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Last December I was signed up to attend the Women’s Leadership Institute, co-sponsored by ACRL, and couldn’t go at the last minute because my mom got sick. Fortunately, the Institute leaders and hotel staff were very cooperative and let me attend this year instead with no penalty. The reason I wanted to attend was because it is for women in different fields within higher education. Of the 95 women here, 19 are academic librarians and the others are from areas such as Housing, Student Life, Health and Wellness, Finance and Accounting, Human Resources, etc. I always find it interesting to get a broader perspective on universities so I thought this would be a good thing.

Tonight started well with a presentation on Womenomics by Katty Kay, BBC news correspondent. She has a book out by the same name and we all got signed copies (which I will duly donate when I get back). Her point was that evidence now shows that women are finally being recognized for the value they bring to their employers. Studies have shown that companies who employ women in senior positions bring in significantly more profits. Since women also control the vast majority of retail spending, companies are beginning to realize that they need to employ and retain more women to remain viable. In order to keep women happy and productive in their work, companies have found it worthwhile to grant more flexibility in schedules for both men and women. It was a good way to begin the program.

Tomorrow: more sessions, wellness, and meeting more people.

Lynn