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The Educators Poster Session

Pathways to Leadership — Ensuring Community Representation in LIS (Poster 41)

Sunday, June 29, 2025
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM EDT
Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Ballroom A
Pathways to Leadership (PTL) is an innovative initiative designed to address the persistent lack of representation and opportunities for advancement in the LIS field. Inspired by a series of internal feedback forums with Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) staff in 2020, PTL responded to calls from staff to "create paths for education and employment.” PTL supports non-librarian BPL staff pursuing Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degrees by offering full-tuition scholarships, along with funding for transportation, textbooks, and technology. In 2025, PTL extended funding to BPL staff completing bachelor's degrees in addition to MLIS degrees. PTL also provides comprehensive wraparound services such as mentorship, shadowing, professional development workshops, and coaching. The program is currently sponsoring 26 scholars and growing.

To date, PTL has celebrated several significant milestones, including the recent graduation of its first three scholars who have successfully transitioned into librarian roles. Other highlights include PTL receiving a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and recognition in a Library Journal highlighting its impact. This poster will focus on the origins and framework of PTL, showcase its successes, and celebrate scholars' unique contributions and achievements.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify the origins and framework of the Pathways to Leadership program.
  • Analyze the successes and impact of the Pathways to Leadership program, including published recognition and the achievements of the first three graduates.
  • Apply best practices and strategies from the Pathways to Leadership program to develop similar initiatives in other library systems.