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

Abstract

Libraries often utilize interim leaders to fill essential vacancies. Most literature on interim leadership focuses on the top library administrator position and relatively few articles address the experiences of interim middle managers or discuss the value of librarians leading departments outside their areas of expertise. In this article, Author 1 and Author 2, a systems librarian and a special collections and archives technical services librarian respectively, discuss how they leveraged their technical knowledge and soft skills while leading departments that were not within their fields of expertise. They explain how serving outside their wheelhouses benefitted the organization and enriched their job satisfaction.