The Future of Academic Libraries: Conversations with Today’s Leaders about Tomorrow

Abstract

To determine how academic library leaders make decisions about their organization’s future and how they effect changes, the author interviewed 44 university librarians and deans from institutions belonging to the Association of American Universities (AAU). The author analyzed the interviews using content analysis to identify the most frequent themes among the responses. Results indicate that collaborative decision-making is key to academic library leadership and that strategic planning processes guide organizational change. Digital projects and support of teaching and research top the list of strategic priorities. The author identified key professional development programs and techniques that support the training of future deans and university librarians.