[WLA-All] Fwd: MPLA Leadership Institute Reminder

[Richard Landreth]

MPLA Leadership Institute

October 28  November 1, 2007

Ghost Ranch, New Mexico



The deadline for applications is midnight, Saturday, June 16, 2007.



Basic requirements include an MLS degree or equivalent, 2-12 years library
experience, current employment in an MPLA state, and membership in one of
MPLAs 12 affiliated state associations. Cost for the entire week is only
$550 (transportation not included). Those who have been members of MPLA
for the current and at least the two previous consecutive years receive a
$100 discount and pay only $450. In the past many state associations or
participants institutions have assisted with registration costs.
Applicants may also apply for MPLA Professional Development Grants pending
acceptance into the institute. Upcoming deadlines for MPLA grant
applications are June 6 and August 1, 2007. (See [
http://www.mpla.us/committees/profdev/grants.html
]http://www.mpla.us/committees/profdev/grants.html for more information
about grant applications). EBSCO Information Services and MPLA subsidize
the major costs of the Institute.



Find more information and an application form on the MPLA website [
http://www.mpla.us/ ]www.mpla.us, direct link: [
http://www.mpla.us/leadership ]http://www.mpla.us/leadership.



What previous Institute participants say



:--Ghost Ranch is where I saw modeled the kind of librarian I want to be
when I grow up. It is where I heard intelligence, passion, and experience
speak. Ghost Ranch is where I began to speak with my own voice, encouraged
by new friends and mentors.



--For me, the Leadership Institute came at a pivotal point in my career,
and other fellows expressed similar feelings. I have been working
professionally in libraries for 10 years, and after such a long tenure I
was losing sight of why I had chosen this profession in the first place.
The MPLA Leadership Institute re-energized me professionally and
personally, and best of all, it reminded me why I love being a librarian.



--I initially applied to the Institute because I thought that it looked
like an interesting opportunity, but I was a little skeptical about how
much I would actually learn about librarianship from the experience. I
neednt have worried; the MPLA Leadership Institute turned out to be the
single most gratifying and relevant experience of my library career.



--The Ghost Ranch experience can only be described as a complete immersion
into all that the term leadership means. It was a unique opportunity to
learn with and talk to librarians from many states, as well as an
opportunity to do some soul-searching into what my goals are for my future
as a librarian and as a person.



--Its hard to explain what Ghost Ranch and the Leadership Institute has
done for me, but its been life-changing. In the midst of the chaos at my
job, my heart and mind continue to go back to what I learned there.