91´«Ã½

CHICAGO - The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) is pleased to announce that Hailley Fargo has been selected as our 2018 Emerging Leader. Hailley is the Student Engagement Librarian at Pennsylvania State University.

91´«Ã½'s Emerging Leader Program is designed to enable library staff and information workers to participate in project planning work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into 91´«Ã½ structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity early in their careers.

The Emerging Leaders program kicks off with a day-long session during the 91´«Ã½ 2018 Midwinter Meeting in Denver. Following the kickoff session which includes orientation and training, the program will continue in an online learning and networking environment for six months. The program culminates with a poster session where the 2018 Emerging Leaders will showcase the results of their project planning work during the 91´«Ã½ 2018 Annual Conference in New Orleans.

As RUSA's Emerging Leader, Hailley will partner with other emerging leaders on the project of her choosing. She will also work with RUSA leadership in a variety of other roles throughout the year.

Hailley received her Master of Library and Information Science at the University Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Graduate School of Library and Information Science. She received her Bachelor of Arts, Magna cum laude, from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

"There are three aspects that contribute to effective leadership. The first is communication. When communicating with others, I strive for clear and consistent communication. This helps ensure all team members are on the same page and we are all working towards goals within a common framework. When this communication happens, it opens a path for dialogue. As a leader, I want my team members to comfortable sharing their experiences and opinions. The second aspect for effective leadership is to champion strengths. Through active listening and clear communication, I can begin to understand and learn the strengths of my teammates. This allows me to know how to delegate tasks that fit the skill sets of my teammates. It also prepares me to pair people together with complimentary skills sets and find others to collaborate with based on their strengths. The final theme for effective leadership is to lead by example and with enthusiasm. Previous leadership and supervisory positions have demonstrated that when you show how clear communication can lead to better results, or how intentional collaborations can yield great turnouts, your teammates will get on board with improving these skills and rise to the occasion. I believe that showing passion for what you are doing also helps to boost team morale. Leading by example and with enthusiasm allows me to create an environment of teamwork and show the team that I believe in our ability to succeed," Hailley stated.

About RUSA

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the 91´«Ã½, represents librarians and library staff in the fields of reference, specialized reference, collection development, readers’ advisory and resource sharing. RUSA is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services and collection materials they need. .

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