Adventure is out there: new pathways to leadership
Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s Community Leadership Certificate Program is designed to equip staff who are passionate about leading others in public service with the knowledge and skills to be successful! Staff who earn their certificate in Community Leadership, offered in partnership with Cincinnati State, will meet the minimum educational requirement to become a qualified applicant for positions such as Branch Supervisor – Youth Services, Branch Manager, and Senior Branch Manager. A staff member can also apply and be considered as a qualified applicant before earning this certificate, with the understanding that they must earn this certificate within a specified time frame. Successful applicants will have the cost of the courses fully covered by CHPL and are expected to complete the certificate within two years of starting the program.
Challenge/Opportunity
At CHPL, we wanted to provide an equitable path to leadership that was focused on developing future leaders who feel passionate about public service. As part of this program, all interested CHPL staff must meet the requirements of:
-Must be passionate about leading people in a public service environment and want to enter a public service leadership role at CHPL.
-Must be working as a CHPL Branch Supervisor/Branch Manager/Senior Branch Manager without an MLS/MLIS, or must have both of the following:
--At least 2 consecutive years of CHPL experience since the last date of hire.
--At least 2 years of post-secondary education. (This requirement can be met with internal leadership trainings, trade school credits, certification programs, coursework completed toward an associate or bachelor's degree, or a combination thereof.)
The first round of applications was open from March to April 2023, with an interview process and then 10 selected participants joined our first cohort in fall 2023.
Key Elements of Innovation
-The program consists of 11 courses, which total 32-33 credit hours, depending on the selected electives.
-Participants will be able to select how they sequence many of the courses, as well as how many credit hours they wish to take in the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters.
-Courses may be offered on campus or online, depending on the course and the format offered by Cincinnati State for that semester.
-Course credits may be given for prior educational courses taken once any transcripts are received and reviewed by Cincinnati State’s admissions chair.
-This program is completely voluntary, and time spent earning this certificate is not considered time worked.
Achieved Outcomes
Our first cohort began in Fall 2023 with 10 staff. Of those:
-1 promoted to a Senior Branch Manager
-3 promoted to Branch Managers
-2 received promotions to higher grades and level of responsibilities
-70% of cohort are non-white, giving the opportunity for leaders to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve
Our second cohort of 6 staff begins in Fall 2024. Of those:
-1 external hire into a supervisory role (previously not possible as candidate has no MLS)
1 promoted to a higher pay grade
The confidence gained by participants is a significant and compelling outcome. Captured by paraphrasing a participant responding to a question regarding allyship, they stated how important the program has been “for me but also for many other library staff who have been traditionally marginalized by promotion and education policies," noting the “recognition of the work performed by non-degreed staff and their impact on the library’s health and function was a bold move.”
