mcelrath.p65 304 College & Research Libraries July 2002 304 Challenges That Academic Library Directors Are Experiencing as Perceived by Them and Their Supervisors Eileen McElrath Eileen McElrath is Assistant Professor of Library and Information Science at Valdosta State University; e-mail: rebleemc@aol.com. The study examines perceptions of challenges reported by academic library directors and the chief academic officers to whom they report. Findings indicate that perceptions about user satisfaction were similar, that the challenge of serials was perceived to be the greatest challenge, that perceptions are related about the challenges of diversity and hard- ware, and that challenges of organizational change and crime in librar- ies appear to be influenced by age and length of tenure. Findings further indicate that training and the budget are related. hallenges that current aca- demic library directors (ALDs) are experiencing as perceived by the directors and the chief academic officers (CAOs) to whom they report are the focus of this research. Much is known about the challenges of library directors who belong to the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Less is known about the library directors in pub- lic academic institutions. The present study gathered information from current ALDs and CAOs in public academic uni- versities in the South with Carnegie Clas- sification Master I and Master II, a rarely studied group. The field’s literature documents the ubiquitous change that is taking place in academic libraries as well. Change brings with it new challenges for an organiza- tion. Academic libraries are especially af- fected by these changes. “While the his- tory of change in higher education has been one of slow incremental steps, col- lege and university libraries have under- gone dramatic changes over the past twenty years,” stated Charles G. Newman in “Selection, Career Paths, and Manage- rial Development in Academic Library Administration: Forecasting the Needs of the Twenty-first Century.1 The library director serves as “the prin- cipal moderator between the internal or- ganization and portions of the external environment that controls the domain and resource flow to the organization,” wrote Joanne R. Euster.2 A key relation- ship exists between the library director and the director ’s supervisor who works in the “external environment that controls the domain and resource flow to the or- ganization.”3 The director ’s supervisor (the CAO) may rarely see the ALD or even come into the changing library, yet the Challenges That Academic Library Directors Are Experiencing 305 individuals are interrelated administra- tors in the university. Some CAOs think the budget is the way to help the ALD, according to Larry Hardesty, and that is the extent of their support.4 Favorable budgetary decisions certainly are vital for the academic library to survive. If there are differences in the perceptions of challenges encountered by library directors, it is logical to assume a resultant discrepancy in the support given by the CAO. Negotiations may be affected to the disadvantage of the library. Because full-time employee (FTE) staff- ing numbers are directly tied to budget, it is reasonable to assume that FTEs are affected as well. A frequently cited study by Arthur M. McAnally and Robert B. Downs is cred- ited with important documentation of problems identified by Association of Research Libraries (ARL) directors. In addition, McAnally and Downs docu- mented a trend toward shortened tenures of ALDs.5 Other studies have confirmed that many ALDs are continuing to leave the position.6 There are multiple reasons why an ALD may leave his or her posi- tion. One explanation is that the turnover may be normal because directorships may have been acquired late in careers. An- other explanation may be a lack of un- derstanding by their supervisors about the challenges that the ALD is experienc- ing in times of rapid change. Leadership change can have a positive impact by bringing fresh ideas into the organization. Leadership turnover stud- ies have established that leadership change, on the other hand, can also be disruptive because the uncertainty it cre- ates can lower group performance and morale. Although some studies have con- cluded that it is the poorer workers who leave, there is evidence to suggest that persons who leave may be the better per- formers.7 A clearer understanding of different perspectives of these challenges may lead to the use of techniques to keep good ALDs from leaving. It is expensive to hire new directors; and it is important to real- ize that there is no guarantee that the new director will stay. When the costs of turn- over and the potential negative result to the library are considered, it is important to learn reasons for the increased turn- over in the ALD position. The ALD may be unable to do what the administration wants and may just leave or be encour- aged to leave. Identification of the chal- lenges can help a search committee focus on needed skills or characteristics in the next ALD as well. Purpose of the Study The primary purpose of this study was to identify current ALD challenges and to compare ALDs’ perceptions of chal- lenges with those held by the CAOs to whom they report. A second purpose was to determine whether differences in per- spectives between the two groups have a relationship with budget, staffing, or the number of times the two groups meet. Variables such as age, gender, and length of time in current position were included to determine whether these variables were influencing perceptions. Length of tenure in present position, and the num- ber and type of academic degrees held along with age and gender information, provided current information for this comparison. Finally, this study attempts to fill the research void currently existing about ALDs in public institutions with Carnegie Classification Master I and Mas- ter II and their challenges. Other studies have examined large libraries and/or li- braries belonging to the ARL. Few stud- ies have been conducted to learn about challenges being experienced by ALDs working in smaller public universities. Review of the Literature Authors in the library/information stud- ies field have documented the importance Although some studies have con- cluded that it is the poorer workers who leave, there is evidence to suggest that persons who leave may be the better performers.7 306 College & Research Libraries July 2002 of ALDs and the turnover in directors. In 1993, McAnally and Downs interviewed ARL directors who had resigned or trans- ferred from directorships to provide a basic description of problems besetting the directors. Identified problems in- cluded growth of enrollment, added lay- ers of hierarchy between librarians and administrators with power, growth of in- formation, reduced budgets, shifts from autocratic to participative or political management approaches, unionization of library staffs, increase in the power of state boards of higher education, and no backup network to improve access to in- formation. 8 As mentioned earlier, McAnally and Downs documented a trend toward shortened tenures of ALDs, with other studies confirming the trend.9 ‘“The two most difficult and challeng- ing positions on any research campus are those of chancellor and director of librar- ies” and “These are the two positions with the largest number of constituencies pos- sessing significant and divergent expec- tations,” related Ruth J. Person and Sharon J. Rogers of an observation given by a University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor.10 Person and Rogers also stressed in Recruiting the Academic Library Director that the academic library direc- tor manages a “high-priced operation that is vital to both instruction and research” and, at the same time, must compete with other campus units for the “institution’s fiscal resources.”11 The rate of change in library and in- formation technologies is stressing the need for diverse skills. In her 1997 article, “The Library, Information, Institutional Outcomes: Searching in a Time of Change,” Barbara Brittingham, dean of the College of Human Sciences and Ser- vices at the University of Rhode Island, observed that “the work, context, and possibilities are changing so quickly that candidates [for the director ’s position] with sufficient administrative seasoning for senior positions must have developed interests, knowledge, and skills that go far beyond what the leaders in their fields had 20 years ago.”12 This skilled informa- tion professional manager is highly de- sirable in large part because of the tremen- dous effect the ALD has on the library staff and the future of the library accord- ing to Paul J. Kobulnicky. Kobulnicky also stressed that the rate of change (in 1997) currently being experienced by libraries has increased the importance of effective leadership in the library when he wrote: The staff must be able to rely on leadership, especially the director, to help them manage change. The library director must build, with the staff, an effective vision for the fu- ture and then guide the library to- ward that vision. If the director ’s po- sition itself lacks stability, then there is a great potential for the entire staff to respond negatively and for the organization’s services to suffer.13 Donald E. Riggs and Gordon A. Sabine’s 1988 study of twenty-five library leaders (academic library directors were included, but not exclusively) provided insight into their self-identified leader- ship characteristics, how they would sug- gest a newcomer become a leader, and what leadership attributes they predict would be needed in 1998. Additional is- sues examined by Riggs and Sabine in- clude characteristics of library users in 1998, effects of automation, getting a bud- get approved, and continuing education.14 Other eras also have experienced tre- mendous changes as Susan Jurow, direc- tor of ARL’s Office of Management Ser- vices, pointed out in “Preparing Aca- demic and Research Library Staff for the 1990’s and Beyond.” Jurow explained that the difference is that “along with the com- plex and large-scale character of the changes facing us, the rapid rate and on- going nature of these change processes leaves us with a sense of constantly be- ing in a state of flux or transition.” She reported that in 1990, “Almost 25% of the ARL member libraries have changed di- rectors in the last four years.”15 Jurow did not speculate on the numerous reasons the library directors may have had for Challenges That Academic Library Directors Are Experiencing 307 changing jobs. However, one implication is that the concerns and challenges that come with such rapid change may be con- tributors. Rapid change may be a factor, but only one of several. Moreover, the turnover continues. Kolulnicky reported that, as of January 1996, twenty-four of the 119 members of the ARL were somewhere in the process of changing leadership.16 Eco- nomic costs are involved with replacing any employee as well. When it comes to hiring a new ALD, Barbara Brittingham stressed: “Hiring the wrong person can easily cost an institution a quarter of a million dollars before the mistake is rec- tified; hiring a marginally successful per- son can cost much more.”17 A number of attempts have been made to examine and promote the relationship between ALDs and the CAOs to whom they report.18 The relationship has been characterized as one of low priority on the part of the CAOs.19 Further, research has suggested that the CAOs’ decisions affect academic library budgets. Research also has suggested that ALDs have some impact on budget decisions.20 A signifi- cant negative relationship in differences in perceptions between the two respon- dent groups and the budget and/or FTE staffing numbers would indicate that the outcomes are being affected negatively. It is important to understand the chal- lenges that the director experiences be- cause, as Thomas W. Shaughnessy as- serted, “it will be today’s academic library leaders who make the transformational changes needed for the libraries of the fu- ture.”21 New insights are needed for un- derstanding the ALD’s challenges in the current academic library environment. Methodology This study used content analysis of jour- nal articles, a panel of experts, and a cross- sectional survey consisting of self-admin- istered questionnaires for data collection in late 1999. The topics for the questions are based on the researcher ’s content analysis of article topics appearing in three professional journals in the past five years: College & Research Libraries, Journal of Academic Librarianship, and Library Ad- ministration & Management. Two assump- tions were made: (1) The frequency of the topics indicates challenges, and (2) the challenges are not all the challenges or the most important challenges that ALDs ex- perience. A panel of experts from the field was used to validate the challenges. The survey’s potential participants were ALDs and the CAOs to whom they report who are working in state-funded univer- sities that are classified as Carnegie Mas- ters I or II institutions and are located in the American Association of Public Col- leges and Universities’ (AAPCU) southern region (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Geor- gia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Caro- lina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennes- see, and Texas). Masters I and II institu- tions offer bachelor and master’s degrees only. Eighty-six institutions were identi- fied that possessed these qualifications. Temporary or acting administrators were eliminated because it was assumed that they might perceive different challenges because of their status. This reduced to seventy-two the possible survey partici- pants in one group whose responses could be matched with a corresponding seventy- two in the other group, although 161 po- tential respondents comprised the total sample of ALDs and the CAOs in the study. The survey had an overall usable response rate (156/118) of 75.6 percent. The total matched institutions response rate (72/44) was 61.1 percent. A cross-sectional survey provides a “snapshot” (a one-time look) at a group of people or an organization. The re- searcher developed survey instruments to collect the data. A pilot study was con- ducted and the questions revised accord- ingly. The first section of each question- CAOs with the shorter length of tenure in their present positions may have come to their positions with preconceived ideas about what challenges the ALDs are encounter- ing. 308 College & Research Libraries July 2002 naire collected demographic information including age, gender, length of tenure in current position, and academic degrees held. The second section contained ques- tions about specific challenges identified in the literature. Participants were asked to respond using a Likert-type scale (1– 5). The last section asked respondents to list, in order of importance, up to three additional challenges that ALDs may be experiencing. They next were asked to rank up to three out of the total list of challenges (provided and added) in or- der or importance. The ALDs provided budget and staffing information. Descriptive and statistical analyses of the data allowed inferences to be made about the usefulness of perceptions and differences of those perceptions of current challenges. Data were analyzed using fre- quencies, measures of central location, and variance. Pearson Product Moment Correlations and Point Biserial Correla- tions were used to determine relation- ships, where appropriate. The responses for the present research were examined at the p < .05 level of significance. Each correlation represents a relationship as well as the strength of a linear relation- ship. A positive correlation, if found, would indicate that as the response scores of one group go up, the response scores of the other group go up and as the re- sponse scores of one group go down, so do the response scores from the other group. Conversely, a negative correlation, if found, would indicate that as the re- sponse scores of one group go up, the re- sponse scores of the other group go down, and vice versa. An independent two- tailed t-test was conducted for responses to each of the eight survey-provided chal- lenges to determine whether a significant difference in the means of the two groups’ responses exists. Contribution of the Study The study contributes to the field by pro- viding information about challenges af- fecting key administrators. ALDs’ views after they have had experience in the po- sition are valuable not only to them, but to others as well. New techniques to in- crease communication and understand- ing between ALDs and the CAOs to whom they report may be indicated. The FIGURE 1 Age of Participants 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 36- 40 41- 45 46- 50 51- 55 56- 60 61- 65 66- 70 Age F re q u en cy Library Directors Chief Academic Off icers n = ALDs = 59 n = CAOs = 59 Challenges That Academic Library Directors Are Experiencing 309 result of the increased understanding may benefit the library users, faculty, and staff. CAOs can be better informed when pro- viding resources to the library and when evaluating the ALD. The study provides insights that will help to determine the skills needed when recruiting a new ALD. In addition, assuming that Newman’s statement about the college and university libraries changing much more rapidly than the rest of the university is correct, the study alerts the CAO to challenges that the rest of the university may be encounter- ing shortly. New ALDs will be aware of the need to acquire appropriate management and political skills to address the challenges identified. The study also provides infor- mation that Schools of Information Stud- ies and/or Library and Information Stud- ies might use to add to the evaluation of their management courses. In addition, the challenges identified may be experi- enced by managers from other fields and may stem from challenges with adminis- trative support systems. Finally, this study will help fill a gap in the literature of the profession about a rarely studied group, ALDs and academic libraries in public institutions with Carnegie Classi- fication Master I and Master II. The Study Respondents The frequencies given for age, gender, time in position and discipline of degrees describe the participants. Age The average age reported by the ALDs is fifty-seven. The average age reported by the CAOs is fifty-eight. Figure 1 provides this information. Gender of All Participants Figure 2 presents the reported gender from the survey respondents. Males dominate the library director group with thirty-six (61.0) compared with twenty- three (39.0%) females. The gender gap is more pronounced for the group of CAOs with forty-five males (81.8%) and only ten females (18.2%). Length of Time in Position The average length of time in their present position for the ALDs is 10.54 years. The CAOs report an average of 6.61 years. More than half of the CAOs (59.3%) have been in their positions five years or less whereas only 35.6 percent of the ALDs have been in their positions five years or less. One implication for any difference in perspectives about challenges is that CAOs with the shorter length of tenure in their present positions may have come TABLE 1 Length of Time in Position ALD CAO Years Freq % Freq % 1�5 21 35.6 35 59.3 6�10 13 22.0 10 16.9 11�15 9 15.2 7 11.9 16�20 4 6.8 2 3.4 21�25 2 3.4 3 5.1 26�32 7 11.9 0 0.0 No answer 3 5.1 2 3.4 Total 59 100.0 59 100.0 n1 = ALD = 59n2 = CAO = 59 FIGURE 2 Gender of Participants 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 Library Directors Chief Academic Officers F re q u e n cy Males Females n=ALDs=59 n=CAOs=59 310 College & Research Libraries July 2002 TABLE 2 Disciplines of Degrees Held by Academic Library Directors Master�s Degree Frequency % LIS 57 96.5 Education 2 2.7 English 4 5.3 History 10 13.3 Science 0 .0 Other: 14 18.6 Business 2 2.7 Agricultural Economics 1 1.3 Spanish 1 1.3 Communication 1 1.3 German Literature 1 1.3 MBA 2 2.7 Theology 1 1.3 Political Science 1 1.3 MST (Taxation) 1 1.3 Speech and Drama 1 1.3 French Literature 1 1.3 Rhetoric and Writing 1 1.3 Doctorate Degree Frequency % LIS 11 14.7 Education 9 12.0 English 1 1.3 History 3 4.0 Science 0 .0 Other 3 4.0 Romance Languages 1 1.3 German Linguistics 1 1.3 Management 1 1.3 Other Degrees Specialist in LIS 1 1.3 Diploma in Adv. Studies 1 1.3 n = 59 to their positions with preconceived ideas about what challenges the ALDs are en- countering. Disciplines of Degrees As shown in table 2, the most frequently reported discipline for the ALDs is a master ’s degree in library and informa- tion science (fifty-seven, or 96.6%). For the CAOs (table 3), the most frequently reported discipline for a master ’s degree is in social sciences (22.0%). The ALDs’ most frequently reported discipline for a doctorate degree is in library and information science (14.7%). One CAO (1.8%) reported holding a doctorate degree in library and information science (LIS). The most frequently reported doctorate de- gree held by CAOs is in the hu- manities (25.4%). Twenty-seven (45.8%) of the ALDs report holding doctorate degrees. Sixty-one (72.7%) hold multiple degrees. The CAOs hold forty-one master ’s de- grees and one doctorate. Only two CAOs hold no advanced degrees. Both the ALDs and the CAOs are members of well-educated groups. The multiple degrees held by many of the participants may be explained by the nature of the institutions within which they work. It is reason- able to assume that academic insti- tutions attract people who value edu- cation for themselves as well as for others. Another explanation for the multiple degrees held by the ALDs is the necessity of acquiring the sec- ond degree as a minimum require- ment for tenure in many institutions. A second degree in a subject disci- pline is helpful in a library career as well. Due to multiple degrees, the percentages do not total 100 percent. Findings and Discussion: The Research Questions To what degree do perspectives of chal- lenges given by current ALDs coincide with the perceptions of the CAOs to whom they report? Perspectives of challenges between the ALDs and the CAOs show the same mean for user satis- faction indicating similarity of perceptions about this challenge. In addition, perspec- tives related on the challenges of diversity and hardware. As one group rated these challenges as more intense, so too did the other group. As one group rated these chal- lenges as less intense, so too did the other group. A possible explanation for this find- ing is that both diversity and hardware are campuswide issues, so the two groups Challenges That Academic Library Directors Are Experiencing 311 TABLE 3 Disciplines of Degrees Held by Chief Academic Officers Master�s Degree Frequency % Humanities 10 13.3 Social Sciences 13 22.0 Education 8 13.5 Science 9 15.3 Mathematics 5 8.5 Other: 8 13.5 Music 1 1.3 Library Science 1 1.3 Business 2 2.7 MBA 2 2.7 Engineering 1 1.3 Family & Consumer Sci. 1 1.3 Doctorate Degree Frequency % Humanities 15 25.4 Social Sciences 13 22.0 Education 12 20.3 Science 11 18.6 Mathematics 3 5.1 Other: 5 8.4 Business 1 1.3 Business Management 1 1.3 Management 1 1.3 Engineering 1 1.3 Library Science 1 1.3 Other Degrees BA in Political Science 1 1.3 BS 1 1.3 Ed.D 3 5.1 DMA in Percussion Perf. 1 1.3 MRE 1 1.3 n = 59 may interact more with challenges that fall within the scope of both jobs and thus have similar views on these challenges. The li- brary needs hardware to deliver just-in- time access, and the hardware must be upgraded frequently. With the entire cam- pus needing the same upgrading, it is rea- sonable to assume that the CAO is knowl- edgeable about hardware and the need for increases in budget to acquire it. The out- come of Richard M. Dougherty’s work- shops between the two groups belonging to the ARL and the Association of Col- lege and Research Libraries (ACRL) was a common vision of the future where universal access to information is provided by multifunctional work- stations.22 To accomplish that goal, hardware and software would have to be purchased. The present study’s findings indicate that the goal of the study’s public institutions is similar to the ARL and the ACRL member li- braries. Organizational diversity goals cross department lines, as well. Di- versity is a societal concern; thus, diversity in student body and in employee needs is a campus issue with which these administrators would be aware. A t-test of differ- ence of means did not show a sig- nificant difference in the means for the two groups on any of the chal- lenges (table 4). To what degree are differences in per- spectives between the two groups re- flected in library budgets and staffing numbers? The study used the orga- nizational outcomes of budget and staf fing numbers to determine whether differences in perspectives about challenges held by the respon- dent group related to budget and/ or FTE staffing numbers. The study acknowledges that many factors in- fluence budget decisions and staff- ing decisions. Legislative action, for example, influences budgets tremen- dously in publicly supported insti- tutions. Tax income shortfall and lower enrollment can reduce the amount of resources available for bud- gets. Campuswide priorities, such as the installation of a fiber-optic network, can reduce funds available for the library as well. Budget Differences in perspectives are reflected only between training and the budget. A higher difference score related with an in- creased budget. This may mean that as the need for training goes up, the budget 312 College & Research Libraries July 2002 TABLE 4 Item Responses for Challenges given by Academic Library Directors and Chief Academic Officers from the Same Institution No Minor Moderate Significant Intract. Challenge Challenge Challenge Challenge Challenge LDCAO LDCAO LDCAO LDCAO LDCAO Organizational Change 5 5 13 15 17 15 9 8 0 0 Percentage 11.4 11.6 29.5 34.9 38.6 34.9 20.5 18.6 0 0 Crime 2 2 27 20 10 19 5 3 0 0 Percentage 4.5 4.5 61.4 45.5 22.7 43.2 11.4 6.8 0 0 User Satisfaction 2 0 8 10 16 18 17 15 1 1 Percentage 4.5 0 18.2 22.7 36.4 40.9 38.6 34.1 2.3 2.3 Diversity 4 5 7 6 12 15 18 17 3 1 Percentage 9.1 11.4 15.9 13.6 27.3 34.1 40.9 38.6 6.8 2.3 Hardware 4 2 2 7 13 16 23 17 2 2 Percentage 9.1 4.5 4.5 15.9 29.5 36.4 52.3 38.6 4.5 4.5 Software 7 4 4 1 16 23 16 15 1 1 Percentage 6.8 9.1 22.7 2.3 29.5 52.3 38.6 34.1 2.3 2.3 Training 3 2 10 10 13 21 17 11 1 0 Percentage 15.9 4.5 9.1 22.7 36.4 47.7 36.4 25 2.3 0 Serials 0 0 1 1 7 1 19 25 17 17 Percentage 0 0 2.3 2.3 15.9 2.3 43.2 56.8 38.6 38.6 n1 = ALDs = 44, n2 = CAOs = 44Frequencies are located on first lines in categories is increased. Conversely, it may mean that when the budget goes up, the ALD uses it for training. One explanation for the need for training is automation. Another possible explanation is that automation is increasing productivity, and staff is be- ing reassigned. It also is possible that staff are being rewarded for their hard work with training opportunities. FTE Staffing The greatest percentages of respondents reported “No Change” in the number of positions during the three years. The high percentage of “No Change” may indicate the possibility that technology has in- creased productivity as suggested by sev- eral of the researchers and that fewer employees are needed. Conversely, the large “No Change” finding could indicate a shift in responsibility. The fact that ALDs added adequate staffing as a current chal- lenge and ranked it as number two sug- gests that, whatever the reason for not adding staff, some libraries need addi- tional staff to carry out the libraries’ mis- sions. To what degree do gender, age, and length of tenure in their positions of ALDs relate to the similarity of their perceptions of the chal- lenges? Variables such as age, gender, and length of tenure in current positions were included to determine whether they were influencing perceptions. Similarity of per- ceptions is seen between age and length of tenure in current position of respon- dents with organizational change. Simi- larity is seen between age and the chal- lenge of crime in the library. In addition, similarity is seen between length of ten- ure and training. Organizational Change As age and length of tenure in current Challenges That Academic Library Directors Are Experiencing 313 position increase, the directors view orga- nizational change as less of a challenge. As age and length of tenure in current posi- tion decrease, the directors view organi- zational change as more of a challenge. A possible hypothesis for the different views of organizational change is that the orga- nizations are in different life cycles. Each stage in the life cycle requires different characteristics in leaders. Another possible hypothesis is that a new person brings enthusiasm to a position and is interested in making changes. As people are in the position longer, their views may change. They may have made the changes they wanted and decided that the changes were not needed or could not be accomplished. Crime Similarity is seen between age and the perception of crime as a challenge. Younger directors may be reading more professional literature to get information. Because this is a topic frequently dis- cussed, it may appear to be a great chal- lenge. Older directors may have more li- brary experience and thus have installed crime prevention measures. Training As length of tenure shortens for respon- dents from the overall group, the inten- sity of challenge for training increases. As length of tenure increases, the intensity of the challenge for training decreases. For respondents from the same institution, the relationships are nearly tenable as well. A possible explanation is that a natu- ral enthusiasm in a new position may bring with it a belief in training. Some- one who has been in his or her position longer may have decided from past ex- perience that training will not make a dif- ference with some employees. Age and length of tenure in position seem to be operating to influence the per- ceptions about challenges held by the ALDs. Gender was not related to the simi- larity of their perspectives. To what degree do gender, age, and length of tenure in their positions of CAOs relate to the similarity of their perceptions of the chal- lenges? The study found no relationship with age or length of tenure and percep- tions of challenges held by the CAOs. A relationship between gender and percep- tions of serials as a challenge was found. According to the test conducted, the se- lection of a higher intensity of challenge would be predicted for females belong- ing to the overall group. This finding may be an anomaly because only ten out of fifty-nine of the CAOs were female. Fur- ther research is needed to substantiate the finding. Additional Challenges Both academic library directors and chief academic officers added job-related chal- lenges to the survey-provided list. Some of the added challenges were ranked, and others were added but not ranked. It is assumed that these are challenges of equal rank to many of the survey-provided challenges. The additional challenges pro- vide added insight about perceptions of the academic library directors’ challenges. Academic library directors added forty- eight additional job-related challenges whereas the chief academic officers added twenty-four. Up to three challenges could be added by each respondent, and some did not add any. Tables 5 and 6 provide the data. Job-related challenges that seemed to be more apparent to the two groups are categorized by the researcher into four ad hoc topics: “staffing issues,” “technol- ogy,” “the library’s role,” and “miscella- neous” (“misc”). This last category pro- vides for a somewhat eclectic assortment of challenges given by each group. Some of the challenges could fit into several of the topics. Staff was the most frequently added topic by ALDs (22.9%). The library’s role was the most frequently added topic by CAOs (16.7%). One explanation is that the These differences in perspectives are important because different perspec- tives about the role and mission of the library could affect the existence and future of the academic library. 314 College & Research Libraries July 2002 TABLE 5 Challenges at Any Ranking Added by Academic Library Directors Challenge Frequency Staffing Issues 18 Hiring an adequate number of staff; funding for staff 11 Staff morale/motivating staff with little chance of reward 3 Hiring and retaining professional librarians 3 Lack of turnover in staff 1 Technology 15 Keeping up with the changes in technology 3 Distance education 3 Information technology being valued more than information by faculty and administration 1 Conveying technical information to administration 1 Bibliographic instruction for multiformats 1 Technology training 1 Impact of e-mail on staff, including the director 1 Orienting administration to �just-in-time� access 1 Acquiring electronic support staff 1 Costs of new electronic databases 1 Librarian attitudes toward/lack of background in computer use 1 Miscellaneous 9 Funding for books and other materials 2 Acquiring additional funds from the general budget 1 Fund-raising 1 Demands of boards and accrediting agencies 1 Dealing with internal bureaucracy 1 Creating a learning organization 1 Outcomes assessment 1 Aging building with inadequate wiring 1 Library�s role 6 Promoting library�s role in information literacy; information literacy for students 2 Orienting faculty to the changing role of librarianship 1 Overall collection development in disciplines 1 Direction of library in the future 1 Organizational change within the university that places library under the same category of �information technology� away from the academic component of the university 1 TOTAL 48 n=59 directors work closely with staffing prob- lems and are most familiar with library staffing needs. CAOs, on the other hand, may consider staffing an issue that is handled by each department head while the CAO concentrates on achieving the campus’s overall mission. These differ- ences in perspectives are important be- cause different perspectives about the role and mission of the library could affect the existence and future of the academic li- brary. A problem with integrating the li- Challenges That Academic Library Directors Are Experiencing 315 TABLE 6 Challenges at Any Ranking Added by Chief Academic Officers Challenge Frequency Library�s Role 11 Collection Development- 4 To meet program needs and new program needs (2) Upgrading collections/services for Ph.D.-level programs (1) Determining collection dev. policies in view of impact of technology (1) Meeting faculty and student needs 2 Expansion into other media (video, CDs) 1 Providing support for new programs 1 Integrating the library with the mission of the university 1 Organizational fit with new technology 1 Library services for a multicampus university 1 Miscellaneous 7 New facility/additions to facility 3 Develop a plan for resource allocations 1 Acquiring funding for updating holdings 1 Rising book costs 1 Rising costs 1 Staffing Issues 4 Salaries 2 Achieving worker satisfaction 1 Keeping library staff open to change 1 Technology 2 Virtual library 1 Provide support for distance education 1 TOTAL 24 n = 59 brary in the university’s mission was mentioned by some respondents from both groups. More research is needed to determine whether differences in per- spectives about the library’s role and mis- sion are held by these two key groups. It is interesting that the added chal- lenges from both groups could be placed within the same categories. Particularly illuminating are the frequencies given for the library’s role and for technology. Chief academic officers added more challenges in the category of “the library’s role” whereas the academic library directors added more challenges in the category of “technology.” Academic library directors added fewer challenges that could be placed in this category. This could indi- cate that some confusion exists in some institutions about the library’s role in the technological age and, by extension, the library director ’s role. Ranked Challenges Both groups ranked user satisfaction and serials in the top three categories. Both of these challenges are important issues. Users are more sophisticated and expect more from both the library and the uni- versity. Serials have presented challenges because of the huge increase in cost for libraries and users campuswide. Diversity was ranked either number two or number three by CAOs. Diversity seems to be a high priority with these administrators. Their positions would 316 College & Research Libraries July 2002 allow them a campuswide view of the stu- dent population and employee needs. ALDs ranked adequate staffing as number one. This is a respondent-added challenge. The addition and ranking of it as number one by the directors suggests that the two groups’ perceptions of the most important challenges differ. These two important challenges are integrally connected, however. It may be difficult to give good customer service that results in user satisfaction without adequate staff to provide the service. (See table 7.) An interesting observation is that 45.7 percent of CAOs ranked user satisfaction as number one, but only 39.0 selected the intensity of “significant” or “intractable” to describe in the first section of the ques- tionnaire. Perhaps when some answered this, they had begun to think of it in terms of the entire campus. Table 8 provides the complete list of ranked challenges, including the ones added by respondents. Analysis of the list shows that the eight challenges were ranked in the top three categories. This indicates that important challenges are being discussed in the literature. Analysis shows that crime was given a number two or three ranking by nine chief academic officers. Considering their ratings of crime on the eight questions, this is interesting. An explanation is that some respondents switched to campus issues when they ranked the challenges. Analysis also shows that other challenges are present, at least for the respondents adding challenges, this may not be a frequent topic of articles. Conclusion The following conclusions were drawn from the results of the study and the pro- cedures used. Limitations that may have been present in the study which may have influenced the findings include limited range of options for the respondents to rate the intensity of each challenge, no measure to check the accuracy of the par- ticipants’ responses, no measure to deter- mine bias to make respondent “look good,” and use of only two variables to indicate organizational outcomes. The respondents from the same institution may have different perceptions from those of the overall group of respondents. Some differences, though not significant, were found. Considering limitations, the following conclusions are drawn. TABLE 7 Frequency of Challenges That Were Ranked Number One, Number Two, and Number Three by the Two Groups Academic Library Directors Chief Academic Officers Challenge Freq. Percent Challenge Freq. Percent Number One Rankings Serials 22 37.0 Serials 27 45.7 Adequate Staff 7 14.5 User Satisfaction 11 18.6 Number Two Rankings Serials 13 22.0 Diversity 13 22.0 User Satisfaction 9 15.3 Serials 11 18.6 Number Three Rankings User Satisfaction 11 18.6 Diversity 15 25.4 Serials 9 15.3 User Satisfaction 12 20.3 n1 = ALd = Academic Library Directors = 59n2 = CAO = Chief Academic Officers = 59 Challenges That Academic Library Directors Are Experiencing 317 TABLE 8 Frequencies for Number One, Number Two, and Number Three Rankings-All Number Number Number 1 2 3 ALD CAO ALD CAO ALD CAO Organizational Change 3 4 4 7 4 6 Crime 1 0 1 3 1 6 User Satisfaction 6 11 9 8 11 12 Diversity 5 10 7 13 5 15 Hardware 2 3 4 6 7 4 Software 2 2 5 4 5 6 Training 1 2 5 7 3 7 Serials 22 27 13 11 9 6 Adequate Staff 7 2 2 0 2 0 Virtual Library 1 1 0 1 0 0 Staff Morale 2 2 1 2 1 0 Tech. Change 3 0 0 0 1 0 Distance Education 2 0 0 1 0 0 Collection Develop. 0 1 1 1 0 3 Facilities/space 1 2 1 0 0 3 Library Relevancy 0 0 2 0 0 0 Promoting the Role 2 0 1 0 2 0 Campus Needs 0 1 0 2 0 1 Library Fit with University 0 0 1 2 1 0 Funding/books 0 2 0 0 1 0 Hiring Professional Librarians 0 0 0 0 2 1 Others 4 4 5 1 3 1 Totals 64 74 62 69 58 71 The study found evidence that age and length of time in position of ALDs are re- lated to perceptions about organizational change and crime in the library as chal- lenges. These variables may be respon- sible for some difference in perceptions about these challenges. A potential hy- pothesis is that ALDs coming to the posi- tion recently hold stronger perceptions that there is a need for change. Con- versely, the longer one is in a position, the less intense may be one’s perceptions. In the latter case, a person may have made the changes he or she wanted and decided that they were unnecessary or not change- able. The directors in the study’s sample are staying longer in their positions (10.54 years) than were the directors in the 1993 McAnally and Downs study (approxi- mately six years), in the Euster study (7.5 years), and in the Mech study (8.4 years).23 Because the present population has rarely been studied, no statistics exist with which to compare directors from these in- stitutions. It is possible that regionalism may be a factor that contributes to the longer tenure for the study’s group. Ad- ditional research can determine whether tenure rates are changing and are influ- enced by region. The gender ratio of the study’s sample of ALDs is higher than Euster or Mech found for their samples. Euster (1989) found that 23.8 percent of the ARL direc- tors were female; Mech (1990 ) found that 30.6 percent of liberal arts college direc- tors were female.24 The present study 318 College & Research Libraries July 2002 found that 39 percent of the directors were female. Because no earlier data have been found for library directors from the study’s institutions, no conclusion can be drawn about changes within the popula- tion. The researcher concludes that for this group, training and budget are related. As differences in intensity for the chal- lenge of training increased, so did bud- gets. Staffing numbers generally did not change. This suggests that the directors may be requesting more funding for train- ing or may be using any budget increases for training. The need for training reflects the situation of the organization. Staff re- assignment is indicated when consider- ing that staffing numbers generally did not increase. The training also may be needed for updating technological skills. This would tend to reinforce the views of the participants in the Riggs and Sabine study and of others.25 The study’s findings indicate that the challenges listed most frequently in the professional literature represent many of the challenges that the study ALDs are experiencing with the exception of the challenge of crime in the library. How- ever, the respondent-added challenges indicate that other challenges are more apparent to some of the respondents. Moreover, the difference in perspectives between the two groups indicates some dissonance. One explanation for the dif- ferences in challenges from the literature is that some challenges may be more popular as topics in publications. Another explanation is that the respondent-pro- vided items were not challenges before but have increased in intensity for some of the respondents or that the challenges may be local. Another hypothesis is that some are new challenges. The ranking of some respondent-provided challenges as number one indicates that, at least for some directors and their supervisors, the frequency of appearance in articles only limitedly reflects their challenges. Because the study found that both groups of administrators ranked user sat- isfaction in the top three rankings of im- portance, it is a high priority with them. Approximately 35 percent of both groups rated their intensity of challenge to user satisfaction as “significant,” indicating that it is not an easily solved challenge. Schools of library and/or information studies may consider including more courses in customer relations/customer services. Future Research Needed One of the goals of the present study was to provide a broad overview of percep- tions to challenges held by the two groups. Future research using a qualita- tive study could provide an in-depth view of perceptions of challenges. The sample size for the present study was large enough to provide information for the research; however, increasing the sample size should provide greater opportunity for new challenges to be detected. The study’s respondents for the most part answered using all five levels of intensity that indicated degree of challenge. An- other study providing additional options for levels of intensity would make a sur- vey instrument more sensitive in identi- fying differences in perspectives. The study provides some evidence that the difference in perceptions about train- ing is related to increased budgets. Its findings also indicate that older ALDs and the ones who have been in the posi- tion longer viewed training as a less in- tense challenge. On the other hand, the indication is that younger directors who have been in their positions for a shorter period of time viewed training as a greater challenge. The relationship may indicate the natural enthusiasm one has in a relatively new position and the be- lief that training will bring change. The longer-tenured directors may have sup- ported training in the past and/or now have a trained staff and/or no longer be- lieve training will make a difference with some employees. Training may be an in- dication that staff is being reassigned, that skills for using new technology are being updated, and/or that it may be a reward for hard work. Training is needed when Challenges That Academic Library Directors Are Experiencing 319 basic and fundamental change is occur- ring. The need for training reflects the situation of an organization facing change as well. Intervening variables are possible here. Additional research is needed to determine the relationship of incum- bency, training, and change. Because the study was limited to pub- lic institutions in the South, it should be replicated using different populations to determine whether perceptions and dif- ferences in perspectives about the chal- lenges are similar. Future studies should determine whether the challenge of train- ing may be related to budget in other public and private organizations. Respondent-added challenges indicate that other challenges are more apparent to some of the respondents. It is possible that some challenges are more popular as topics in publications. Another explana- tion is that the respondent-provided items were not challenges before but have in- creased in intensity for some of the re- spondents or that the challenges may be local. Another possible hypothesis is that some are new challenges. The ranking by some of the respondents of some respon- dent-provided challenges as number one indicates that, at least for some directors and their supervisors, the frequency of appearance in articles only limitedly re- flects their challenges. The categories of staffing, the library’s role, and technology offer areas for future research. Library directors added and ranked staffing challenges as number one over the survey-provided challenges. Al- though the literature discusses staffing, this topic did not appear in the eight most frequently discussed list of challenges as this researcher analyzed the topics. Chal- lenges about the library’s role was added by both groups, but the CAOs added more challenges in this category and the ALDs added fewest. The library’s role was not among the eight the most frequently pub- lished topics as the researcher identified them. The technology category also offers insight. Although the directors added fif- teen challenges in this category, their su- pervisors added only two. Some directors may not be viewing the library in terms of technology. More research is needed to determine the extent of these challenges. Future research is needed to determine where administrators (ALDs and CAOs) get information about challenges in the field. Sources for information may in- clude professional literature, colleagues in the field, e-mail, and/or listservs. Fu- ture research should determine the types of listservs used and why as well as how much the Internet is used to gather infor- mation in smaller public institutions com- pared with private and public institu- tions. The study’s findings indicate that di- versity is an important challenge for the CAOs in the public universities. Several experts consulted for the challenge list emphasized that diversity is a societal problem not easily solved. Support mechanisms may be necessary for the success of a diverse workforce as well. Future research is necessary to determine diversity as it exists in academic library settings, universities, and other organiza- tions, as well as support mechanisms used to help ensure success in a diverse workplace. The study found that, in general, bud- gets did not appear to increase much over the three years. It also found that the two groups’ perceptions about hardware were similar, although no significant relation- ship was established between hardware and budget. Although institutions have provided for the initial outlay of funds for these tools in libraries, obsolescence makes hardware and software useful only to the degree that they meet current user needs. Future research is needed to de- termine the availability of resources in academic libraries and universities to upgrade hardware and software as tech- nological obsolescence continues. The study provides some evidence that gender influences perspectives. The study found that only ten CAOs were female. In addition, only three female ALDs reported to female CAOs. Other studies could pro- vide enlightenment about this study’s finding. Factors such as experience, com- 320 College & Research Libraries July 2002 munication style, or a common language based on gender may exert influence on the perceptions of males or females. There was some evidence that CAOs who answered the survey with the ALD hold somewhat different perceptions from those who did not respond. More research could provide enlightenment about these key administrator ’s views about the library. Robert F. Munn (1968) and William A. Moffett (1981) found that top administrators did not think much about the library except maybe to think of it as a “bottomless pit.”26 Hardesty, in 1991, found evidence that these adminis- trators do think of the library and sup- port it.27 The present research supports Hardesty’s findings. In 1959, C. P. Snow proposed a theory of “two cultures” to describe the existence of cultures that seem to be competing in organizations: a traditional culture and a scientific cul- ture.28 More study concerning CAOs could determine whether “two cultures” (to borrow his phrase) exist here. Concluding Summary It is important to continue this research for several broad reasons. First, during times of rapid change, new challenges along with current challenges appear in organizations that may lead, ultimately, to leadership turnover. If the same chal- lenges exist for the new leader, they too may become discouraged and leave. It is important that the leader ’s supervisor un- derstand challenges that the leader expe- riences so that the organization is not negatively affected. If a leader or his or her supervisor is experiencing different perceptions of the challenges, they may act on their beliefs to the detriment of the organization. The present study focused on ALDs and the CAOs to whom they report; how- ever, the manager–supervisor relation- ship exists in other organizations both public and private. Much is known about the challenges of library directors who belong to the ARL. Little is known, how- ever, about the library directors in public institutions. This research and future re- search on the topic can fill that gap. New challenges often require new conceptualization efforts and skills to re- solve. Studies are needed to provide a fresh look at challenges in organizations in times of rapid change. It is important that future leaders gain an essential edu- cational background so that appropriate solutions can be identified and applied to challenges. Notes 1. Charles G. Newman, “Selection, Career Paths, and Managerial Development in Academic Library Administration: Forecasting the Needs of the Twenty-first Century,” in Academic Librar- ies: Their Rationale and Role in Higher Education, ed. Gerald B. McCabe and Ruth J. Person (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Pr., 1995). 2. Joanne R. Euster, The Academic Library Director: Management Activities and Effectiveness (New York: Greenwood Pr., 1987). 3. Ibid., 45. 4. Larry Hardesty, “The Bottomless Pit Revisited,” College & Research Libraries 52, no. 3 (1991): 219–29. 5. Arthur M. McAnally and Robert B. Downs, “The Changing Role of Directors of University Libraries,” College & Research Libraries 34 (Mar. 1973): 103–25. 6. In 1994, Rooks updated the McAnally and Downs research. She found that the pressures were “largely unchanged.” In 1991, Myers and Kaufman surveyed to determine the relationship between university directors and factors of age, gender, length of service, and so on. See these studies: Marcia J. Myers and Paula T. Kaufman, “ARL Directors: Two Decades of Change,” Col- lege & Research Libraries 52 (May, 1991): 241–54; Dana C. Rooks, “Terms for Academic Library Directors,” Library Trends 43 (summer 1994): 60, 61; Keith M. Cottam, “Directors of Large Librar- ies: Roles, Functions, and Activities,” Library Trends 43 (summer 1994): 15. 7. George A. Stalliard Sr., “A Study of the Relationship between Leadership Behavior and Voluntary Turnover in a Public Sector Organization” (Ph.D. diss., Nova Southeastern Univ., 1997); Stephen Worchel, Stephen M. Jenner, and Michelle R. Hebl, “Changing the Guard: How Origin Challenges That Academic Library Directors Are Experiencing 321 of New Leader and Disposition of Ex-leader Affect Group Performance and Perceptions,” Small Group Research 29 (1998): 436–51. 8. McAnally and Downs, “The Changing Role of Directors of University Libraries.” 9. Myers and Kaufman, “ARL Directors”; Rooks, “Terms for Academic Library Directors”; Cottam, “Directors of Large Libraries.” 10. Ruth H. Person and Sharon J. Rogers, Recruiting the Academic Library Director (Washing- ton, D.C.: Association of College & Research Libraries, 1988). 11. Ibid,. 1. 12. Barbara Brittingham, “The Library, Information, and Institutional Outcomes: Searching in a Time of Change,” Journal of Library Administration 24, no. 3 (1997): 59–71. 13. Paul J. Kobulnicky, “Between the Acts: The Interim or Acting Director of a Research Library,” Journal of Library Administration 24, no. 3 (1997): 3–29. 14. Donald E. Riggs and Gordon A. Sabine, Libraries in the ‘90’s: What the Leaders Expect (Phoe- nix, Ariz.: Oryx Pr., 1988). 15. Susan Jurow, “Preparing Academic and Research Library Staff for the 1990’s and Beyond,” Journal of Library Administration 17, no. 1 (1992): 5–17. 16. Kobulnicky, “Between the Acts.” 17. Brittingham, “The Library, Information, and Institutional Outcomes.” 18. See Lloyd W. Chapin and Larry Hardesty, “Benign Neglect of the Heart of the College: Liberal Arts College Deans Look at the Library,” in Academic Libraries: Their Rationale and Role in American Higher Education,” ed. Gerald B. McCabe and Ruth J. Person (Westport, Conn.: Green- wood Pr., 1995); Richard M. Dougherty and Carol Hughes, Preferred Futures for Libraries: A Sum- mary of Six Workshops with University Provosts and Library Directors (Mountain View, Ark.: Re- search Libraries Group, 1991). 19. Ibid.; Chapin and Hardesty, “Benign Neglect of the Heart of the College,” 29–41; Robert Munn, “The Bottomless Pit, or the Academic Library from the Administration Building,” College & Research Libraries 26, no.1 (1968): 51–54; William A. Moffett, “Don’t Shelve Your College Librar- ian,” Educational Record 63, no. 3 (1982): 46–50. 20. See Susan Lee, “The Role of the Academic Library Director: An Exploratory Investiga- tion” (Ph.D. diss., Simmons College, 1976); Alma Dawson, “The Academic Library in Intra-Insti- tutional Relationships: Case Studies in Library Finance” (Ph.D. diss., The Texas Woman’s Univ., 1996); Chapin and Hardesty, “Benign Neglect of the Heart of the College,” 29–41. 21. Thomas W. Shaughnessy, “The Library Director as Change Agent,” in Managing Change in Academic Libraries, ed. Joseph J. Branin (New York: Haworth Pr., 1996). 22. Dougherty and Hughes, “Preferred Futures for Libraries.” 23. McAnally and Downs, “The Changing Role of Directors of University Libraries.” 24. Euster, “The Academic Library Director”; Terrance F. Mech, “Academic Library Directors: A Managerial Role Profile.” College & Research Libraries 51, no. 4 (1990):415–428. 25. Riggs and Sabine, “Libraries in the ‘90’s”; Charles Brad Robison, “Effects of Automation on Academic Libraries” (Ph.D. diss., Oklahoma State Univ., 1991). 26. Munn, “The Bottomless Pit, or the Academic Library from the Administration Building”; Moffett, “Don’t Shelve Your College Librarian.” 27. Hardesty, “The Bottomless Pit Revisited.” 28. C. P. Snow, The Two Cultures: and a Second Look. An Expanded Version of the Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution by C.P. Snow. 2nd ed. (Cambridge, Mass.: University Pr., 1964).