Best of Core Forum: Competency vs. Character: What Makes a Good Leader?

Description: Leadership is essential at every level of an organization, as experienced library leaders reach retirement age, the next generation of leaders must be prepared to take the helm. Leadership is not confined to the administrative level of the organization, as a leader might be found in any role and any level in the organization. To ensure the next generation of library leaders are prepared, one needs to know what makes an effective leader. Research indicates that the qualities of an effective leader are evolving from a focus on professional competencies to an emphasis on the character traits of the individual. A balance of competencies and character are needed for effective leadership. This presentation will explore how leadership qualifications have evolved over time and what defines an effective leader today.

Learning Outcomes: 

At the end of the webinar, attendees will: -

• Learn what qualities are needed to become an effective leader.
• Understand that leadership can happen at any level in an organization.
• Discover avenues they can pursue to become an effective leader in their organization.

Who Should Attend: Any librarian who is interested in expanding their leadership role as this will give attendees steps towards creating leadership goals and how to achieve them.

Presenters:

Anita Winger has had the privilege of working at the Mississippi State University (MSU) Libraries for the past 31 years. Over the years at the MSU libraries her responsibilities have changed from preparing books for the shelves to working as the Director of the Mississippi Library Partnership (MLP), a consortium of public and academic libraries throughout the state of Mississippi. This role allows Anita to assist and support these libraries by ensuring the ILS is configured correctly and running as intended. As a frequent presenter at the COSUGI conferences (Customers of SirsiDynix, Inc), Anita has presented various topics based on her experiences with configuring the system and creating custom work which supports the MLP membership. Having recently completed her MLIS in 2022, Anita proceeded to earn her Ed.D in 2025 at Mississippi State University where her capstone project researched effective leadership in hopes of implementing a leadership institute for the librarians in Mississippi.

Tech Requirements

Core Webinars are held in Zoom. Speakers or a headset for listening to the presentation are required. You may interact with the presenter and ask questions through text-based chat. Closed captioning is available in the Zoom platform. The webcast will be recorded and the link to the recording shared with registrants shortly after the live event.