Howdy everyone,
The Online Discussion Forum Committee's March 2022 topic is Library vs. Manager.
According to Michele Leininger and her WebJunction presentation, From Librarian to Proficient Managers: Uncovering the Transitional Journey, there is limited research on how librarians become managers. In her words, there is "really no truth" that exist, thus, her research aimed to find the truth(s) by observing other library managers and their experiences. Leininger determined that most librarians became librarians based on four factors: previous experience, strong influences, and proficiencies. In other words, many librarians became librarians due to what and who they knew in the past and what and who they would like to know in the future. Whether we had an opportunity to partake in managerial duties, witness good and bad supervisors, and envision how we can do good by sharing what we know, there are some commonalities the exist among librarians who aspire to become library managers. You can view the full presentation on Webjunction or here.
I was a bartender and a restaurant manager before I became a librarian and now, I am a library manager. I find myself often wearing the manager hat more vs. the librarian hat. Truthfully, this does not make me happy all the time and I am still deciding whether I expected this change initially and if it was presented to me when I was hired. The job description for library managers also varies and is dependent on the size and organizational structure.
This brings about the discussion for current library managers, do you struggle with wearing the librarian and manager hat? As you climb the career ladder, do you find that you are losing your librarian self? For aspiring managers, why did you choose to become a manager and what were your expectations of the role? Were your expectations different than reality? How so? (Sorry, for the many questions).
Please share your experiences. I look forward to having some thoughtful discussion and learning from your process and journey in the library world.
Maria Lagasca
Library Manager
Harrisburg, PA
mlagasca@dcls.org
mlagasca@gmail.com
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Maria Lagasca
Library Manager
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