Academic Library Staffing a Decade from Now

Abstract

In this chapter, I will try to provide a summary of the challenges facing academic libraries as they attempt to assemble the staffs they will need in the coming decade. I will begin by identifying the trends I see developing, which will define the kind of staff libraries will require. I will then look at what we can expect of the academic library workforce in 2015. Many of the trends are already clear: the change in the mix of staff between librarians, other professionals, and clerical staff; the increasing need for technology skills for all staff; and the increased need for nonlibrarian professionals—both technologists and those with other expertise, such as human resources and development. Like many service professions, librarianship faces demographic challenges as the Baby Boom generation approaches and enters retirement, but in librarianship these trends are exacerbated by the increasing age of MLS graduates. Finally, I will also consider the organizational development and financial implications of these changes and how academic libraries can manage the transition from the staff they have now to the staff they will need to have a decade hence.