The host site application process for the ARL Leadership Fellows program begins on January 18, 2021. The application deadline for host site institutions has been extended to Tuesday, June 1, 2021. The application letter of interest should be no longer than 4 pages. Host sites will be notified of their acceptance no later than July 8. Learn about host site roles, responsibilities, and opportunities here.
ARL member representatives interested in having their institution serve for the 2021–2022 cohort should submit a letter of interest that speaks to how their institution can further the leadership development experience of the cohort, provide an enriching experience for discussion and learning, and help fellows gain insight into the practical aspects of leadership in an institutional setting. Specially, the letter of interest should cover the following points:
- How the library or archive’s leadership, strategic strengths, and challenges and failures would reinforce learning outcomes for the program and add value to the curriculum and the overall fellowship experience
- The library or archive’s efforts to address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), including both specific goals and programs that target cultural and systemic racism and inequity within the library or archive, but also challenges, different perspectives, and internal disagreements on DEI goals and efforts
- The ways in which a parent institution’s overall culture and environment informs and guides leadership and shapes a library’s or archive’s goals, ambitions, and interactions with the institution
- The parent institution’s approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including goals and specific outcomes related to the reduction of structural inequity within the institution, but also challenges, different perspectives, or internal disagreements within the institution regarding DEI
- How the organization and parent institution uphold standards and promote accountability through their code of conduct or similar policies and procedures in programs, services, and operations
- How the library or archive director’s experience or expertise would position the director to contribute, in unique ways, to the delivery of an institute
- A projected budget for the host site experience (Financial contributions from the institution beyond funding provided by ARL may be included to fulfill a host institution’s plans for the cohort visit, but are not essential to a successful host site application.)
Host Site Selection
Final selection of host sites will consider these criteria:
- Geographic diversity of the sponsor institutions across the US and Canada
- Mix of public, private, and/or governmental institutions
- The thoroughness and candor with which a candidate host institution articulates its engagement with DEI principles, including its key innovations, its programmatic efforts, its work to embed DEI into the ongoing institutional culture, and its successes along with challenges and failures
- Variance in the size of the institutions
- Balance of institutional characteristics in terms of strengths and notable programs related to the Leadership Fellows curriculum
The ARL Leadership Fellows Task Force, reporting to the ARL Academy, will review host site applications and select host site institutions for the 2021–2022 program year.
Questions, comments, or concerns? Please feel free to contact John E. Ulmschneider, program director, or Deborah R. Grayson, senior director, Leadership and Organizational Development, at leadershipfellows@arl.org. To submit your application, use this submission form.
