Connecting Diversity to Management: Further Insights

It has long been noted that libraries need more diversity in the professional ranks. This situation is now critical with baby boomers soon to retire leaving millennials, who are more racially and ethnically diverse, as the next majority population. The profession will need to recruit a more significant number of millennials to the profession if libraries are to resemble the communities they serve. To get an idea of the current status of management diversity in libraries, managers/supervisors of ARL libraries-in states that contain the highest number of minorities in population-were randomly selected for a survey. Participants in ARL\u27s LCDP were also selected as a comparative group since they are minorities identified with leadership potential. Both groups were asked about diversity in their libraries as well as what skills are needed to reach a managerial position. This data in combination with a survey of the literature of diversity in libraries and the business sector allow the authors to present recommendations for increasing the number of minorities in the profession as well as integrating diversity in management

Academic Library Succession Planning in the University of California (UC) System

The Library and Information Science (LIS) literature has made clear that academic libraries in the U.S. have experienced decades of hiring freezes and budget cuts that reduced staffing overall and eliminated many middle management positions. Consequently, now that baby boomer library managers and administrators are beginning to retire, there are few qualified applicants to replace them. Thus, many in the LIS field have called for better succession planning by top-level library administrators (e.g., Deans, Directors, University Librarians). Few studies, however, have directly addressed this issue by examining these administrators’ perceptions or behavior regarding succession planning. This study begins to fill this literature gap through semi-structured interviews with all 10 of the University Librarians (ULs) in the University of California (UC) system. The study employed a case study/cross-case analysis design; each participant-UL was considered a case. During data analysis, a within-case thematic analysis was conducted for each participant and then a cross-case analysis was undertaken to compare and contrast the ULs’ perspectives on succession planning. A theoretical framework drawn from the field of sociology was used to better understand the perceptions and behavior of participant-ULs regarding this topic. This framework suggested examining the structure and culture of the context in which each UL worked, as well as the perceived agency of each participating UL. This study’s findings suggest that structure, culture, and agency can significantly impact how and why the ULs engage or do not engage in succession planning. For example, the retirement pension for UC employees encourages long-term retention, which leads to low employee turnover. A static population may resist a ULs’ attempts at cultural change. Thus, both low turnover and resistance to change can make succession planning a challenge for ULs. The results of this study contribute to both LIS literature and practice in at least two ways. First, this study’s findings could be useful to other academic library administrators, given that the study identifies potentially transferable strategies that the ULs in the study are utilizing to succession plan. Second, this study helps further a conversation in the disciplinary literature about how and why to develop future library leaders

Organizational Leadership in Academic Libraries : Identifying Culture Types and Leadership Roles

The purpose of this study is to identify organizational culture types and leadership roles among research and non-research libraries in higher education institutions in the United States and to reveal trends that can assist in enacting needed organizational change. Organizational culture and leadership are two intertwined concepts that are strongly aligned with the human element of any supervisory experience. According to Crosby, they help “nurture effective and humane organizations” (Crosby, 2004). This research project sought to test the claims brought forth by library researchers such as Kaarts-Brown et al. in which they reported a tie between the library manager’s ability to shift leadership roles to the overall effectiveness of the organization’s culture (2004, p. 38). It also examined possible models to aid libraries in diagnosing and making change that can influence organizational culture in positive ways. Application of Cameron and Quinn’s Competing Values Framework (CVF) by use of the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) provided a method for identifying culture and leadership roles among 625 academic library respondents. One hundred higher education libraries affiliated with the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) were compared to 123 similar-sized non-research oriented colleges and universities. The library literature stresses that budgetary constraints cause great difficulties among libraries of all types in this country. It also states that library science education does little to prepare its leaders to tackle this wide-spread crisis. This research project attempted to reveal the impact budget may have on culture and if education has any bearing on leadership traits and if one library type displays cultures or leadership roles that are desirable. Significant differences were revealed for several of the variables studied. Revealing culture types or library organizations and the leadership roles of their chief officers can aid in the diagnosis of effective or ineffective organizations. Once types and roles are identified, strategies can be suggested to meet institutional goals in spite of budget problems. With no state-supported economic relief anticipated for higher education in the near future, identifying creative strategies for library directors to employ may aid them in becoming more effective managers. Cameron and Quinn assert that effective managers beget effective leaders, who in turn can invoke positive change within their organizations (2006, p. 81)

SPEC Kit 356 Diversity and Inclusion

Today, diversity is defined beyond racial and ethnic groups and includes gender, sexual orientation, ability, language, religious belief, national origin, age, and ideas. The increase of published literature about cultural competencies, microaggressions, and assessment of diversity issues, as well as the inclusion of social justice movements in libraries, suggests diversity-related activities have increased and evolved over the last seven years. Over this time span, several libraries have obtained funding to support strategies to increase the number of minority librarians on their staff and support their advancement within the organization. There also appears to be an increase in the number of diversity or multicultural groups at the local, state, and national levels. However, these changes have not been consistently documented. Therefore, it is important to re-examine this topic to evaluate the impact of evolving endeavors, to see if more ARL libraries are involved, to see how diversity plans have changed over the years, and to document the current practices of research libraries. The main purpose of this survey was to identify diversity trends and changes in managing diversity issues in ARL libraries through exploring the components of diversity plans and initiatives since 2010, acknowledge library efforts since the 1990s, provide evidence of best practices and future trends, and identify current strategies that increase the number of minority librarians in research libraries and the types of programs that foster a diverse workplace and climate. The survey was conducted between May 1 and June 5, 2017. Sixty-eight of the 124 ARL member institutions responded to the survey for a 55% response rate. Interestingly, only 22 of the respondents to the 2010 SPEC survey participated in this survey, but this provides an opportunity to explore the diversity and inclusion efforts of a new set of institutions in addition to seeing what changes those 22 institutions have made since 2010. The SPEC Survey on Diversity and Inclusion was designed by Toni Anaya, Instruction Coordinator, and Charlene Maxey-Harris, Research and Instructional Services Chair, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. These results are based on responses from 68 of the 124 ARL member libraries (55%) by the deadline of June 12, 2017. The survey’s introductory text and questions are reproduced below, followed by the response data and selected comments from the respondents. The purpose of this survey is to explore the components of diversity plans created since 2010, identify current recruitment and retention strategies that aim to increase the number of minority librarians in research libraries, identify staff development programs that foster an inclusive workplace and climate, identify how diversity programs have changed, and gather information on how libraries assess these efforts

The impact of technology on collection development in selected academic and research libraries in the southeastern United States

The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of technology on collection development and the collection, and the probable impact of future technologies on collection development and the collection in selected academic and research libraries in the Southeast. An interview methodology was utilized to collect the data. Nineteen librarians from 13 libraries participated in the study. The findings of the study are not generalizable to libraries outside the study population

Strategic Thinking and Design Initiative: Extended and Updated Report

Introduction 11 This report1 documents the Strategic Thinking and Design work that the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) engaged in from the fall of 2013 through the end of 2015. Fueled by the deep desire of the ARL membership to rise to the challenges facing higher education in the 21st century, and with grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Association engaged in an unprecedented project to reimagine the future of the research library and then reshape ARL, its organization, to help bring that future into being. This report is a collaborative effort. John Seely Brown, who wrote the prologue, inspired the Association to embark upon this journey. The architect of the process you see before you is Ann Pendleton-Jullian. Sue Baughman, David Consiglio, Lee Anne George, Susan Gibbons, David Gift, Kaylyn Groves, Tom Hickerson, James Hilton, Lori Jahnke, Anne Kenney, Wendy Pradt Lougee, Rick Luce, Carol Mandel, Jim Neal, Susan Nutter, Ann Pendleton-Jullian, Dawn Schmitz, Brian E. C. Schottlaender, Elliott Shore, Elizabeth Waraksa, Martha Whitehead, John Wilkin, and Amy Yeager shared their ideas and compiled, wrote, edited, and brought the work to fruition. Paul Soulellis designed this publication. The diagrams were a collaboration between Ann Pendleton-Jullian and Paul Soulellis. Our greatest thanks are to the 365 participants in the Regional Design Meetings and Design Studios who gave their time and best thinking to the Strategic Thinking and Design process. Much of the work described in this report was made possible by grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Academic Librarians with Disabilities: Job Perceptions and Factors Influencing Positive Workplace Experiences

Although there has been increasing attention to diversity in librarianship, little attention has been paid to librarians with disabilities. This study uses a mixed method approach, using results from a survey and in-depth follow-up interviews, to investigate some of the characteristics of Canadian university librarians with disabilities, their job satisfaction, their perceptions of their workplace climate for diversity and accessibility, and the factors that influence their workplace perceptions. Although librarians with disabilities report a generally high level of job satisfaction, they are less satisfied with some areas related to workplace stress and job flexibility than librarians without disabilities. Librarians with disabilities also report less confidence that their workplace is inclusive, values diversity, and is understanding of disability-related issues. Factors influencing the work experience of university librarians with disabilities include a collegial environment, supportive colleagues and supervisors, job flexibility and autonomy, clear priorities and reporting structures, reasonable expectations about workload, time pressures and short deadlines, effective structures and processes to ensure accessibility, an accessible physical environment, and, most importantly, an understanding of disability and awareness of disability-related workplace issues

The Essence of the Library at a Public Research University as Seen Through Key Constituents’ Lived Experiences

“The library is the heart of the university” is an oft-repeated metaphor used to describe the role or centrality of the library. The implication is that the library is central to the university’s teaching, research, and service mission. This concept, though previously generally accepted without authoritative proof, is facing numerous challenges to its validity. There has been considerable research and talk about how to make the library central, again. Much has been focused on what to do, rather than why. As John Budd stated in 1995, “grounded study of the use of libraries, say, or of the transmission of information is impossible without an understanding of what underlies the act of using a library or of transmitting information… without an understanding of the ontological purpose of the library—its essence or being—the empirical study of its function as an organization lacks a fundamental context. By ontology of the library I mean the core of the library\u27s being, the reason for the library\u27s existence” (pp. 305-306). Through this transcendental phenomenological study, the researcher is proposing an ontological purpose of the library at a public research university from the perspectives of representatives of its nine key constituencies–chief executive officer, chief academic officer, chief research officer, chief student affairs officer, library director, faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students

Strategic Thinking and Design Initiative: Extended and Updated Report

Introduction 11 This report1 documents the Strategic Thinking and Design work that the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) engaged in from the fall of 2013 through the end of 2015. Fueled by the deep desire of the ARL membership to rise to the challenges facing higher education in the 21st century, and with grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Association engaged in an unprecedented project to reimagine the future of the research library and then reshape ARL, its organization, to help bring that future into being. This report is a collaborative effort. John Seely Brown, who wrote the prologue, inspired the Association to embark upon this journey. The architect of the process you see before you is Ann Pendleton-Jullian. Sue Baughman, David Consiglio, Lee Anne George, Susan Gibbons, David Gift, Kaylyn Groves, Tom Hickerson, James Hilton, Lori Jahnke, Anne Kenney, Wendy Pradt Lougee, Rick Luce, Carol Mandel, Jim Neal, Susan Nutter, Ann Pendleton-Jullian, Dawn Schmitz, Brian E. C. Schottlaender, Elliott Shore, Elizabeth Waraksa, Martha Whitehead, John Wilkin, and Amy Yeager shared their ideas and compiled, wrote, edited, and brought the work to fruition. Paul Soulellis designed this publication. The diagrams were a collaboration between Ann Pendleton-Jullian and Paul Soulellis. Our greatest thanks are to the 365 participants in the Regional Design Meetings and Design Studios who gave their time and best thinking to the Strategic Thinking and Design process. Much of the work described in this report was made possible by grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation