, GSLIS)

Building upon a previously-funded project, the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science will expand its PhD concentration in managerial leadership in the information professions to include 18 rising leaders in the public and state library arenas. Until recently, students in this program have largely been drawn from the academic library community. Designed to provide mid- to upper-level library managers with the opportunities to prepare for senior-level leadership, this project will use face-to-face and online courses, research projects, and intensive interaction with library leaders acting as “professors of practice,” along with a variety of supplementary activities, to develop the leadership and management potential of its students. Student products such as case studies, literature reviews, and issues briefs will be disseminated so that they might influence Master’s-level courses in library management and leadership.