This study, based on data from library leaders at 100 colleges and universities in North America, shows how academic libraries approach hiring for the highest-level executive positions in the library. The report helps its readers to answer questions such as: What percentage of the highest level executive positions at academic libraries will open up over the next five years? To what extent will these positions be filled internally and to what extent through external hires? How well prepared are libraries for the expected wave of retirements in academic libraries in the near future? Indeed, will this wave or retirements indeed materialize? What does library leadership think of this perceived potential crisis in library leadership in the coming years? Overblown? Accurately described? How important are salaries and benefits, peer mentoring, and other factors in promoting or attracting library leadership? What has the library done to address leadership issues for the near future?
Just a few of this 52-page report’s many findings are that:
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Overall, respondents from colleges charging less than $9,000 per year in annual tuition believed that 40% of top positions at their library would become vacant at some point over the next five years.
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7% of all respondents believed that the retirement crisis at academic libraries was worse than commonly depicted.
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Junior colleges were more likely than other types of colleges to consider themselves not well prepared to find new leadership.
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Respondents from public colleges were more likely than those from private colleges to believe that future leadership would come by hiring those currently working in other institutions.
Data in the report is broken out by many variables, including college type, enrollment and level of tuition, among other variables.