C-6 Running a Business: Practical MBA Solutions for Your Library

This program will discuss practical tips and tools that are learned in the course of pursuing the MBA degree and have been implemented and applied daily in a library career. Working as a manager in a library requires the skills of running a business, and in turn, influences the success of the overall organization. Examples applied in law librarianship may include tools learned in MBA courses such as accounting, finance, human resource management, strategic management, organizational behavior, marketing, administrative strategy and/or project management. As a specific example, a human resource management course may have prepared a library manager to learn how to conduct a performance evaluation, how to hire staff and/or how to deal with personnel issues. These are not items that are traditionally taught in library degree programs. Rather, library managers typically need to learn on the job without the MBA expertise to help guide them. Two firm librarians — one a recent MBA graduate, the other a more seasoned grad — will discuss their experiences and provide examples that attendees can apply in their environment. A professor from an MBA program will discuss how applicable these tools are for managers in the ever-changing corporate world.