Conversations with Leading Academic and Research Library Directors: International Perspectives on Library Management

"What are the roles and the future for the survival of academic libraries and their librarians? In what ways should we continue to evolve as our world turns increasingly digital?" These are just two of the questions Lo (library, information & media science, Tsukuba Univ., Japan), Allan Cho (librarian, Univ. of British Columbia), Bradley Allard (reference & outreach librarian, Clark County P.L.), and Dickson Chiu (education, Univ. of Hong Kong) attempt to answer. Thirty academic librarians spanning 14 countries and territories participated in an in-depth investigation to determine the state of academic librarianship worldwide. Interviews each begin with librarians describing their professional training and educational background and discussing topics such as their professional specialties or their current role and areas of responsibilities. Interviewees then respond to specific, individually crafted questions, sharing their thoughts on academic librarianship, their leadership and managerial styles, how their intuitions are striving to meet patrons' informational needs, the challenges facing libraries and library science students and professionals, and more.