How do we educate future library leaders and managers?
From PLN
How do we educate future library leaders and managers?
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by Mike Crandall and Nancy Gershenfeld, University of Washington Information School, published September 15, 2006 This question seems to be a perennial topic of discussion throughout the library literature, in conference sessions and hallways, and just about anywhere librarians gather. In recent years, a great deal of concern has been voiced over the graying of the profession and the coming void in the leadership and management of the field. In response, a number of excellent programs have developed within professional associations (ALA, ASIS&T) and various library organizations (Urban Libraries Council, many regional and state library groups) to provide professional leadership and management education for those already in practice.
What should library schools be doing to prepare students for leadership positions and management tracks in the profession? Both of us have been deeply involved in the transformation of one library school into something new and different over the past eight years, as the University of Washington Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program has developed into what is now known as the Information School. As part of that change, some hard thinking has gone into this question (along with a complete revision of the MLIS curriculum) and although we certainly haven’t answered it completely, we do have some ideas about the topic that we’d like to share (and hopefully receive feedback from those of you interested in this subject!!).
Where are we now?
In 2004, Florence Mason wrote a review article for Library Trends (Mason, F. “Learning to lead: an analysis of current training programs for library leadership”. Library Trends, Summer, 2004) in which she provided a thorough overview of existing library leadership development programs. Her results pointed out several flaws in the current approaches to training and education in this area, including the lack of a clear definition of what the critical leadership competencies should be in the library field and a lack of standard evaluation measures for success of educational programs. She also pointed out that:
- Those institutions now making significant investments in leadership training for librarians do not appear to include any significant leadership programs developed or offered by library and information science programs.
This is closely followed by a final recommendation that:
- Library schools and/or other professional bodies define a leadership training research agenda to be completed in the next ten years. Such an agenda would have as its focus the creation of a set of tools that could measurably improve library leadership. A first step would be the development of a clear and broadly accepted set of general library leadership competencies for all types of library settings. The second step would be the vigorous promotion of these competencies in library training and educational venues of all types.
This is clearly a challenge to the library educational community and the library profession as a whole, but does not stop individual institutions from making efforts to accomplish some or all of the desired outcomes. As part of our continuing examination of the curriculum in the Information School, we have looked at these issues, and have taken some steps toward changing one school’s approach to this area. There is a great deal yet to be done, however, and as Mason points out, it’s something that needs to be addressed at the national level for true success.
Some critical distinctions
Mason’s study focuses on “leadership” as opposed to “management.” As she points out in the article, these are not the same thing, though inextricably intertwined. She provides a brief excerpt from Learning to lead: A workbook on becoming a leader (W. Bennis & J. Goldsmith, 1994, Reading, MA:Addison-Wesley, p. 4), which calls out distinguishing characteristics of each.
Leadership versus Management
| Leadership | Management | |
| A leader does the right things. | A good manager does things right. | |
| Leadership is about effectiveness. | Management is largely about efficiency. | |
| Leading is about what and why. | Management is about how to do things. | |
| Leadership is about trust and about people. | Management is about systems, controls, procedures, policies, and structure. | |
| Leadership is about innovating and initiating. | Management is about copying, about managing the status quo. | |
| Leadership looks at the horizon, not just the bottom line. | Management is about the bottom line. |
Unfortunately, the distinction is not nearly as clear cut as this in real life, and mastery of the functions of management turn out to be key elements in the making of a good leader. In many circumstances, one person must function as both manager and leader, exhibiting the skills related to each as the situation demands. What then, should the focus of our library educational institutions be in this area?
Ages and stages
In thinking about the answer to this question, perhaps it will be helpful to take a step back and look at the students we have in our schools, and think about what they are here to learn. Students span a wide range of ages and a very wide spectrum of previous experience. While many come to us with prior experience in libraries, there are an equal number with a background in totally unrelated fields. What brings them here is a desire to learn the fundamentals of the library profession; the nuts and bolts that will take them to a career in whatever branch of librarianship they have chosen as their path.
The management skills listed above are competencies that are fundamental to their success in the field, whether they become leaders or not. At this early stage in their career development, these are the tools that are needed to understand the workings of a library, both in terms of the organization and the delivery of its services to the target population. Some of these students may well go on to become leaders, but except for a very few, it is much too early for them to assume leadership positions without some hands-on experience in the day-to-day basics. However, the desire to lead must be recognized and encouraged, and all students must understand that management and leadership qualities are critical for success at all levels of the profession.
If this is true, then our educational efforts should be focused on the basics of management, while providing opportunities for practicing the skills of leadership in the safe, constructive environment of a classroom. Opportunities for supervised practice in the community logically extend the classroom experience. This blending of the essential knowledge necessary to work effectively in an organization with coaching and feedback on leadership skills seems an appropriate combination for early career students. Targeted education in “leadership” would be more appropriate for continuing education, either in advanced certificate programs or through professional associations such as the many leadership institutes already mentioned above.
What we’ve done right
If this approach is the correct one, how might it be implemented in a masters program? There are probably as many answers to this as there are schools, but the University of Washington may be a good example to examine because of the relatively recent changes in the structure and purpose of our school.
As part of the transformation from a school focused on developing only library practitioners, the Information School has expanded its curriculum and degree programs to cover other professionals interested in information management. The school now offers an undergraduate degree in Informatics and a second Masters degree in Information Management, along with a PhD program in Information Science.
A necessary corollary of this expansion has been the inclusion of faculty members from a wide variety of backgrounds, ranging from computer science to business management. This greater breadth in perspective has resulted in many changes in curriculum that might not be possible in a school focusing solely on library science. In particular, the Information Management program has developed a number of management and leadership courses, which are now available to all students in the school--courses such as Strategic Information Initiatives, and Information and the Management of Change--along with foundational management courses specifically targeted to information professionals in finance and accounting, marketing, and human resources. These courses supplement the introductory management courses, and provide an opportunity for those students interested in leadership and management to move further in their explorations while in school.
The availability of these courses enhances our MLIS curriculum by schooling students in concepts and sound practices from the business community that can be utilized effectively in any environment. Within the MLIS program, the foundation course “Management of Information Organizations” examines practices related to all types of information organizations and information roles, which include public / academic / school / special library environments as well as technology and project management roles in the profit and non-profit arena. Students are also encouraged to consider elective courses in complementary academic units, such as public policy.
A second change has occurred as a result of increased emphasis within the school on broader community engagement through the use of practitioners outside the field of libraries both as guest lecturers and adjunct faculty. This has resulted in the exposure of students in basic management classes to senior managers and leaders in a number of local organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft, Real Networks, and many more. That does not mean we have ignored the outstanding leaders in our library community either, however; advanced courses like Public Libraries and Advocacy are being taught by local luminaries such as Deborah Jacobs from the Seattle Public Library. Students are also engaged in projects within the community to gain additional first-hand experience through directed field work and class exercises. Independent study opportunities provide hands-on experience with managing projects and collections in all information environments.
A third change is the establishment of the masters portfolio, which includes demonstration of a significant leadership experience as one of the five required elements. In this graduate portfolio, students not only stretch themselves in new experiences, but also demonstrate how these experiences expand their abilities as information professionals. We find that the portfolio experience not only enhances the students’ awareness of leadership qualities, but demonstrates to the students that leadership is needed on many levels, not just at the top of the organization.
What still needs to be done
All is not perfect, of course, and many of the issues Mason called out in her article still face us as well as the library education community as a whole. The Information School doesn’t have a clear research agenda in this area, something that would provide a strong underpinning for a consistent approach to solving the problems outlined by Mason. The integration of the various curricula of the programs within the school is a work in progress, and understanding how best to blend the students and faculty is a continuing and exciting challenge.
Encouraging promising students to enroll in the advanced management and leadership courses, providing more hands-on opportunities to work with real-life issues, requiring more than a minimum exposure to the principles of management and leadership, and perhaps selecting different students that might be more interested in this area as part of the admissions process are all steps that can be taken to solidify the gains we have made in the past few years. More students are expressing interest in leadership roles in their applications; we must endeavor to mentor these students as educators and position them to take advantage of advanced opportunities for management and leadership training as they progress in their careers.
The challenge
Perhaps the most promising of current developments is the formation of a network of Information Schools, which met for the first time in 2005 at Penn State University. A second conference will be held this year at the University of Michigan. This is a wonderful opportunity to bring some of these issues to the attention of a broad community of schools that, like the University of Washington, have begun to move toward new models of educating our future professionals. However, it is not clear that the topic of leadership and management for library professionals is at the top of the discussion list, so perhaps some input from the broader community to the schools participating in these conferences is needed.
The University of Washington is not unique in our approach or our problems, of course, as evidenced by the rapid growth of the Information School movement across the country. To move toward the consistent, measurable, and cohesive leadership and management educational agenda as envisioned by Florence Mason, much work remains to be done on a national level. We’re interested in hearing how and what you think the best approach to this might be, so please send your feedback to us or raise the issue here for discussion.
Mike Crandall is Senior Lecturer and Chair of the Master of Science in Information Management Program; Nancy Gershenfeld is a Lecturer in Management courses at the Information School.
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