Management and Leadership Final Reflection
19 April 2024
Part of being a good leader and a good manager is realizing there are things you still need to learn, then finding potential places to obtain that necessary knowledge. This is particularly true in graduate school, during which you are introduced to so many topics and do not get to explore all of them in-depth.
Discuss three (3) topics or concepts about leadership and management in LIS about which you need or want to know more. Explore what you do know using citations where necessary, and why you think you'll need to learn more. For each of those topics, find two current and relevant resources (website, organization, book or series, webinar or course, etc.) where you plan or expect to find information on that topic. Provide a complete APA citation for each resource. Take the space that you need to do this, but please aim for no less than 400 words and no more than 1,000 total.
Over this semester of LIBS 674, we surveyed a bevy of topics and scenarios surrounding leadership and management in libraries, at a pace that necessitated moving from one topic to another in short succession. Of course, given that many librarians’ time in the field lasts for years, if not decades, a semester of sixteen weeks is probably enough time to gain a substantial understanding of no more than two or three topics. And even then, without any personal, practical scenarios to test and apply and readjust my understanding, there is still much that I’d need to experience to consider myself as having a true understanding of library leadership.
Of the topics discussed, there were three that piqued my interest for further understanding after this semester, most I had already put significant emphasis on in my coursework. The first, strategic planning, is likely the most foundational aspect of modern library operations—there are countless factors affecting their numerous and increasingly complex aspects. Only with proper planning can an organization “[keep] in mind an awareness of the greater environment in which the organization operates; which outside factors are likely to affect the fulfillment of the organization’s purpose” (Moran & Morner, 2018, pg. 83). Thankfully, there were plenty of resources provided in the strategic planning module. One of these resources was a LibGuide pathfinder created by the Massachusetts Library System (Chadwick, Eberle, & Lanza-Galindo, 2024), which, as one would expect, contains resources specific to the state. While researching for the strategic planning assignment, however, I found another, similar directory of resources from the Library of Virginia (n.d.) that is oriented around our state, but ended up not using any. Both pathfinders will likely receive further attention from me in the future.
The second topic is one that exemplifies the aforementioned complexity: buildings and renovation. A personal anecdote: recently, one of my friends, who is currently working in an academic library but isn’t pursuing a MLIS, was wondering why her library was noticeably humdrum despite the ever-hectic finals week. Though the library in question lacks any photos that are easily found on the internet, from the one heading its page on the university website, I remarked that the interior looked as if were somewhat outdated and would probably benefit from a remodel. But of course, that leads to an ever-expanding web of questions: does the university have the funds to pursue such a endeavor? Where could they possible acquire or fundraise these funds? What is the overall vision for the renovation? Would the effort require approval from a supervisory board? How long would it take, and how would it affect the overall direction over the coming years? What will be done to accommodate students while the central informational hub of their campus is unavailable? Although these questions and more were glanced at in module 4 through the observational research, there wasn’t anything that gave us a deeper glimpse into how a library tackled these questions for themselves. Fortunately, there are extended accounts and guidance easily available outside of public-facing press releases. A short web search surfaces a lengthy “Library Expansion/Renovation Checklist” from the ALA’s Ann Hamilton (n.d.), a broad yet brief primer of all the important considerations when adjusting library space. To go more in-depth, I’d be liable to consult a full-length book on the topic—the ALA has also published Library Next: Seven Action Steps for Reinvention (Murray-Rust, 2021), which is available for borrowing at libraries in the surrounding regions.
The last topic is one that is simultaneously tangential, yet given that it can be considered a result of funding issues, it can also be similarly broad like strategic planning: outsourcing. The restrictions constricting library budgets are many, and the outsourcing of services is occasionally considered as a possible solution—but it seems the number of voices within the industry dissenting to outsourcing are just as numerous. While I largely agree that transferring services away from devoted staff within an organization will almost certainly lead to a decline in quality, I am curious about what, if anything, can be done to maintain that quality management to the best of one’s ability if the decision to outsource or privatize is carried out without staff input. As for advisory resources, the number available seems to be rather scarce compared to the other two topics. The ALA’s library of LibGuides includes one devoted to outsourcing and privatization (2022), but the most current resource provided, the book Privatizing Libraries, dates back to more than a decade ago (Jerrad, Bolt, & Strege, 2012). Perhaps the scarcity of guidance on the topic means it’s taboo enough that keeps most administration far away considering outsourcing, but I’d like to hope that a newer perspective might be presented for consideration in the future.
References
American Library Association. (2022, June 29). Outsourcing and privatization. LibGuides at American Library Association. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from: https://libguides.ala.org/Outsourcing/Home
Chadwick, K., Eberle, M., & Lanza-Galindo, O. (2024, January 30). Strategic planning for libraries. Massachusetts Library System. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from: https://guides.masslibsystem.org/strategicplanning
Hamilton, A. (n.d.) Library expansion/renovation checklist: Creating today’s ARC takes more than forty days and forty nights. Library Leadership and Management Association. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from: https://www.ala.org/llama/sites/ala.org.llama/files/content/Ann%20Hamilton%20ebook.pdf
Jerrad, J., Bolt, N., & Strege, K. (2012). Privatizing libraries. ALA Editions.
Library of Virginia. (n.d.). Library directors resources. LDND InfoCenter. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from: https://vpl.lib.va.us/library-directors-page/library-directors/
Moran, B. B. & Morner, C. J. (2018). Library and information center management (9th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.
Murray-Rust, C. (2021). Library next: Seven action steps for reinvention. ALA Editions.