Management: Surviving and Thriving in an Acting Leadership Position

Abstract

Excelling at one’s job can be a challenge. Trying to do it for two jobs—concurrently—can be beyond difficult, yet that situation is not uncommon in evolving organizations that utilize acting appointments to bridge gaps during periods of change. In this column, Greg MacAyeal outlines the many facets of acting appointments—both the positive and the less so. MacAyeal provides much food for thought for those who may be tapped to take on such roles or are already negotiating their way through them. His insights are worthy of consideration by anyone who is juggling an acting position or thinking about doing so, as well as by administrations who rely on this mechanism during times of transition.—Editor

Outside Our Wheelhouse: Reflections from Technical Librarians Serving as Interim Public Services Managers

“…Libraries often utilize interim middle managers as well as interim deans and directors (Benaud and Null 1991;Weingart 2003;MacAyeal and Ryan 2017). The expectations for interim middle manager roles are different from the leadership responsibilities of interim library deans/directors.…”