ILEAD USA: Innovative Librarians Explore, Apply and Discover
The 21st Century Technology and Leadership Skills Institute for the States

The Illinois State Library has hosted two extremely successful continuing education initiatives entitled ILEAD U (Illinois Libraries Explore, Apply and Discover). ILEAD U was designed to help library staff understand and respond to user needs through the application of participatory technology tools and the creation of an easy-to-replicate model program. While the 2010 Cohort was limited to Illinois library staff, the 2011 Cohort included librarians “apprentices” from other states who traveled to Springfield to experience ILEAD U in hopes of importing the program to their perspective states.

The Illinois State Library has received a $470,000 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to expand ILEAD U nationwide. This year, ILEAD U becomes ILEAD USA. Twenty-eight teams, consisting of five members each, in Illinois, Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, and Utah will attend three, in-person sessions over the course of nine months.

WHAT IS ILEAD USA?

ILEAD USA is a competitive, application-only program, with applicants applying in teams of five members in the participating states. One application packet is submitted for each team. A statewide Steering Committee reviews the applicant pool and selects teams for participation in the cohort cycle. All the states will have five teams participating, except Illinois, which will have eight. Each of the 28 teams are comprised of library staff members from each of the five states who are committed to fully participate in the nine-month program. Each project team consists of staff members from at least three different organizations with libraries. ILEAD USA participants remain with the five-member team throughout the program and are assigned a mentor who keeps participants motivated; offers expertise; and provides guidance and advice throughout the entire cohort cycle.

As part of the application process, ILEAD USA program cohort teams identify a single group project of the team’s design that will address at least one identified need within their communities of users. For example, a project could address and meet the needs of a community related to economic development. Teams use the skills and training acquired throughout the sessions to develop, implement, manage and evaluate the projects. In addition, within the application, each team member identifies a user or patron within the team member’s community who will serve as an advisor and a conduit for feedback about programs and services.

ILEAD USA does not take a “sink or swim” approach to continuing education; rather, it is learning by immersion--buoyed by instructors, by mentors and by the participating library staff who work collaboratively to match the assessed needs of their users with the appropriate technology tools.

ILEAD USA Colorado

ILEAD USA Illinois

  ILEAD USA Iowa

ILEAD USA Ohio

ILEAD USA Utah