Thirty-four staff members participated in the recently-completed Skills Awareness Workshops. The workshops provided participants information on skills needed to develop or increase individual capacities in the areas of effective listening, conflict competency, emotional intelligence, and team building/leadership. The four workshops averaged 20 participants, contributing to lively and rich discussions.

On a personal note, I was very pleased with the attendance numbers, given participation was voluntary. I wish to thank participants and to acknowledge supervisors and co-workers who helped make it possible for people to attend. On a related note, I’ve received several requests to repeat the series and will do so, once I line up commitment from the presenters.

Leo Agnew
HR Manager

The next Lunchtime Leadership Book Talk will take place Friday,  April 22, 2010, from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m., in 159 Ellis Library.

This is an opportunity for MU Libraries employees to gather informally over lunch and share quotes or brief passages from books or articles on the topic of leadership or management that seem especially pertinent for MU Libraries right now. This is open to all library employees as it seems sensible to hear from current and emerging leaders within the organization in terms of what they are reading on the topic.

Attendance is voluntary but compensable for non-exempt supervisors since the discussion applies to the workplace. As such, schedule adjustments may be needed to offset overtime considerations. RSVP’s are not required.

But, we ask you bring a brief something to share with the group, e.g., copies of the talking points of the book or journal article. For examples of documents shared at past sessions, go to http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/staff/committees/staffdevelopment/default.htm – this leads to a SharePoint site.

The April Lunchtime Leadership Book Talk will take place on the 22th from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m., in 159 Ellis.

This is an opportunity for MU Libraries employees to gather informally over lunch and share quotes from books or articles on the topic of leadership or management that seem especially pertinent for MU Libraries right now. This is open to all library employees as it seems sensible to hear from current and emerging leaders within the organization in terms of what they are reading on the topic.

Attendance is voluntary but compensable for non-exempt supervisors since the discussion applies to the workplace. As such, schedule adjustments may be needed to offset overtime considerations. RSVP’s are not required.

But, we ask you bring a brief something to share with the group, e.g., copies of the talking points of the book or journal article. For examples of documents shared at recent sessions, go to http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/staff/committees/staffdevelopment/default.htm – this leads to a SharePoint site.

Nominations are being solicited for the spring 2011 Student Excellence Award. The purpose of the award is to recognize those student assistants who are dedicated, creative, and/or industrious. Any student assistant employed in any MU Libraries department is eligible for consideration. The recipient will receive a certificate of appreciation which will be presented to the student in his/her own department.

The nomination deadline is Friday, April 29. The award will be announced before the end of the semester. Please forward nominations to Leo Agnew, 104 Ellis Library. The nomination form can be found at http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/staff/committees/staffdevelopment/development_opportunities/employee_awards/student.htm. In the event of multiple nominations, the ‘extra’ forms will be retained for consideration for the fall 2011 student award.

It has been a while since the award was last given*. As such, it seems prudent to list the criteria:

1. This award is to be given to a student who exceeds in quality and/or quantity the expectations for his/her position, and who has made exceptional or outstanding contributions to the achievement of a department’s goals and objectives.
2. The award may be given up to two students per semester.
3. Students are nominated by any MU Libraries employee.
4. This award is to be given to any student currently employed in the Libraries.

*You will notice the monetary award has been dropped. It is the hope of SDC that student recipients will still find value in being nominated for the award and that supervisors will want to recognize outstanding student assistants via this award.