PDA Event: Back to the Future: Managing Change in a Post-COVID Library

Wednesday, July 28, 2021 - 1:00pm to 2:00pm

At every level of your organization, the last year-plus has been, without exception challenging for everyone. Over this summer, we in libraries have begun to make plans to return to “before times” tentatively, but can we go back to the way things were, or should we be looking forward to a very different future from our recent but distinctly solid past. The opportunity to rebuild or restructure in this new environment is daunting; thoughtful, intentional action needs to be at the forefront of this work. In this presentation, we will look at different areas of the library, including services, teams, and leadership, where long-term change could benefit the organization. The changes instigated through recent quick actions and decisions made during the pandemic offer the opportunity to explore what we should continue to do or do differently, and what new organizational needs have surfaced that require our attention in what will eventually become a post-COVID workplace.

Nikhat J. Ghouse is the Associate Librarian for the Social Sciences and Coordinator of the Diversity Alliance Residency Program at American University (AU). Additionally, Nikhat is also an Organization Development (OD) Consultant and Facilitator. She has worked with nonprofit organizations, including public libraries and academic libraries. As an OD Consultant, Nikhat specializes in organization design, leadership development, strategic planning, change management, culture change, team building, coaching, mentoring, residency programs, and EDI. Nikhat received her Master of Science in Organization Development from AU, her MLIS from the University of Pittsburgh, and a BA in History from Cleveland State University. Nikhat has over 20 years of professional experience working in libraries and five years of experience consulting at the intersection of libraries and organizational development.

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Sponsored by ASERL.