For the past 28 years, the University of Minnesota has trained the next generation of library leaders, guiding them as they transform their libraries to better serve their communities, through the Minnesota Institute.

The biennial program was created in 1998 to support college and university librarians who are in the first three years of their careers, particularly those from underrepresented ethnic and racial backgrounds.

Over the course of three days in July, followed by two virtual sessions in August and September, participants meet with experts across a range of career stages, experience, and backgrounds, and develop a sense of leadership built on empathy and collectivism.

Five alumni of the Minnesota Institute currently work here at the University of Minnesota Libraries: Kimberly Clarke, Jody Gray, Malaika Grant, Jessica Abbazio, and Ellen Holt-Werle.

We asked them to share their experiences with the Institute and why a program like this is necessary for early-career librarians. The following responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Kimberly Clarke

In your own words, what’s your role at the Libraries?

I am a library liaison to several social sciences programs: Communication Studies, Curriculum, and Instruction; Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies; Organizational Leadership and Policy Development.

When did you participate in the MN Institute?

I participated in the inaugural Institute in 1998.

What was is like going through the program?

I appreciated the workshops on leadership and technology. I remember they gave us swag like a portable hard drive, which I STILL HAVE! It was an amazing experience to have a whole group of baby librarians from marginalized backgrounds in one space for a week, especially because librarianship is still heavily white.

Why do you think a program like this is important for librarians? Would you recommend it to others, why or why not?

I think programs like this are beneficial for newer librarians who are part of marginalized groups. It can feel super isolating as a librarian of color in this industry. It’s important to have community, and this program gives you a jump start on that. Incredibly, after nearly 30 years, my year’s listserv is still active, and over time, I’ve learned about promotions, awards, marriages, children, and more. Overall, I’m glad l participated in the Institute.

Jody Gray

In your own words, what’s your role at the Libraries?

I’m an associate university librarian for research.

When did you participate in the MN Institute?

I participated in 2004. I was a library resident at the time. This program no longer exists. Part of the residency program that I participated in included attending the Minnesota Institute. At the time, I had no idea what the Institute was about.

What was is like going through the program?

The Institute was the only time in my professional career that I met and interacted with other Indigenous librarians. The first occurred earlier that same year, when I attended my first American Indian Library Association (AILA) meeting at the American Library Association (ALA) Conference. These relationships have carried throughout my career, and they continue to have an enormous influence on my professional development.

How do you think the MN Institute has affected your career path?

As a first-generation American Indian librarian, I found that the Institute was the first time I had been given time to think about my role as a leader in the profession. It also challenged me to think about my future in libraries. To this day, I have brought my giant binder from the program (at that time, we had GIANT three-punch binders) to every new position and physical office. It was such a foundational experience for me. In a way, it has become a symbol of my growth. I keep it close to remind me where I started.

Why do you think a program like this is important for librarians? Would you recommend it to others, why or why not?

The Minnesota Institute is where I really identified my colleagues and my place in the profession. There are more leadership programs now (Spectrum, Kaleidoscope) that provide community for Indigenous, Black, and People of Color (IBPOC) in librarianship. At the time I started, these programs were also starting out. In fact, you find an enormous amount of overlap in these programs.

Beyond the basic leadership development, the Minnesota Institute brings new librarians together with their peers across the country. Often, within professional organizations, you may be the only IBPOC in the room. Here, you get an opportunity to build relationships with people you may never cross paths with professionally. Over the years, I have reached out to my class for support or contributions to research or professional issues. And I have volunteered to contribute to the 2004 class on their research and professional issues or to guest lecture in a class. I had the distinct honor of providing the keynote to the class of 2016.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this program to new librarians. It is such an amazing opportunity to have dedicated time with a cohort of colleagues who will be with you throughout your career. When you go to the events, you will be part of a large family of alumni from the MN Institute. Having returned to the University of Minnesota Libraries in my career, I also know the care and time taken to continue supporting this program. I have watched it grow and evolve over the years. I look forward to seeing how it continues to grow.

Malaika Grant

In your own words, what’s your role at the Libraries?

I’m a liaison librarian in arts in humanities. My liaison areas cover English and American Literature, African and African American Studies, and Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature. I work closely with faculty and students in those departments on collection development, instruction, and research support. I also co-chair our Discovery to Access Steering Committee, which oversees our library discovery system, Libraries search (built on Primo), manage the McCollister Collection for Contemporary Literature, and our collection of e-books and audiobooks on Libby.

When did you participate in the MN Institute?

I went through the MN Institute in 2000, the first year in my career as a librarian.

What was it like going through the program?

The program itself was a mix of practical and personal. We spent a good amount of time on personality assessments and talking through our leadership styles, which was genuinely useful to me as a young professional still figuring out how I worked and led. But what stayed with me most was the relationships.

Getting to sit in a room with other BIPOC academic librarians, swap stories about shared experiences, and just be understood mattered enormously. I teared up saying goodbye to my roommate, because we had become so close that week. I felt like I’d found people I could turn to, and a sense of belonging that carried into my first few library conferences, which I’d otherwise have gone into feeling pretty nervous and out of place.

How do you think the MN Institute has affected your career path?

Honestly, the biggest impact wasn’t a specific skill or credential, it was the foundation of belonging and connection it gave me early on. Walking into conferences and professional spaces with people I already knew and trusted made it so much easier to show up, engage, and build the kind of professional network that’s carried me through my career since. The leadership and self-awareness work we did helped me learn to value my own strengths and gave me an early vocabulary for thinking about how I lead and collaborate, which has stuck with me.

Why do you think a program like this is important for librarians? Would you recommend it to others, why or why not?

Programs like this matter because the field is still not very diverse, and that isolation can be painful, especially early in your career, when you’re trying to figure out not just the work but whether you belong in it at all. Having a cohort of people who share that experience makes a difference in confidence and retention. I’d absolutely recommend it to others, especially early-career BIPOC librarians. The practical content is useful, but it’s the relationships and sense of belonging that can make the lasting difference.

Jessica Abbazio

In your own words, what’s your role at the Libraries?

I am the University Libraries’ subject liaison for music, and I provide information literacy instruction and reference services for faculty, students, and researchers in both the campus and wider communities who are engaging with all music-related disciplines. I also develop and manage the collections at the University’s Music Library. In addition to my work as the Music Librarian, I serve as the Libraries’ Collections Coordinator for Arts, Humanities, and Area Studies, which involves budget planning and providing support related to collection development and management for selectors in my department.

What was is like going through the program?

I attended the Minnesota Institute in late 2020, and at a time of overall upheaval and uncertainty, it provided a valuable opportunity to reflect. The discussions about leadership and how it can take different forms and may come from any level of an organization were particularly inspiring to me. I was also grateful for the conversations we had about establishing personal goals and boundaries, and they empowered me to think critically about these important topics. I appreciated the opportunity to build a community of practice with other early-career professionals from around the country as we examined themes like communication, empathy, and change management, to mention only a few of the many valuable areas explored by the leaders of and participants in my Institute cohort.