scholarly journals Leadership Competencies for Academic Librarians: The Importance of Development and Fund-raising

2002 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark D. Winston ◽  
Lisa Dunkley
Keyword(s):  
Effective Leadership ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Academic Development ◽  
Leadership Competencies ◽  
Fund Raising ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Leadership Qualities ◽  
Educational Preparation ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Funding Sources

Private-sector research has addressed the issue of leadership competencies as a part of defining the nature of effective leadership, the leadership qualities and areas of knowledge needed by those who contribute to organizational success, and the educational preparation needed by leaders. The societal, organizational, and competitive changes affecting academic libraries point to the need for effective leadership and the identification of leadership competencies for academic librarians. This article presents a rationale for the identification of an important component of such a statement of leadership competencies in the context of the knowledge and skills associated with development and fund-raising. This issue is key for professionals who play an important role in ensuring the value and viability of their employing organizations, as well as in articulating the relevance of academic library and information services to an array of potential funding sources. The research presented here describes the areas of expertise, experience, and skills associated with academic development positions in colleges and universities as a basis for identifying leadership competencies that are relevant to academic librarians and administrators.

scholarly journals Strategies and Leadership Values in Obama’s Apology Discourse

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 463-481
Author(s):  
Susanna Bithiah Varma ◽  
Shamala Paramasivam ◽  
Vahid Nimehchisalem
Keyword(s):  
Effective Leadership ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Leadership Qualities ◽  
Leadership Performance ◽  
Leadership Values ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThis study analyses leadership apologies to gain insights into effective leadership performance from the perspective of apologising. The study explores Obama’s leadership qualities that are projected through his apology discourse mainly the strategies used to construct his apologies and values that emerge from them. The study concluded that leadership should be versatile for a leader to be able to perform efficiently in crucial situations. It is important for a leader to have the ability to blend strategies to display good values to perform the speech act of apology well because in doing so, they will be able to bind themselves in good rapport with their followers which creates unity in the relationship. The significance of the study can be viewed in the potential to reframe apology as an empowering act that can positively impact leaders’ image rather than an act that is viewed as taboo or ineffective for leadership.

Extended and experimenting: library learning commons service strategy and sustainability

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 265-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Gunter King
Keyword(s):  
Planning Process ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Historical Review ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Engagement ◽  
Learning Commons ◽  
Library Research ◽  
The Commons

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to share a compelling example of a library’s willingness to develop and design itself as an open-ended process. Design/methodology/approach – The case study provides a historical review of the library’s founding design, and an overview of the process and approach to redesign. The study contextualizes the library within current academic library research and literature. Findings – This paper explores the research, engagement and planning process behind the library’s exploration of new models and service configurations. The project was an engaged, inclusive, transparent, library-led process. The commons reestablishes the library as the “nerve center” of the campus. Originality/value – The paper offers an update to a 1969 report, and later book by Robert Taylor on the Harold F. Johnson Library at Hampshire College, designed as a prototype of an academic library. This paper will be of value to academic librarians, administrators, and historians.

scholarly journals Academic Librarians Have Concerns about Their Role as Teachers

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Virginia Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Significant Feature ◽  
Structured Interviews

A Review of: Walter, Scott. “Librarians as Teachers: A Qualitative Inquiry into Professional Identity.” College and Research Libraries 69.1 (2008): 51-71. Objective – This study explores how academic librarians are introduced to teaching, the degree to which they think of themselves as teachers, the ways in which being a teacher has become a significant feature of their professional identity, and the factors that may influence academic librarians to adopt a “teacher identity.” Design – A literature review extended by qualitative semi-structured interviews. Setting – The research took place at an American university with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching designation of “Doctoral/Research — Extensive.” Subjects – Six academic librarians. Methods – The main feature of the article is an extensive literature review around the themes of LIS, teaching, and qualitative research methodologies. The literature review is supplemented by qualitative research consisting of semi-structured interviews of between 45 and 90 minutes each, which were conducted during spring 2004 with six librarians (five women and one man), whose length of professional service ranged from 2 to 32 years. All of the participants worked at the same institution. The data collected were reviewed throughout the process using field memos and a research log. The data were analyzed using a coding process where discrete ideas that emerged from the data were used to identify a small number of themes. The initial conclusions in the study were validated through member checking during the writing phase. “Member checking involves sharing draft study findings with the participants, to inquire whether their viewpoints were faithfully interpreted, whether there are gross errors of fact, and whether the account makes sense to participants with different perspectives” (Centre for Health Evidence). Main Results – Five themes around teaching and teacher identity as they pertain to academic librarians emerged from the data. The first theme was the centrality of teaching. Each participant sought out a position where the teaching role was valued. The role of teacher spilled over into the other roles of the librarian, i.e., reference service, collection development, etc. The next theme was the importance of collegial and administrative support, which is critical to the ability to focus on work as a teacher. The stress of multiple demands emerged as a theme, as time dedicated to teaching was often at the expense of something else. Another theme was the problems with professional education around teaching. Instruction course offerings in library schools were reported to be meagre, and some were badly planned and executed. The fifth theme involved stereotypes and misperceptions. Studies have shown that the academic library profession has been poorly understood by students and faculty. Study participants believed that many of their campus colleagues were either unaware of what they did, or were misinformed by popular culture stereotypes of librarians. Conclusions – The small sample size precluded the making of any definite conclusions based on the study results. Other limitations of the study include the relatively short amount of time spent in the interview process and the narrow range of librarians chosen to participate. The author notes that a subject pool more representative of academic librarians’ full range of opinions regarding the importance of teaching as a professional responsibility would have resulted in more complex themes emerging. While the author is aware of the study’s limitations, he feels there is value in the qualitative research design, in giving voice to individual librarians, and in the provision of insight into some of the research questions found in the literature of learning to teach and of teacher identity. Given the limitations, Walter makes three conclusions about his findings. He points out the lack of a formal introduction to teaching in many library programs which has been explored by other studies and concludes that his study “suggests that continuing lack of attention to this issue results in a difficult introduction into the profession for new academic librarians” (64). Regarding continuing and professional education, Walter concludes that “this study suggests that there are a number of important questions about the content and conduct of these opportunities for instruction librarians that have not been explored in the literature” (64). Finally, Walter concludes that “this study suggests that there is an important connection between research on student perceptions of academic librarians, the study of teacher identity, and the future of the profession” (64).

scholarly journals Engelond: A Model for Faculty-Librarian Collaboration in the Information Age

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scottt Walter
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Instructional Program ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Pilot Program ◽  
Medieval Studies ◽  
Academic Curriculum ◽  
Information Literacy Instruction ◽  
Further Development

The question of how best to incorporate information literacy instruction into the academic curriculum has long been a leading concern of academic librarians. In recent years, this issue has grown beyond the boundaries of professional ibrarianship and has become a general concern regularly addresssed by classroom faculty, educational administrators, and even regional accrediting organizations and state legislatures. This essay reports on the success of a pilot program in course-integrationi nformation literacy instruction in the field of medieval studies. The author's experience with the "Engelond" project provides a model for the ways in which information literacy instruction can be effectively integrated into the academic curriculum, and for the ways in which a successful pilot program can both lead the way for further development of the general instructional program in an academic library, and serve as a springboard for future collaborative projects between classroom faculty and academic librarians.

scholarly journals Replicable services for reproducible research: a model for academic libraries

Bibliosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 33-45
Author(s):  
F. Sayre ◽  
A. Riegelman
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Reproducible Research ◽  
Library Services ◽  
The Public ◽  
Data Intensive ◽  
Academic Librarianship ◽  
Core Areas ◽  
Research Faculty

Over the past decade, evidence from disciplines ranging from biology to economics has suggested that many scientific studies may not be reproducible. This has led to declarations in both the scientific and lay press that science is experiencing a “reproducibility crisis” and that this crisis has consequences for the extent to which students, faculty, and the public at large can trust research. Faculty build on these results with their own research, and students and the public use these results for everything from patient care to public policy. To build a model for how academic libraries can support reproducible research, the authors conducted a review of major guidelines from funders, publishers, and professional societies. Specific recommendations were extracted from guidelines and compared with existing academic library services and librarian expertise. The authors believe this review shows that many of the recommendations for improving reproducibility are core areas of academic librarianship, including data management, scholarly communication, and methodological support for systematic reviews and data-intensive research. By increasing our knowledge of disciplinary, journal, funder, and society perspectives on reproducibility, and reframing existing librarian expertise and services, academic librarians will be well positioned to be leaders in supporting reproducible research. Citation: Sayre F., Riegelman A. Replicable services for reproducible research: a model for academic libraries.

Advocacy of the Sustainable Development Goals in Jordanian academic libraries

IFLA Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 034003522110383
Author(s):  
Faten Hamad ◽  
Maha Al-Fadel
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
The Public ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Study Support

In view of the increased importance of the Sustainable Development Goals and the limited number of public libraries in Jordan, it is important to investigate the role and practices of academic libraries in promoting knowledge and skills to support the Sustainable Development Goals in Jordan. It is also important to explore the challenges that might hinder the accomplishment of the Sustainable Development Goals. The results of this study support the fact that academic libraries can significantly contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals ( M = 3.53) by providing access to relevant and up-to-date information ( M = 4.16) and giving training on information literacy ( M = 4.03). Access to information contributes to the quality of life of society ( M = 4.41). This article provides insights for academic librarians and decision-makers into disseminating measures for promoting knowledge and skills related to the Sustainable Development Goals among students and the public community in Jordan. The study recommends some relevant strategies, such as the collaboration of academic libraries with governmental and health institutions to support the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals in Jordan.

Building Digital Libraries

2010 ◽  
pp. 90-107
Author(s):  
Kshema Prakash ◽  
Jason A. Pannone ◽  
K. Santi Swarup
Keyword(s):  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Bibliographic Instruction

Blogging is a relatively recent phenomenon, and its use in academic libraries is in nascent stage. The authors of this chapter use blogs as part of their outreach to patrons, though in slightly different contexts and for slightly different purposes. Blogging can be an important component of digital libraries, one that allows for timely two-way communication of news, information, bibliographic instruction, and the like. While challenges have been raised to the worth and value of academic library blogs (e.g., Gorman, 2005), the authors believe, based on the research and their experience, that blogging is a useful tool for academic librarians and digital libraries.

Trends in Web-Based Services in Academic Libraries

2011 ◽  
pp. 80-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn M. Fountain
Keyword(s):  
User Interfaces ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Network Services ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Online Learners ◽  
Electronic Journals ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Web Interfaces ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Virtual Libraries

Change is afoot in the academic library world. The World Wide Web has expanded the types of services academic librarians are able to provide their patrons. We can now offer Web-based electronic databases, WebPACS, electronic journals, electronic reserve systems with Web-interfaces and a wide range of specialized digital library collections. Our patrons now have access to a huge variety of information, and they no longer have to leave their offices or homes to obtain it. Future developments include improved information retrieval algorithms, chic user-interfaces, advanced network services and virtual libraries created to serve the growing population of distance and online learners. Academic librarians face a world of exploding digital resources and their assistance in organizing this chaotic web of information is vital.

Perceptions of Affordance in an Academic Library: A Qualitative Study

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Sadler ◽  
Lisa M. Given
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Base De Données

Applies ecological psychology’s concept of “affordance” to graduate students’ information behaviours given design decisions made by academic librarians. Qualitative interviews explore how students perceive and use the library’s various tools (e.g., books, databases, instructional sessions, librarians, etc.), and how students’ activities reflect librarians’ perceptions of what these tools can do.Application du concept de psychologie écologique de « l’affordance » sur les comportements informationnels des étudiants de 2e cycle concernant les décisions de conception prises par les bibliothécaires universitaires. Des entrevues qualitatives explorent la manière dont les étudiants perçoivent et utilisent divers outils de la bibliothèque (par exemple : les livres, les base de données, les sessions de formation, les bibliothécaires, etc.) et la manière dont les activités des étudiants reflètent les perceptions des bibliothécaires sur ce que ces outils peuvent faire. 

scholarly journals More Academic Librarians in Arkansas with Faculty Status and Rights but Decreased Benefits and Increased Responsibility

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 99
Author(s):  
Mê-Linh Lê
Keyword(s):  
Response Rate ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Similar Data ◽  
Academic Institutions ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Faculty Status

A Review of: Vix, H. M., & Buckman, K. M. (2011). Academic librarians: Status, privileges, and rights. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 38(1), 20-25. doi: 10.1016/j.acalib.2011.11.004 Objective – To provide cross-comparable information on the number of students per librarian, salary, faculty status, contract lengths, and maternity benefits of academic librarians. Design – Online questionnaire. Setting – Four-year private, four-year public, and two-year public academic institutions in Arkansas. Subjects – Academic library deans and directors were surveyed three times over a six-year period. Methods – Three surveys were sent to library deans and directors of four-year private, four-year public, and two-year public academic institutions in Arkansas in 2007, 2009, and 2011. The surveys were created by the College and University Library Division of the Arkansas Library Association, with questions created based on reports from the Association of College and Research Libraries (e.g., Standards and Statements). Committee members tested the survey before distribution. Over the course of the six-year period the questions were modified and were chosen to ensure that respondents could easily answer them (i.e., no questions on topics such as retirements, vacation, which can vary significantly from librarian to librarian). All responses were confidential. Main Results – The 2007 survey had a 78% response rate (n=35/45); the 2009 survey had a 93% response rate (n=42/45); and the 2011 survey had a 90% response rate (n=44/49). While the survey covered a number of topics (shown in supplementary material online), the article focused on five areas of interests and had the following findings. 1) The number of students per librarian is increasing at four-year private and two-year public institutions. While the data shows a decrease in the ratio at four-year public institutions the authors believe this is due to the addition of new institutions in the follow-up surveys, one of which had a very low study-to-librarian ration. 2) Tenured librarians make more than non-tenured librarians. 3) The number of institutions granting faculty status is increasing at a statistically significant rate at four-year private and two-year public institutions, and has remained relatively constant at four-year public institutions. 4) Most libraries have 12-month contracts for librarians, although this has decreased slightly over the survey period. 5) The number of institutions providing paid maternity leave has decreased. Conclusion – This study provides a broad overview of the changing state of academic librarians’ rights and benefits in Arkansas over the last six years. Some of the trends demonstrated, such as an increase in the number of students per librarian, are potentially troubling and may have a negative impact on the quality of service provided by individual institutions. Other trends, such as increases in institutions granting faculty status to librarians and decreasing the number of 12-month contracts, may signal that some institutions are beginning to acknowledge the significance and impact of librarian research. Ultimately, this article provides a starting point for other states and provinces to begin collecting similar data in an attempt to understand changing trends in academic libraries.

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