From coloring the academic landscape to integral players of the community: Underrepresented minority librarians flexing their service muscles

Despite the many existing efforts to recruit and retain a diverse workforce, the library field has remained disproportionally white. Instead of waiting for the system to change, underrepresented minority librarians can take a number of steps within their institutions to effect positive changes on predominantly white campuses. Using two mid-career librarians' experiences serving on their institution's diversity committee and as academic advisors and mentors to students, including international students and first-generation students, this article illustrates ways through which minority librarians can exert leadership and leverage their multitudinous identities, interests, and passions to make a difference.     

Perceptions of Transformational Leadership in Academic Libraries

ABSTRACT

Transformational leadership is highly correlated with effective organizations and successful change, yet few studies of this leadership style exist in the library literature. This study examined perceptions of transformational traits in academic library leaders. The study asked academic librarians at 4 year institutions to rate their library's leadership using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. While the librarians perceived their library leaders to be more transformational than transactional, the mean score for transformational leadership was middling, as were the scores for each of the transformational components. This could indicate a lack of change readiness in these libraries.     

Succession Planning for Libraries

ABSTRACT

It is imperative for libraries of all types to be responsive to the forecasted changes in the demographics of the library workforce. Succession planning is a key strategy for ensuring that libraries are prepared to meet changing and emerging organizational needs. Succession planning is broadly defined as a range of activities focused on both internal and external talent development to fill anticipated needs for library leadership and other key personnel. The aim of this article is to offer a number of recommendations relevant for LIS education to help build an awareness of succession planning for future library managers. In particular, practical ideas for course-related activities and assignments that may help to incorporate succession planning more fully into the LIS curriculum are discussed.     

A perspective on academic library middle management in the COVID era

Middle managers in academic libraries are often the first point of contact for employees within their departments. Middle managers work as colleagues, advocates, and project managers. While the responsibilities may vary between institutions, it is essential that middle managers develop leadership skills to function effectively in their positions. In the era of COVID-19, middle managers must reconcile their own expectations of their role with the changing needs and responsibilities of those they manage. COVID-19 is a complex phenomenon that has brought many issues such as health and social inequity to the forefront. These issues should be considered in leadership techniques that are utilized by middle managers in academic libraries. When leading a department, the manager must consider the whole person. This column will discuss several leadership styles that consider the whole person and can be effective for academic library middle managers as they navigate the complexities of their positions in the COVID-19 Era.     

Collaborative Leadership

Abstract

In 1991, Joseph C. Rost published Leadership for the 21st Century (Praeger) in which he presented a definition of leadership that focused on the influence relationship among leaders and followers rather than on the traits of the leader or the functions of leadership. Rost's model is useful for academic reference leaders who usually head a group of professionals who are involved in a variety of responsibilities that require them to be leaders. This article applies Rost's theories to academic reference leadership and explores a model that will provide for better job satisfaction for librarians and improved services to library users.     

Challenges of getting faculty status: Perception of university librarians in Pakistan

Abstract

Objective:To find out the university head librarians’ perceptions about the issues in getting faculty status.

Methodology:A qualitative research design was used to explore the issue through personal and telephonic interviews with 15 chief librarians of 18 university libraries located in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The textual data was content-analyzed and coded. The emerged themes and subthemes have been presented with the frequency of their occurrences. The findings have been supported by the selected quotations of the interviewees.

Findings:A majority of the librarians had vague understanding of the notion of faculty status. Almost all of them desired for granting faculty status to the university librarians. However, their opinion was divided on the prerequisites for faculty status. Most of them supported the same criteria for employment and promotion of faculty librarians, as is used in case of their teaching faculty counterparts. The study has identified that the main barriers in getting faculty status are the librarians themselves, lacking preparedness in terms of qualifications and research output.

Implications:The study brings into light both the possibilities of granting faculty status to the university librarians and barriers in this regard. Besides, the findings though extracted from a small number of respondents, may be of interest to other countries in the region.

Originality/value:This exploratory investigation identifies barriers in getting faculty status and is the first ever study on the subject in the local literature.

Conclusion:Faculty status will help in improving visibility, image and respect of librarians. Therefore, there is a need to prepare university librarians for faculty status, and to struggle for getting it.     

Understanding librarians’ knowledge sharing behavior: The role of organizational climate,motivational drives and leadership empowerment

Library managers in Iran have always been concerned with a low level of knowledge sharing among librarians. Identifying effective factors on librarians' knowledge sharing behavior helps us to understand and improve the situation. Organizational factors are one group of these factors. The effect of organizational climate, employees' motivational drives, and leadership empowerment on the subjective norms, attitude, intention, and knowledge sharing behavior among librarians in public libraries in Iran was studied. A conceptual model was designed in light of the Theory of Reasoned Action. Ten hypotheses were formulated. Data were collected by using a questionnaire and were analyzed using structural equations models. The findings showed that constructive organizational climate and positive motivational drives in public libraries, as well as personal and organizational knowledge sources strengthened by the librarians' ability of leadership have a positive and significant effect on subjective norms, attitude, intention, and knowledge sharing behavior. Such conditions facilitate the process of knowledge sharing in public library environments. Moreover, the study highlights the effect of the librarians' leadership empowerment on their attitude to knowledge sharing behavior by motivational drives.     

Collegiality in the Workplace

ABSTRACT

Libraries are considered safe spaces to explore different topics facilitating the sharing of knowledge so it would appear that colle giality and civility are cornerstones of our service. But within our organizations, collegiality is not always stressed as an important value within the workplace. Civility and collegiality are important for libraries as they are the foundation of our public services and support diversity of ideas and open communication within the workplace. Collegiality standards are set by the leaders and managers within an organization and this column will explore the need for civility standards to successfully achieve library goals.

Column Editor’s NoteLeadership skills are essential to creating libraries that are effective and relevant to their communities. While some individuals seem to possess inherent leadership capabilities, it is possible to develop and strengthen skills to effectively lead a department, unit, or organization. This column explores ways for librarians and library workers to improve their knowledge and abilities as they lead their units, libraries, communities, and the library profession. Interested authors are invited to submit articles for this column to the editor at maggie4@clemson.edu.     

Leadership or Management

Abstract

This paper considers leadership and management issues affecting libraries in general. Specific attention is devoted to academic libraries and their reference departments. It focuses on the dynamics of leadership and management of academic library reference services and what is expected of the reference department head of the 21st century. It explores the changing roles of reference librarians and those of their leaders or department heads. It examines the leadership skills, traits, and competencies and attributes expected of the department head of reference in the new millennium. The paper also examines the paradox of leadership and management and draws distinction between the two terms. It finally looks into whether it is appropriate to have a manager from outside the library profession to be the head of an academic library reference department.     

Collaborative Leadership at Ripon College

ABSTRACT

Lane Library's director left in 2002 during a time of financial uncertainty and administrative change at Ripon College. A temporary recommendation to utilize the talents of the remaining librarians to oversee the library until a new administration was in place was accepted by the librarians and the interim administration. After a great deal of research and discussion, the library implemented a permanent rotating chair model based on collaborative leadership to replace the position of Library Director.     

Using Course Syllabi to Develop Collections and Assess Library Service Integration

ABSTRACT

Ria Lukes and Angie Thorpe, librarians from Indiana University Kokomo, presented a conference session exploring the use of course syllabi as a core tool for measuring and enhancing library support of curriculum needs and service integration. The researchers described their process and the results from a review of 477 syllabi collected from numerous departments spanning diverse disciplines at their institution. Their findings demonstrate how syllabi may be used to identify collection weaknesses, discover misconceptions about library holdings and services, and ultimately serve as a starting point to interact with faculty and librarians to improve and clarify library holdings, services, and outreach initiatives.     

Chinese academic librarianship in transition

Abstract

This study examines reasons for the shortage of qualified academic librarians in China and recommends ways to position Chinese academic libraries to move into the modern era.

Interviews were conducted with 20 academic librarians in China and 20 in the United States, in one library in each country, to collect data for a comparative study. This paper compares Chinese and US academic librarianship in terms of reasons for entering this profession, academic education in library and information science, and requirements for knowledge and information skills.

Chinese librarianship faces great challenges in the recruitment and education of librarians and with the library system itself. It is time for the government, university officials, libraries and society as a whole to learn to promote librarianship and build a powerful librarian workforce, to meet the needs of China's social and economic development.     

高校图书馆员满意度与组织承诺关系及激励对策研究

以高校图书馆员为研究对象,采用问卷调查法和数量统计法,探讨高校图书馆员满意度与组织承诺关系。研究表明:工作本身、领导、同事对感情承诺具有显著预测力,工作本身、工作条件对规范承诺具有显著预测力,酬薪和晋升对持续承诺具有显著预测力。根据研究结论,提出激励对策。     

IFLA and other International Library Associations,Institutions and Organizations

Column Editor's Notes

This workforce column, guest written by Jill Mierke, evokes memories of the saying, you are not alone. The challenges of workforce and workplace leadership for any library chief executive officer are many and varied. We come to those roles usually as experienced (if not seasoned) professionals, but we do not always have the theoretical grounding and specific professional practice experience a dedicated human resources professional might bring to the organization. A Master's in library and information sciences qualification is no guarantee that you will have the requite knowledge, skills, experience, and abilities to be a good people manager or a strategic leader of the library workforce. This article paints a compelling picture of what success for library human resource management and leadership can look like, through the lens of an experienced and seasoned human resources professional. Recent workforce research is telling us there are many roles within our libraries that are now being successfully filled by “other” professionals. In our ever changing and dynamic information landscape, the human resources strategic advisory role is one of them.

As always, I invite further contributions to our ongoing discussion! Please submit articles for this column to the editor at vicki.williamson@usask.ca     

Rethinking the Eurocentric Library Workplace:

There have been numerous articles, conferences and workshops about the concept of valuing diversity in the American workplace. In the library literature, this discussion has more often than not focused on recruiting librarians of color and helping "them" to adjust to the library workplace. The authors of this article suggest an additional dimension which as been promoted in the corporate sector for some time: that of re-thinking the culture of the workplace. The role that an individual's culture places in creating a workplace culture should not be underestimated. Increased awareness and assessment of various cultural issues is critical to recruitment and retention of people of color in library organizations. The growing diversityy of American society make a re-assessment of library workplace culture imperative. The irulhors of this article assert that "valuing differences" in the workplace means allowing people more opportunity to be themselves within the framework of organizational effectiveness, without fear of negative ramif~cations. The goal of library organizations should be to move beyond "visual" diversity. Managment in these organizidons must ask "How do we create, sustain and direct a workforce that is comprised of increasingly diverse staff without requiring cultural homogeneity?" This article includes a swey instrument that is helpful in analyzing the dominant culture of the workplace, a selected primary source reading list, and a bibliography on issues of workplace diversity, multiculturalism, valuing diversity, and diversity training taken primarily from business models.     

Young and in Charge: Early-Career Community College Library Leadership

Although young leaders and entrepreneurs have become prevalent in the business and technology industries, academic libraries remain much more traditional. Library administrator job advertisements often require seven to ten years of library experience in progressively responsible roles as well as supervisory experience. This article shares the experiences of an early-career community college library administrator working with different generations, provides suggestions to become a manager through intentional leadership, and explores how managers learn to lead. Additionally, the author encourages community colleges to consider younger and/or newer librarians that bring a different perspective to addressing the critical issues facing community college libraries today.     

Boomers to Millennials: Generational Stereotypes at Work in Academic Librarianship

Over the past 30?years, as the American workforce has become more generationally diverse, library administrators and academic librarians alike have focused on navigating dynamics that arise in a multigenerational workplace. Much scholarly research has been conducted on generational differences; however, most of this research assumes that the individuals studied adhere to or believe in generational stereotypes. This exploratory study used a hybrid experience-perception survey to examine the role or influence generational stereotypes have on academic librarians and how those stereotypes influence the academic library workforce. While few specific generational stereotypes were found to be held by participants, perceptions of generational stereotypes still have a significant influence in academic librarians' interactions with their colleagues. This finding means that regardless of their validity, the impact of generational stereotypes cannot be disregarded in academic library workplaces.     

An Evaluation of the Brandeis Model of Reference Service at a Small Academic Library

Abstract

The Brandeis model of reference service features two tiers of staff, a first tier of non-professional workers and a second tier of professional librarians, and separate, yet interconnected, working environments. The non-professionals work the Information Desk, and the professionals work out of their offices. This study finds that while the model might be suited to a large graduate university library, it is not an efficient use of professional resources when the non-professionals are often unevenly-trained work-study students of varying skills or interest, or where the volume of reference questions, rather than “directional” questions, does not justify a two-tiered model.