Person-Centered Management in Academic Libraries

A recent study published in the Journal of Library Administration draws a sobering conclusion: the accelerated exodus of library workers from the profession in the last several years is partially due to strained relationships between staff and their managers. Often, administrators and managers operate within structures which may encourage or enable poor managerial practices. This volume shines a light on a different path forward for the field, one that focuses on the people who work in libraries and how their managers can support them with empathy and skill. Stemming from insights presented at the Conference on Academic Library Management (CALM), the contributors illustrate what person-centered management looks like in practice and point the way towards implementing this approach at readers’ institutions.

This book – incorporates a variety of institutional perspectives, including community colleges, technical and special colleges, liberal arts institutions, and large research universities; – defines the concept of person-centered management in the context of libraries and explains why it offers such a valuable framework for improving workplace conditions; – demonstrates why lack of workplace satisfaction and the low morale experience of library staff is often tied to the culture created by management; – discusses building person-centered systems, interacting with student employees, setting healthy boundaries, and practicing reflection and selfcare; – shares positive, proactive management practices that create space for criticism, sharing of lived experiences, and a willingness to investigate and, if needed, make changes to the status quo; and – explores such key topics as communication, working virtually, mentorship, intellectual humility, shared leadership, and many others.

Dani Brecher Cook works as the Associate University Librarian for Learning and User Experience at the UC San Diego Library. She holds an MSLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MA in Education from UC Riverside, and an AB in English Literature from the University of Chicago. She is the co-founder of the Conference on Academic Library Management (CALM), and is the co-author of the books Learner-Centered Pedagogy: Principles and Practice and Person-Centered Management in Academic Libraries. Dani has written and presented on information literacy teaching strategies and educational technology.

Maoria J. Kirker is the teaching and learning team lead for George Mason University Libraries. Her research focuses on teacher-librarian identity, the influence of social and cultural capital on academic library usage, and personcentered management in academic libraries. She is a cofounder of CALM.

Diann Smothers serves as the head of technical and digital initiatives for Dacus Library at Winthrop University. She has an MBA from Northeastern University in Boston and an MLIS from the University of South Carolina in Columbia. She is a founding steering committee member for CALM. She also presents on values creation in academic libraries.