What Degree Is Necessary to Lead? ARL Directors’ Perceptions

Abstract

In 2018, after a failed search for the Executive Director of the American Library Association (ALA), ALA members put forth a ballot initiative to determine whether the educational requirements for the position should be modified, in part, to expand the potential applicant pool. With this research, the authors examined if current ARL administrators hold an MLS/MLIS and whether current ARL administrators felt it was necessary for library administrators to hold an MLS/MLIS. Additionally, the researchers examined ARL administrators' perspectives regarding whether it was necessary for them to earn additional degrees to achieve their highest library administrative position, and whether they felt their degrees prepared them to be successful in the position that they currently hold.

So You Want to Be a Leader? Examining Pathways to Special Collections Administration

“…9 Forty one percent of ARL library directors who responded to a survey indicated that they believed it was necessary for them to earn an additional degree beyond the MLIS in order to achieve their positions as administrators. 10 While the skills needed for special collections administrators no doubt differ from that of those working in special collections at large, Hansen found that entry-level positions most often listed skills and qualifications related to a variety of areas, with management and administration being the fifth most common, required in one-third of the job ads and preferred in two-thirds. 11 It is interesting to note that management and administration is a part of so many entry-level job requirements, meaning that many special collections librarians may be gaining this experience early in their careers, and thus be well-prepared for leadership roles both within and beyond special collections.…”