Cross-Generational Valuing Among Peer Academic Librarians

Abstract

This study investigated the skills, knowledge, abilities or dispositions that are most valued and respected by academic librarians, and determined how these qualities might, or might not, be associated with generational membership. Other variables included institutional classification, career length, years since first professional degree, and broad library job function. The article explains survey design, proportional random sampling method, statistical analyses and tests, and resulting findings that may have implications for recruitment, mentoring, succession planning, and for assisting in the transmission of knowledge among academic librarians, especially from career mature librarians to their younger colleagues.

The Preparation of Academic Librarians Who Provide Instruction: A Comparison of First and Second Career Librarians

“…Munde and Coonin (2015) assert that "it is generally accepted that librarians enter the profession later than those of other professions; that is, as a second career, or after raising young children, or leaving work to raise young children and returning later" (p. 614). In an interview in Reference Users Review, Connie Van Fleet, who served as President of the Association of Library Science and Information Education from 2006-2007, concurred that librarianship is still a second career for many individuals and draws from a wide array of professions including law, music, education, business, and retail sales (Zabel, 2007).…”

Communicating across Age Lines: A Perspective on the State of the Scholarship of Intergenerational Communication in Health Sciences Libraries

“…Before beginning to explore solutions to generational issues in libraries, evidence must exist that generational diversity causes issues that need resolutions in libraries or that leads to interpersonal situations that result in imbalances in workplace relationships. Munde and Coonin's landmark study on generational roles and peer valuing among academic librarians sheds light on how generations of library employees place different value on their relationships with other library employees on the basis of their peer's generational affiliation (5). While the study utilized career-level and age to determine specific generational designation in participant demographics rather than asking individuals to self-identify, the study reveals that these factors, in addition to library departmental affiliation, play a significant role in how academic librarians value their peers.…”

“…While the study utilized career-level and age to determine specific generational designation in participant demographics rather than asking individuals to self-identify, the study reveals that these factors, in addition to library departmental affiliation, play a significant role in how academic librarians value their peers. In addition to personal valuing, these factors influence the different work styles and priorities that they value in colleagues (5). Munde and Coonin report that the value that academic librarians place on their peers has particular impact when considering mentoring relationships and the politics of library leadership, demonstrating the need for interventions to promote alternative mentoring plans and skill-sharing (5).…”

“…In addition to personal valuing, these factors influence the different work styles and priorities that they value in colleagues (5). Munde and Coonin report that the value that academic librarians place on their peers has particular impact when considering mentoring relationships and the politics of library leadership, demonstrating the need for interventions to promote alternative mentoring plans and skill-sharing (5). As generational labels are used in the scholarly literature as a grouping mechanism to encapsulate both the career level and age of librarians, generational intersections are a valid cause of concern amongst libraries as the library workforce continues to diversify with regards to both age and career path.…”

Succession Planning Through Mentoring in the Library

“…6 The library literature provides information on a leadership mentoring program at a specific library, 7 an article about a particular learning and education model applied to a group of academic librarians, 8 research on capturing and transferring institutional knowledge, 9 a description of a Caribbean academic library that identified the needed skills for their academic librarians to guide them in employee selection and succession planning 10 and an article on succession planning being the next step in "vision building." 11 In addition, library literature offers a study on formal and informal mentoring programs, 12 guidelines on succession planning for business librarians, 13 survey results from a peer generational study that could have an impact succession planning, 14 an article highlighting the contributions an individual made to succession planning, 15 a task force recommendation 16 and highlights from a conference. 17 One library-related article comes within range of touching on the concept of succession planning through mentoring: an article about an Association of Research Libraries (ARL) mentoring program meant to "prepare the next generation of library directors" through the collaboration of ARL member libraries.…”