The North Carolina Library Association’s Leadership Institute (LI) 2026-2027 held its biennial retreat in Black Mountain, N.C., from Sept. 28 through Oct. 1 at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly, and three UNCG Librarians participated in this year’s event. The selection process for LI admission is highly competitive. This year, Candace Jacobs, Assistant Professor and STEM Librarian, was chosen to participate as a mentee. Associate Professor and Metadata & Institutional Repository Librarian Tiffany Henry participated as a member of the Planning Committee, and Associate Professor and Outreach & Engagement Librarian Rachel Olsen participated as one of two Institute Co-Chairs.
LI is an intensive experience, designed to create a sense of togetherness from the first day. The structure of the Institute builds on this with expert-led presentations, activities, project management workshops, and information-sharing throughout the day. Evenings feature team-building activities to build camaraderie.
Operationally, the Leadership Institute utilizes a self-sustaining cycle of leaders teaching leaders: cohort members are new applicants. For first-year members, LI participation includes developing and managing a project in cooperation with their home institution, delivering a progress report at the in-person mid-year meeting, and presenting and/or volunteering at the biennial NCLA Conference.
Six mentors are selected from the previous cohort’s graduates and then form the planning committee for the third cycle. Two Institute Co-Chairs are then selected from the Planning Committee to lead the next Institute. This scaffolding maintains the central objectives and outcomes for LI through sustained familiarity and long-term investment and ensures its longevity.
LI participants report having a clearer understanding of how to manage and complete projects, stronger connections to the profession and colleagues across the state, and more knowledge about subjects that shape the profession. These outcomes allow these leaders to better support their libraries’ service to communities and connect users to technology, resources, materials, and more.
