What Academic Library Leadership Lacks: Leadership Skills Directors Are Least Likely to Develop, and Which Positions Offer Development Opportunity

Harris-Keith, Colleen S.

doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2016.06.005

Cited by 22 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…With respect to preparing individuals to meet today's challenges, effective leader development requires the identification of appropriate methods and approaches that are connected to the needs of the organization (Lacerenza et al, 2017;Moore, 2004). Across the museum and library sectors, there is a need for responsive, collaborative, and community-oriented leaders (Harris-Keith, 2016;Semmel, 2017). The strategies that work in one museum or library context may not work in another.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leadership and Leader Development: Perspectives from Museum and Academic Library Professionals

Johnson

Sobczak

2021

Curator The Museum Journal

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This article examines museum and academic library professionals' perceptions of leadership, leader development, and the nature of leader development opportunities available to them. We compare these perceptions based on functional positions of staff as senior, middle, or non-managers, which facilitates a deeper understanding of the data. Analysis reveals there are significant differences in the perception of leadership and leader practices between managers (senior and middle) and non-managers; this gap is prevalent in both museums and academic libraries. There are also significant differences with respect to what leader development activities are available to whom and who is selected for these activities. Results point to the need for more intentional, equitable, and focused efforts to develop leader capacity so that museums and libraries are better positioned to meet current and future societal challenges. Finally, we provide some suggestions for future practice and research.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leadership and Leader Development: Perspectives from Museum and Academic Library Professionals

Johnson

Sobczak

2021

Curator The Museum Journal

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“…Some library directors are retired military officers with little familiarity with libraries (Khalifa, 2012: 215). In the United States, by contrast, library directors are usually appointed from within the ranks of professional librarians (Harris-Keith, 2015, 2016; Jordan, 2012: 40). At many libraries, participants said, leadership positions are often replaced too frequently to engage in long-term institution-building.…”

Section: Panel Discussion With Arab Librarians and Library Scholarsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The hidden heritage of Arab libraries: Online catalogs and institutional barriers to discoverability

Kurzman¹,

Martin

2018

IFLA Journal

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Advances in technology have made access to information about library holdings a seemingly universal feature of interaction with modern libraries. However, this type of access does not exist evenly throughout the world. There is a vast “hidden heritage” contained in Arab libraries without online public access catalogs. This article reports and summarizes findings from research conducted as part of a year-long investigation into international library collaboration in Arab libraries. The research included: (a) a survey of online presence for Arab libraries, (b) a survey of Arab librarians, and (c) focused panel discussions with Arab librarians and library scholars. This study finds that the relatively small online presence of libraries cannot be explained by material factors alone: institutional factors also play an important role in keeping information about library collections offline.

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“…The leadership structure common in libraries is a managerial top-down, hierarchical system. It consists of an executive director or a university librarian who supervises a management team of principal and senior librarians who, in turn, manage department heads and other personnel (Townley 2003, Bartlett 2014, Janes 2014, Harris-Keith 2016. As described in previous works of literature (Aiyebelehin 2012, Jerome 2018, Ugwu & Okore 2019, the leadership structure in Nigeria's university-based academic libraries is mostly restricted to a highly transactional succession of managerial leaders.…”

Section: Leadership In Academic Librariesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leadership roles within the ranks in Nigerian Academic Libraries

Odili

2019

SAJLIS

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The study investigated leadership roles in academic libraries with the purpose of discovering librarians' perceptions of leadership as well as finding evidence of leading from within the ranks and not necessarily from a managerial or supervisory position. The reason for this investigation was to identify whether library staff, regardless of their position within the organisation, are free to demonstrate their leadership potential by creating change or motivating other colleagues to work towards a shared vision. The research methodology applied was the quantitative method. Using the case study of two mid-northern Nigerian universities, findings show that, although librarians in non-supervisory roles demonstrate leadership attributes that help improve services delivered to users in their libraries, supervisory staff are more likely to suggest new ideas than non-supervisory staff. Therefore, there is a need for the academic library to refocus its leadership structure and be willing to acknowledge other leadership styles, especially ones that will encourage librarians of all ranks to showcase their talents and creative abilities, particularly in areas or services where their interests lie, in order to promote library innovation and drive service development.

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What Academic Library Leadership Lacks: Leadership Skills Directors Are Least Likely to Develop, and Which Positions Offer Development Opportunity

Cited by 22 publications

References 17 publications

Leadership and Leader Development: Perspectives from Museum and Academic Library Professionals

Leadership and Leader Development: Perspectives from Museum and Academic Library Professionals

The hidden heritage of Arab libraries: Online catalogs and institutional barriers to discoverability

Leadership roles within the ranks in Nigerian Academic Libraries

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