Leadership training and development: an academic library's findings

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to describe a process undertaken by Colorado State University Libraries' (CSUL) faculty to address concerns regarding their leadership training and development opportunities within the Libraries. Design/methodology/approach - A Task Force (TF) under the direction of the Libraries Faculty Council (LFC) collected and examined feedback from the faculty librarians, reviewed professional literature, and made recommendations to the Libraries' administration and the Council. Findings - Recommendations by the TF include: possible training initiatives, leadership role development, and improvement of organizational communication. The work of the TF heightened awareness of the issue within the Libraries. An LFC standing committee is now exploring and offering leadership training opportunities on an ongoing basis. An organizational climate survey has been completed and its results shared among the library faculty to address the issue of communication. In addition, the Libraries' administration has launched a number of strategic initiatives that were open to faculty and staff for leadership and participation. A number of faculty librarians are now leading these initiatives based on their professional strengths and interests. Originality/value - This article has value to academic librarians and library administrators as they consider improving leadership training and development opportunities in their libraries. As middle management positions in academic libraries diminish, consideration must be given to how academic librarians gain experience or are trained in order to be well-prepared for future leadership positions. Additionally, library administration should be instrumental in providing such opportunities to their librarians to ensure professional growth.