developing the next generation of library leaders

I've been a bit busy getting the new Library, Information, and Media studies program at Chicago State University going, so I've been collecting a number of items to post and will be doing that over the course of the next few weeks.

The first item relates to what we can learn from the IT industry in developing the next generation of library leaders. While it is true there are many differences between libraries and information technology organizations, there are many similarities as well. For example, just as "the next 10 to 20 years are going to be challenging" for IT, so they will be for libraries as well.

As is the case in IT, the work of librarians is shifting from being based on technical skills to more broadly focused positions where strategic knowledge is the key to long term success. Against that backdrop, library administrators need to actively groom replacements as well as the next generation of leaders who are able to integrate the role and functions of the library into their organizations.

While some of the details may differ between a library and an IT organization, the article at CIO Magazine points out the importance of mentoring, developing, and succession planning in the coming years. As so many of the baby boomers retire and the number of people pursuing advanced academic studies drops, we need to get more creative about how we're going to work in the future.

transparency

Don Tapscott, the author of Wikinomics, recently talked to CIO Magazine for their monthly "5 Things I've Learned" column. While his comments were directed to the corporate sector, there's a lot that we in libraries and information agencies can take away from his remarks as well:

1. We are under the microscope - like corporations, libraries are being scrutinized in ways we've never before imagined. Evaluation of our services and the sharing of that information is occurring at levels never before possible.
2. Transparency is power - it is central to organizational success. Open organizations perform better. As Tapscott said, we need to "undress for success."
   
3. The benefits of mass collaboration are boundless - Leaders of old paradigms have the most difficulty embracing new ones and are the most likely to engender distrust and dislike in our rapidly changing environment.
   
4. Practice what you preach - use the same tools internally as you do externally. Promote collaboration throughout the library; not just for external-facing services, and
5. Thinking forward pays off - what we see and use today will be significantly different in just a few years. We can't become complacent in thinking that we've done it all now that we've created an avatar in Second Life. We need to stay on top of what is happening and investigate the possibilities as they present themselves.
   

culture clash

The differences in expectations between Gen X, Gen Y, and the Boomers have been discussed quite a bit in various forums. For example, Stephen Abram of SirsiDynix has talked a lot about the information seeking behaviors of the millenials differs from those of us who are a bit older than them.

One aspect of particular note to information organizations is the difference in work behaviors among the various generations. In a survey conducted by CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive, these striking differences are pointed out in findings that clearly indicate Gen Y workers have a communicative style that greatly favors technology when compared to the communication styles of either Gen Xers or Boomers. In addition, the vast majority (87%) of the HR professionals surveyed indicated that Gen Y employees expect much more in terms of benefits, career advancement, and compensation than do Gen Xers or Boomers. These greater expectations include work schedules will be flexible, promotions which come early and often, vacation time that is very generous, and on-the-job technology that is state-of-the-art. On the other side of the coin, over half of the HR people surveyed who were aged 35 or greater thought that Gen Y workers do not respond well to authority and often have a difficult time following directions.

As Rosemary Haefner, vice president of Human Resources for CareerBuilder.com explains, these workers “grew up in a technology-driven world where standards and norms have changed and [they] often operate under different perspectives than older co-workers. As companies' cultures evolve with each generation, you see all workers benefiting from a variety of viewpoints and work styles.”

Consequently, library and information agency workplaces need to seriously consider how they will adapt if we want to bring in, and keep, younger staff members. For these younger workers, the status quo will not suffice. Some of the changes that will be required will undoubtedly include more flexible work schedules, better technology that is kept up to date, increased recognition programs, as well as competitive salaries and (perhaps) bonuses.

oh, what can we learn from this?

It starts out with this, "I threw away my dictionary. Tossed it. Considered my cluttered desk and decided it was time to take a critical look at what was crowding this valuable real estate." From there, Michelle Manafy discusses with us how the ubiquitous nature of Google, Wikipedia, and dictionary.com has changed her life. As the editor of a magazine (EContent) geared toward the information industry, Manafy talks about how the tools she used to use are no longer necessary given the changing nature of how (what some of us would call "ready reference") information is distributed today. For example, while she discusses the joy of thumbing through a thesaurus, the reality is that a printed dictionary isn't a required tool anymore because it's easier to look up words on the web while you are writing rather than thumbing through the printed dictionary. While this article doesn't really contain any surprises, this "slice of life" article vividly reminds us how much the world has changed, even in traditional areas such as journal editing.

digital archiving - it's not that simple

Contrary to naive claims that since disk drives are inexpensive digital archiving won't be a costly affair, Computerworld explores the two most pressing issues affecting digital preservation today: a lack of standards during both the content creation and storage phases and the high costs of on-going digital preservation. This article, Digital crisis: Motion pictures may fade to black should be a wake up call to us in the information professions that we face the same issues and need to move much more quickly in creating and adopting standards as well as forming partnerships to spread the responsibility of digital preservation efforts given the unsustainability, both technologically and monetarily, of many of our current models.