2021 AAHSL Virtual Annual Meeting

Educational Program
October 28 | 3:00-5:00 PM ET

About the Program

Future-proofing The Health Science Library: A Post-Pandemic Strategic Planning Workshop for Health Science Leadership Teams

The 2021 education program will feature Tony Zanders.  

Charting a course in a dynamic operating environment can present significant challenges for library leaders and their deputies. In lieu of predictable outcomes, leaders must develop a framework for interpreting threats to the organization’s budget, service offerings, and personnel. As cost centers and service providers within the institution, health science libraries must prepare for decisions to be made on their behalf in response to sudden shifts in the economy and society. In this interactive session, participants will analyze four areas of vulnerability for the health sciences library, and how their local environment measures up. These include the role of commercial vendors and third-party partnerships, internal collaboration versus competition within the institution, the growing digital divide among the workforce, and the role of the library talent landscape. By collaborating with peer leaders in structured breakout sessions, each participant will discover variants to each threat that are determined by a library’s unique context, along with corresponding strategies for how to navigate. The primary goal of the workshop is for each library leader to develop personal, departmental, and organizational strategies for navigating change in a post-pandemic environment. Each participant will leave with a blueprint and resources for facilitating the workshop with local leadership at their home institutions.

About the Presenter

Tony Zanders

Tony Zanders is an award-winning software entrepreneur and library technology executive. Born and raised in New Orleans, he currently serves as the founder and CEO of Skilltype — a software platform for information professionals and their teams to analyze, develop, and share expertise. He also serves as the inaugural entrepreneur in residence at the Boston University Libraries. In this role, Zanders provides executive counsel to the University Librarian during the academic strategic planning process while designing and implementing new approaches to recruitment, retention, and training that produce elite performance for the University and its Libraries. Zanders is the first EIR in the Libraries’ history. Prior to Boston University, Tony served as EIR and coach at Camelback Ventures, working with black and brown founders on company strategy. Before Camelback, Zanders served in executive roles at library technology companies including EBSCO and Ex Libris, where he advised libraries on software integrations across more than 30 countries. In 2012, Zanders was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to build Applyful — a research management platform for first-generation college applicants to manage their research. He currently lives in Baton Rouge with his wife and three children.