Academic Library Leaders’ Challenges, Difficulties and Skills: An Analysis of Common Experiences

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of academic library leaders of Pakistan about library leadership. Qualitative research design was used with phenomenology approach as the present study aims to investigate what library leaders commonly perceive to be challenges, fundamental difficulties and needed skills to be successful. Data were collected through in-depth interviews from 15 senior academic library leaders. Major challenges found were identity crises followed by communication issues, financial constraints, CPD and administrative issues. The most challenging aspects of being an academic library leader were identified as trying to create awareness, lack of self-development culture and technological issues. The required leadership skills were communication, vision, social interaction, team building, organisational understanding and knowledge sharing. The findings of the study are helpful for current, young and future chief librarians to understand the challenges they may face and to develop the leadership skills needed to cope with these challenges. The study will also be helpful to academic institutions during their recruitment processes; professional associations for training purposes; and library schools for arranging and offering leadership courses.

How the Botswana International University of Science and Technology Library Engages its Stakeholders in Connecting Information Resources, Services, and Space

“…The accounts of library leaders in 15 academic libraries in Pakistan by Ashiq et al (2018) demonstrate how stakeholder engagement and poor professional development of team members pose challenges to transformational library management. A sustainable engagement of stakeholders calls for a proactively innovative and dynamic library team with critical skills for transformational knowledge sharing as per the needs of the specific stakeholders (Harland et al, 2019).…”

Academic library leaders’ conceptions of library leadership in Pakistan

“…The central leadership competencies for academic library leaders are vision, innovation, advocacy and influence (Martin 2019;Stewart 2017). The core competencies needed for academic library leaders are communication skills, vision, social interaction, team building, organisational understanding and knowledge sharing (Ashiq, Rehman and Batool 2018). Various library leadership programmes in the world such as Leading Modern Public Libraries (LMPL) and Future Leaders Programme (FLP) are now offered for the development of library leadership and leadership skills.…”

“…Few studies addressed library leadership development in Pakistan (Ameen 2006;Ashiq et al 2018;Haider 2003). Weak library associations and poor curriculum were the main hurdles towards the development of modern library leadership (Ahmad and Rehman 2007;Ameen 2006;Bashir 2014;Haider 2003Haider , 2004Mahmood 2003;Rehman and Ahmad 2007).…”

“…A study by Bashir (2014) described the perceptions of working librarians of Punjab University about the needed leadership skills, where he found the skill attributes as visionary, fairness, knowledgeable, diversity, and having good skills in communication, technology and motivation. In this critical time, serious efforts are required from LIS schools and professional libray associations for the improvement and development of library leaders of the future (Ashiq et al 2018;Awan and Mahmood 2010). The major reasons were that professional library associations did not play their role for the improvement in library leadership and the situation gets worse by out-dated curriculum offered by most of the LIS schools.…”

“…Albeit, this era is considered a tremendous change in academic environment (Aslam 2018;Hendrix 2010) but on the other hand, very little literature on leadership from the standpoint of library and information science is available (Ammons-Stephens et al 2009;Hernon 2017;Hernon and Pors 2013). The situation in Pakistan is not ideal, and there have been some studies that addressed library leadership in Pakistan (Ameen 2006;Ashiq, Rehman and Batool 2018;Haider 2003;Bashir 2014). Poor curriculum content and implementation by library schools and weak library associations were the major obstacles towards the development of modern library leadership (Ameen 2006;Bashir 2014;Haider 2003Haider , 2004Mahmood 2003;Ahmad and Rehman 2007;Rehman and Ahmad 2007).…”