THE NEW ZEALAND LIBRARY & INFORMATION MANAGEMENT JOURNAL NGĀ PŪRONGO

NEW ZEALAND LIBRARY & INFORMATION MANAGEMENT JOURNAL • NGĀ PŪRONGO VOL 55, ISSUE NO. 3 • OCTOBER 2015
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Developing Library Leaders: The
New Zealand Approach
This paper defines library leadership and explains why it is vital, followed by a discussion of what the Library and
Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) is doing to identify and foster emerging leaders in the New
Zealand Library and Information Services (LIS) profession. The paper presents the theory and understanding of leadership
used by the LIANZA Emerging Leaders Working Group, followed by a description, before examining LIANZA’s
current offerings, including the Kōtuku programme.
Introduction
The need for leaders in the library and information services
(LIS) profession has long been recognised as an issue both
internationally and in New Zealand. For example, the Australian
Library and Information Association acknowledged the need
for leadership development in a recent report on the future of
the profession (ALIA 2014). Public Libraries of New Zealand,
whose members are primarily New Zealand public library managers,
noted that the quality of leadership in libraries varies,
and identified leadership development as an important strategy
to ensure the ongoing survival of quality library services in New
Zealand (2012). The recent increase in the rate of change in
library services means that the need for leadership is greater
than ever (Düren, 2012).
Leadership differs to succession planning or workforce
planning, which is the responsibility of individual employers or
organisations when making provisions for future management
positions. While the role of a LIS professional is constantly
evolving, with many changes taking place in the profession in
the last 25 years, the need for leaders is ongoing. The challenging
and dynamic environment that LIS professionals work
in has created a need for people with vision and the ability
to seek out solutions. The profession needs leaders who are
willing to make decisions, and it needs a number of them.
Donaldson (2014) noted that the differences in attitudes to
work and the willingness to take on leadership roles among
new generations identified by generational theorists may lead
to a shortage of leaders in librarianship and other professions
as the baby boomer generations retire. This argument that
there will be a shortage of library leaders in the future is supported
by a trend towards more LIS staff becoming specialists,
and potentially becoming incapable or unwilling to diversify or
step up into more senior management positions. The cycles of
recruitment in the LIS profession can make the situation worse
as librarians are either in surplus or deficit, dependent on the
global economic situation. This means that skilled professionals
may leave the profession without getting an opportunity to
manage a team or experience the traditional forms of management
(Donaldson, 2014). There are also other elements leading
to a potential shortage, such as trained librarians being unable
to get professional jobs close to where they live. In addition,
organisations are flattening their hierarchies to save money,
meaning that there are fewer opportunities for promotion to
more senior positions within a single organisation.
Library leadership is an implicit part of discussions about
workforce planning, and the future of libraries and library associations.
The LIS world continues to evolve at a rapid pace in
terms of services, technology, and expectations of our decision
makers and users. Because of these changes, it is vital that the
sector has a strong pool of leaders, ready to take the profession
into the future.
Why did LIANZA get involved?
The Library and Information Association of New Zealand
Aotearoa (LIANZA) is the national organisation supporting professionals
working in library and information services throughout
New Zealand. Over 2,000 individual and institutional members
belong to the Association, which was founded in 1910 as the
Library Association of New Zealand (the name was changed to
LIANZA in 1998). LIANZA serves and promotes the interests of
the library sector throughout New Zealand, working with other
associations both nationally and internationally. The purpose
of LIANZA is to build communities, provide professional development
services, and represent the professional interests of
library and information professionals (LIANZA, 2014a).
In 2011, prior to the LIANZA conference in Wellington,
a debate and workshop on the topic of Strengthening the
Profession took place. Chaired by Penny Carnaby, this aimed
to solicit responses from participants on the issues facing
librarianship in New Zealand. A number of themes emerged
from this, which were submitted to the LIANZA Council to take
forward. These shaped LIANZA’s strategic goal of ‘strengthening
the profession’, and resulted in three working groups:
Brand Libraries, Future Skills, and Emerging Leaders. This
article focuses on the third strand, Emerging Leaders.
In 2011, LIANZA issued a call for volunteers to be part of
an Emerging Leaders Working Group (ELWG). This group was
tasked with supporting the identification and development of
emerging leaders in the library and information profession. The
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