Mid-Career Library and Information Professionals

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Saying yes, again: an introduction to leadership for mid-career librarians

Linda Crook

I started thinking about leadership for mid-career librarians during 2009, when the American Library Association (ALA) began a recruitment effort aimed specifically at librarians under 35. I had been delighted to take advantage of the ALA Emerging Leaders program when I was 34, and I’d felt like a real up-and-comer. But suddenly it seemed that I was too old to be of interest. What could I do to maintain the momentum I’d gotten as an emerging leader? If the profession was encouraging young and new librarians to become leaders, what about the rest of us? What about the unique challenges faced by ‘mid-career’ librarians – not new anymore, not necessarily ...