Understanding and reconciling differences in leadership perspectives on the role of the 21st century academic library: a qualitative case study

Randall A. Lowe

doi:10.17918/00011207

The relevance of the library in 21st century institutions of higher education is being challenged due to the advent of online scholarly publishing, new ways of researching and learning, and institutional demands for outcomes assessment. These developments have challenged the library's previous indispensability as the primary collector and provider of scholarly information sources on campus. In response, libraries have expanded their scope by making investments in providing student information literacy instruction, licensing and providing access to scholarly online content, and developing a host of new services to support researchers. However, in many instances, these initiatives have not been explicitly connected to university priorities, causing a disconnect regarding the library's expected role with senior academic administrators. The support of these administrators is essential for ongoing institutional investment in libraries, but if a gap in perceptions on the role(s) the library should be fulfilling within the university persists between these key stakeholders and library leadership, its relevance will diminish, and its future will be imperiled. This study utilized a qualitative instrumental case study approach to investigate how senior academic administrators and library leadership at a public regional comprehensive university located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States each define the role of the 21st century academic library and how, if at all, potential differences in their perceptions are identified and reconciled to inform decision-making related to the library's fulfillment of the institution's research and learning mission. Semi-structured individual interviews with library leadership and senior academic administrators and focus groups of library faculty and staff were employed to surface where connections and disconnects between senior academic and library leadership on the library's ongoing role in the university are present and to better understand why they exist. The findings, results, and conclusions of this study revealed a library that raised its profile and broadened and expanded its role in meeting the research and learning mission of the university. This was achieved by intentionally aligning the library's strategic priorities with the institution's, ensuring library faculty and staff inclusion in the strategic planning process, boldly and consistently advocating for the library, communicating regularly and effectively with senior academic leadership, establishing meaningful campus partnerships, and implementing significant and transformational operational change to accommodate its expanding role. By identifying similarities and differences in key stakeholder perceptions regarding the ongoing role of the library, and how they are leveraged or reconciled in practice through the actions of the participants, this study benefits library leaders and the senior academic administrators to whom they report by making recommendations on how these individuals may more effectively collaborate to align library and university strategic priorities and implement relevant change in meeting the research and learning mission of the institution.

Understanding and reconciling differences in leadership perspectives on the role of the 21st century academic library: a qualitative case study

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Understanding and reconciling differences in leadership perspectives on the role of the 21st century academic library: a qualitative case study

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