Training ground: the role of interim library director

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to describe the challenges presented by interim leadership in academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach -The author reviews the literature in this field, and offers his own suggestions for succeeding in an interim capacity. Findings -This paper brings to light the dearth of literature written on this common occurrence. Originality/value -This paper offers suggestions to those who are serving in an interim leadership role.

Becoming director: an internal candidate's view

“…Pat's intuition that interims should not be candidates for the permanent position receives ample support in the literature (e.g. Weingart, 2003), and for much the same reasons she states, that in such situations "no action taken during the acting director's period of administration can be distinguished from an electioneering gambit" (Euster and Solomon, 1994, p. 143;Medeiros, 2010). This rule, however, is far from uniform across the profession (e.g.…”

Experiences of Academic Librarians Serving as Interim Library Leaders

“…6 While Medeiros acknowledged that his duties as the interim director were very different from his duties as associate director, he admitted that, at first, he did not expect that would be the case. 7 Both authors of this study served as interim library leaders at public universities in Michigan, one for an eight-month period and the other for two years. The authors appreciated the support they provided each other during their interim appointments and were curious about other interim leaders' experiences.…”