Age Demographics and the Organizational Dilemma Facing Academic Libraries

Abstract

Academic libraries are, because of the age demographics of the librarian workforce, facing an organizational dilemma. Stated most simply the dilemma is: Academic libraries need to exploit new technologies using new service strategies to be effective. They will need to do so with a librarian labor force that consists of a large number of baby boomers many of whom will remain in the workforce for at least another decade. At the same time millennium librarians, who will replace the baby boomers, need to be attracted and provided an environment that will allow them to develop and grow, and that will productively use their skills and expertise. It will be important that both groups be productive and make contributions, but creating an organization with a structure and culture to do both will be difficult because in many cases aspirations and needs of the two groups will differ and be at cross purposes.

These two imperatives, keeping baby boomer librarians productive and providing millennium librarians opportunities to grow and develop can be accomplished simultaneously, but not without creatively thinking about the libraries organizational structure and attention to its culture. This paper will layout the problem and suggest the issues that need to be considered.