Library Leadership & Management (Texas Digital Library - TDL E-Journals)
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Write Now! Managing Change and Increasing Research in an Academic Library
No full textNew and innovative technologies have expanded librarian roles and expertise to include virtual learning, chat reference, online research guides, maker spaces, virtual reality, and more. Change is a consistent part of working in any library, and effectively managing change often has a learning curve for library administrators. Change Management theory is popular amongst business leaders, but could these theories work in libraries as well?
In 2017, Library Administration at Marriott Library designed a Change Management program based on the theories of Todd Jick, a nationally-recognized expert in organizational change management. Their goal was to increase the overall amount of scholarly research publications and creative products librarian faculty completed each year.
The authors conducted a multi-year research project, hypothesizing that by implementing Jick’s framework, librarian faculty would create more scholarly work. Data was collected from faculty’s self-reported research profiles, survey feedback from research retreats and workshops, and web traffic from staff intranet pages. An analysis of the results indicated a steady increase in research and scholarly output, and an overall positive response to the research change program
Too Many Spoons: Library Workers and Disabilities
No full textA desk attendant gestures in my direction where I am waiting for an interview at a library on campus. I am nervous. My hand is shaking over my assistive device.
Beside the desk attendant stands an impeccably dressed, tall woman who adjusts her glasses. “Where is she sitting?”
“There, near the gray couches,” the desk attendant answers. She leans over and says, “It’s that person with the assistive device,” as if she’s trying not to out me as a leper.
Any person with a disability reading this who has applied for jobs and gone on interviews has experienced some version of the above exchange. You arrive for an interview, something you feel fortunate for, and think for a split second “They want me! I could be hired here!” Only once you get there, staff members look you over, silently deciding for themselves how much your disability limits what you can and can’t do, walking too quickly and expecting you to keep up, and worst of all, making judgments without speaking to you. The above experience has happened to me at academic libraries, public libraries, and other institutions
Academic Library Leadership Lessons from COVID-19
No full textLeadership played a critical role during the COVID-19 crisis. During the first ten months of the crisis, the library leadership at the Norman Girvan Documentation Centre at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, had to make some serious decisions that impacted all stakeholders. This article outlines some of the key library leadership lessons drawn from the experiences of the library leader that other librarians can reflect on, especially as another wave of the virus looms in the near distance
Revisiting Strategy in a Time of Crisis
No full textThe season of upheaval brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is a critical occasion for libraries to revisit their organizational strategies. Strategy includes two complementary dimensions: alignment with the environment and the pursuit of competitive advantage. Rapid changes in the environment call for practicing strategic thinking iteratively rather than engaging in a fixed rhythm of multi-year planning. An effective library strategy displays four key attributes: (1) It responds to the concerns of diverse stakeholders. (2) It is flexible enough to adapt to emerging conditions. (3) It enacts organizational mission but can also help to reshape it. (4) It integrates with organization development to achieve success with and through people
Libraries Taking a Lead
No full textAt the April 22nd, 2021, ALA Monthly Webinar meeting led by President Julius Jefferson, we heard several incredible stories about how many US libraries had connected with their local communities to offset the effects of the pandemic. Then, in his Making a Difference article in the May 2021 American Libraries edition, he highlighted the $7.2 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund recently passed by Congress that includes funding for library services related to devices and broadband internet for library patrons. The combination of both underscores what can be accomplished by community libraries, as well as what can potentially be achieved by community library leaders and their teams with this incredible new funding. It’s a once in a generation opportunity not to be wasted
Where Does the Money Go? Creating Transparency in Libraries Operational Budgeting
No full textOperating and personnel budgets encompass the majority of spending in academic libraries, but are often decided with little process or participation. Transparent budget processes for assigning this funding provide the opportunity for widespread clarity and understanding of how budgets are used, and how to acquire funding. The budget model described offers one way to help ensure that every voice in the library has the opportunity to share their ideas for improvements, programs, personnel, and events
A 360 Degree View: The Ideal Qualities of Library Leaders and Employees
No full textThe rapidly changing demands of library customers across different fields of librarianship mirrors that of general society. Are the qualities deemed important for these jobs five or ten years ago still deemed important today? Are these administrators and employees satisfied working in a field that requires such constant change and growth? Our study seeks to address these questions by providing further insight into what qualities library leaders look for in today’s library employees while also providing insight into what qualities library employees look for in today’s library leaders for a 360 degree view. Using a research study crosswalk, interview and survey questions were developed to ensure internal and construct validity and close alignment. The study’s total sample was 289 participants, which included interviews and an online survey completed by public, academic, school, and special libraries in North Carolina and a large public library system in Arizona. The authors found the following: 1) leaders are associated with creating vision, motivating staff, and driving an organization forward, 2) managers are associated with following operational procedures, being task-focused, and being approachable to staff, and 3) excellent library employees show initiative, are self-motivated, are passionate about the work, and demonstrate a willingness to learn new skills
Exploring Internal Communication in Public Libraries: Challenges and Opportunities for Library Leaders
No full textEffective internal communication is essential to library staff being able to fulfill their duties, work together as a cohesive unit, and carry out the library’s mission. However, there is often a lack of coordinated focus on clear internal communication that includes all staff members in libraries. This can create environments where there is disconnect among staff and library departments leading to rumor mills and lowering morale. This exploratory study looked at the current state of internal library communications in public libraries and ideas to improve internal communications. Library leadership has the potential to create environments and cultures where internal communication is effective and supports library staff, their work, and the effective functioning of the library as a whole
What Do You Get When You Mix Libraries and Entrepreneurship? The Case of an Innovation Hub at a Large Research Library.
No full textThis article presents a case study of the University of Minnesota (UMN) Libraries collaboration with the UMN Carlson School of Management’s (CSOM) Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship (HCE) to create an innovation hub in our most heavily trafficked undergraduate library. During the same time that academic libraries have added makerspaces and have routinely invited partners into their buildings, entrepreneurship support has become a strategic priority for universities, business schools, and business libraries. The story of our innovation hub represents a confluence of these trends, and illustrates some of the challenges and benefits brought on by inviting a new kind of partner into the library space
