Professional associations: promoting leadership in a career - The Role of Professional Associations

Library Trends, Fall, 1997 by Barbara J. Glendenning, James C. Gordon

INTRODUCTION

"Leadership, much as we admire it in the abstract, is something we suspect

in the specific" (White, 1987, p. 68). This article examines the role of the

major American professional associations and organizations in developing

leadership among professionals in academic and research libraries. The

associations under discussion include the American Library Association (ALA),

Special Libraries Association (SLA), Medical Library Association (MLA), Online

Computer Library Center (OCLC), Council on Library Resources (CLR), Association

of Research Libraries (ARL), and the Research Libraries Group (RLG).

The literature and mission statements of these associations offer some

clues as to their roles. The ALA attempts to "promote and improve library

service"; ARL, which is restricted to institutional memberships, works

"to initiate and develop plans for strengthening research library resources

and services in support of higher education and research"; and CLR, a

private foundation established in 1956, focuses on solving library problems,

particularly those of academic and research libraries,via grants and

contracts and educational services (McChesney, 1984). MLA (Medical

Library Association, 1996) fosters excellence in leadership and professional

achievement in health sciences librarianship. And the SLA (Special

Libraries Association, 1996) vision is to be known as the leading organization

in the information industry.

LEADERSHIP IN LIBRARIES

Leadership became an increasingly prominent topic in library literature

during the 1980s. Previously, the topic had been covered in occasional

articles dealing with the importance of leadership in general, the

qualities of leadership, the dearth of sound leadership, and gender differences

related to leadership. Searching Library Literature for 1975-1981,

Riggs and Sabine (1988) found fewer than five entries containing the

words "leader" or "leadership." "For some reason, persons holding responsible

positions in libraries have done little to articulate the importance

of leadership" (p. 190). The importance of leadership became

recognized so acutely that a Library journal editorial lamented the scarcity

of leaders in the profession (White, 1987, p. 68). The 1987-88 ALA

conference was the first to emphasize leadership in the 112-year history

of the organization:

Speculations about why the topic had achieved such national prominence

centered on the perceived crisis in the production of political

leaders and the greater emphasis on accountability. Similar fears

about the production of library leaders, as well as the changing library

environment, and uncertainties about the future of librarianship were

offered as reasons for the increased attention to the topic in the library

field. (Gertzog, 1989, pp. 2-3)

Libraries in the 90's (Riggs & Sabine, 1988) is a compilation of interviews

with library leaders at the 1988 ALA Midwinter Conference. Participants

addressed the rapid changes that libraries have faced during the last

twenty-five years and the need for a comparably rapid response by libraries. New

technologies have changed library work and created a need for ongoing

education. Professionals must assess their personal strengths, develop

leadership skills, understand how library users learn, and foster creativity

in their staffs. Declining collections budgets coincide with the increasing

demand for electronic resources and the rise of "value-added" services

for a fee. There is a growing demand for strategic thinking and planning

by library leaders and managers and their professional staff and for

transformative leadership.

Leaders in Libraries (Sheldon, 1991) applies the management and leadership

concepts of the 1970s and 1980s to the library community Interviews

were conducted with directors of major public or academic libraries,

nationally recognized school librarians, executive directors of major

library organizations, library school deans, state librarians, and other

prominent members of the profession. "While the interviews did not

elicit a definitive understanding of what distinguishes leaders from

non-leaders, they did reinforce Bennis' contention that leadership can be and

is exercised at every level of an organization. In most cases, the ability

to exercise leadership has more to do with attitude than actual circumstances

of the environment" (Sheldon, 1991, p. 82).

Management and leadership concepts which have evolved and remain

the driving force in business and government are readily transferable

to the library. Successful leaders must establish short- and long-term

goals for the library along with specific workable objectives to accomplish

them. They develop effective programs, assess and restructure their

organizations as needed, and develop sound policies for the guidance of

their library administration. Leaders earn support from staff and constituents

by building a record of responsiveness and develop an effective

group of advisors through whom to receive information (Williams, 1988.

p. 103). Leadership can start anywhere, anytime, and even informal opportunities