Just Do It! Leadership Training Builds Strong Networks: New Jersey Librarians Help Create Tomorrow's Leaders through Goal-Oriented Preparation

Paul, Connie, American Libraries

We face a shortage of librarians--a truth universally acknowledged. Mary Jo Lynch, former director of ALA's Office for Research and Statistics, reported that 62% of those in the profession are over 45, and more than ever are retiring early (AL, Feb. 2000, p. 8-9). In the past 14

years we have dropped from around 9,000 librarians working past the age of 65 to about 4,000, according to James Matarazzo, professor emeritus of library and information science at Simmons College in Boston. The shortage includes library directors and administrators--a group more easily and traditionally grown internally than recruited from the outside. Where will our new leaders come from?

After 30 years in librarianship in New Jersey--a state not noted for shrinking violets--I have met very few librarians who have been intentional about their career development. Effective leadership training encourages eager librarians to be more career-focused and goal-oriented, and builds a strong network. Will a concerted program of library leadership training make a real difference? Strong anecdotal evidence suggests that those who have had the experience value it highly. "It changed my life" is not an uncommon reaction.

Princeton (N.J.) Public Library Director Leslie Berger spearheaded the planning of two leadership programs in the …

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Publication information: Article title: Just Do It! Leadership Training Builds Strong Networks: New Jersey Librarians Help Create Tomorrow's Leaders through Goal-Oriented Preparation. Contributors: Paul, Connie - Author. Magazine title: American Libraries. Volume: 35. Issue: 9 Publication date: October 2004. Page number: 44+. © 1984 American Library Association. COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group.

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