Author: Association of College and Research Libraries via YouTube
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Recording of the February 22, 2024 ACRL LDG Spring 2024 Meeting: Librarian and Manager: Both, and Yet Neither: A Collective Case Study Examining the Experiences of Women-Identifying Middle Manager Teaching Librarians at ARL Libraries, presented by Rachel Gammons, Head of Teaching and Learning Services, University of Maryland Libraries.

Abstract: Large academic libraries tend to have several layers of academic librarian middle managers. Although these positions are common, few studies have explored the experiences of managers below the levels Dean or Associate Dean. In this discussion forum, Rachel Gammons (Head of Teaching and Learning at the University of Maryland Libraries and PD. candidate in Higher Education at the University of Maryland College of Education) will share findings from a collective qualitative case study examining the professional experiences of nine middle manager teaching librarians at ARL libraries. Across the cases, participants described their positions as defined by “middle-ness,” or the space of liminality that existed in the in-between spaces of organizational power, positional responsibility, and personal accountability, and identified how their experiences were characterized by a sense of “both and yet neither,” in which they were both librarians and managers, yet able to inhabit in neither identity completely. Gammons will share these and other themes pulled from across the cases and discuss implications for research practice. Participants will be invited to reflect on their own experiences as academic library leaders and consider how we can better understand, support, and empower middle manager librarians.

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