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One of the professional organizations I currently belong to is the Indiana Black Librarian Network. One may wonder why

Black Culture Center; Purdue U.

there is a need for such an organization in the 21^st century but to members, the need is obvious. Many members still work in an environment where there are few if any people of color in the workplace and this can often evolve into uncomfortable and even inappropriate situations. From supporting each other through situations of racist comments, learning how to tactfully promote issues of race, coming to terms with a glass ceiling and celebrating accomplishments, the need is there. Imagine being the only White, the only Latino or the only one of your ethnicity in a workplace and you’ll begin to understand the need.

This weekend IBLN celebrated its 10^th Anniversary at the Black Cultural Center (BCC) on the Purdue University Campus. I hate that I missed the keynote speaker Roland Parrish, but I do hope to be present in April at the dedication of Roland G. Parrish Library of Management and Economics to which he gifted $2 million.

I joined the celebration on Saturday morning. The drive brought back so many memories of visits to the campus while my oldest son was a student there. The small town has grown and developed in the few years since he left, but it still had an old shoe comfortable feel. Finding the BCC in the center of the campus wasn’t difficult, although I hadn’t visited the two-story building before. My son said the facility held good memories for him while at Purdue and I could feel why. The center encompasses a small auditorium as well as a library while the architecture and décor and Afrocentric in flavor. We lunched on campus at Whiley Hall. Does the thought of a campus lunch sound less that appealing to you? Well, think of your local cafeteria and kick it up a notch! I couldn’t believe the vast selection available for students and visitors!!

Leslie Morgan, Associate Librarian at University of Notre Dame spoke about being a leader when you’re not in a leadership position. Quite often, as librarians in school and academic situations, we can and should position ourselves in leadership positions. Information, after all is power and what are libraries other than the information center of any institution. Leslie suggested three books for today’s librarians.

• Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry, Jean Greaves, TalentSmart Press
• What to ask the person in the mirror byRobert S. Kaplan; Harvard Business Press
• Being the boss: The three imperatives of becoming a great leader by Linda Hill and Kent Lineback; Harvard Business Press

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