1. Who’s Next?: What Happens When Longtime Library Leaders Retire
    As library leaders contemplate retirement, are their libraries—and the next generation of leaders—ready for the change?
    Library Journal


    For three long-tenured, nationally recognized directors—Pat Losinski of Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML), OH; Vailey Oehlke of Multnomah County Library (MCL), OR; and Ramiro Salazar of San Antonio Public Library (SAPL), TX—this year marks their retirements from a combined 56 years in their most recent roles. From weathering the Great Recession to the launch of Kindle ebook borrowing via OverDrive, their time leading three major public library systems overlapped with advancements in the profession and change in American culture. The jobs they exit are different from the jobs they entered in the early ’00s.

  2. Asking for a Friend: Tough Questions (and Honest Answers) about Organizational Culture | ALA Annual 2017 →

    Do you have questions about your library’s organizational culture? You’re not alone. On Monday, June 26, more than a hundred people attended a standing-room only session on how to work toward change within library management structures, whether academic, public, school, or special. Audience members were able to submit questions beforehand and via Twitter, creating an interactive experience.

  3. How Employees Shaped Strategy at the New York Public Library →

    In the spring of 2014, we proposed a radical approach: offer anyone on staff – over 2,500 individuals, many of them union members – the chance to shape the library through strategic conversations with senior leaders. We believed that if the Library was to be truly nimble, senior leaders couldn’t unilaterally come up with a plan. Involving staff in conceiving, designing, and implementing the change would result in a course of action that was more fit-to-purpose and more likely to be well executed. Staff would fully understand the changes and be accountable to each other for their implementation.

  4. Library Superbosses Lead By Creating Careers | Leading from the Library →

    Instead of griping about weak leadership in our libraries, for a change let’s pay more attention to our superbosses and the good work they do in developing the next generation of great library leaders.