Leading in Libraries : Perspectives from Lived Experiences

In a world of constant change and evolving societal expectations, libraries stand at a critical crossroads. As institutions traditionally dedicated to knowledge preservation and dissemination, libraries now face unprecedented challenges that demand innovative leadership approaches centered on equity, diversity, and inclusion. This book represents a vital contribution to this conversation—one that amplifies marginalized voices and challenges us to view leadership through a social justice lens. Whether you’re a library administrator, a department head, a front-line library worker, or an LIS student, you will find both challenges to your thinking and concrete strategies for moving forward, including
 

• real-world perspectives from Canadian, American, Asian, and Australian contributors with varying identities;
• leadership roles, competencies, and lessons drawn from navigating the complexities of higher education and librarianship;
• guidance on inclusive strategic planning processes, shepherding working groups, effective administrative structures and hiring best practices, scholarly publishing, and other key topics;
• insights on dealing with ongoing momentous upheavals, such as changing political landscapes, pandemic disruptions and tragedies, and racial violence;
• explorations of the ways in which higher education institutions and their libraries are embracing DEI, Indigenization, and decolonization;
• reasons why reflection, intentionality, non-reactivity, and other ways of slowing down are so important for embracing thoughtful planning and implementing sustainable practices and ethical approaches; and
• advice on building meaningful relationships and resisting political, societal, and personal pressures.

Maha Kumaran is a faculty librarian at the University of Saskatchewan. She graduated from the University of British Columbia with an MLIS degree in 2005 and received her PhD from the University of Saskatchewan in 2023. She has authored several papers and published three books. Her research and practice focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion in libraries, particularly Canadian and academic libraries.  

Beth McNeil is dean emerita and Esther Ellis Norton professor of library science at the Libraries and School of Information Studies at Purdue University. She served as dean of libraries at Purdue from 2019 to 2025 and at Iowa State University from 2015 to 2019. She received a PhD from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Illinois. She is the author of several books and journal articles on aspects of library leadership and management.