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This qualitative study aims to analyse veteran academic librarians’ perceptions of librarianship to develop a grounded theory that models this group’s understandings of the profession. In addition, this study compares its findings to a previous grounded theory study that modelled novice academic librarians’ perceptions of the profession.

Using the long interview technique, the analysts interviewed 15 veteran academic librarians, i.e. those with 10 or more years continuous experience as professional academic librarians, who work in Texas universities and four-year colleges. Qualitative analytical methods were used to develop a substantive grounded theory from the data.

Two theoretical categories emerged that model academic librarian perceptions of the profession: orienting self (and others) to a shifting profession and driving change in the field. These categories depict academic librarianship as a profession focussed on change, and the theory valuates both mentoring and practitioner research as important elements of this change.

The results of the study may provide useful information to help orient librarians new to the field.

There is a dearth of systematic empirical analyses that explores the personal meanings that academic librarians attach to professional identity. This paper works to fill this gap and to complement the existing critical/cultural and quantitative research concerning the professional identity of librarians.

This paper aims to present recently published resources on library instruction and information literacy, providing an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of publications covering various library types, study populations and research contexts.

This paper introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations, reports and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2019.

The paper provides a brief description of all 370 sources and highlights sources that contain unique or significant scholarly contributions.

The information may be used by librarians, researchers and anyone interested as a quick and comprehensive reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.

New librarians rarely feel fully prepared for academic library instruction. This could be attributed to many factors in both Master of Library and Information Science programs and work environments. Imposter syndrome or imposter phenomenon is a common way this insecurity manifests. Imposter phenomenon, first defined in 1978, is an individual’s feeling that they will be exposed as a fraud, regardless of how qualified or knowledgeable they actually are. Throughout the first year as new instruction librarians, the authors tracked their experiences with instruction and the imposter phenomenon. This paper aims to illuminate how imposter phenomenon impacts library instruction, provide suggestions for individual librarians and identify what academic libraries can do institutionally to mitigate feelings of fraudulence among their employees.

This paper outlines the history and symptoms of imposter phenomenon, focusing on its presence in libraries. The authors draw on existing literature in psychology and library science, their own experience and a survey of 172 librarians. Suggestions for best practices for easing imposter phenomenon are then discussed based on the experiences of the authors and survey respondents.

This paper suggests several ways to ease the feelings of imposter phenomenon among those employed in academic libraries.

This paper is based on the authors’ experiences, as well as a survey of 172 librarians. The survey was self-selecting, so the results may be skewed, but the themes apparent throughout the responses indicate that imposter phenomenon in libraries is pervasive and warrants further research.

The recommendations presented in this paper will provide new librarians and library administrators with concrete ways to identify and ameliorate imposter phenomenon among new instruction librarians.

Though imposter phenomenon has gained popular attention in wider society, extant research has not sufficiently addressed its role in the realm of academic library instruction. Given that most MLIS programs focus on theory rather than practice, finding ways to give new instruction librarians confidence in their positions is an area of research that warrants more exploration.

Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to provide an introductory exploration of how the modern Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) may contribute to the effect of imposter phenomenon (IP) in graduate students and early career librarians and to offer solutions to mitigate the effect.

Design/Methodology/Approach – Six university American Library Association-accredited library master’s programs in North America were identified and compared based on publicly available information on program websites. The authors pose questions about the modern MLIS and identify potential solutions to the issues raised about IP in graduate school and the workplace. Ideas in the chapter are supported by best practices suggested by academic literature on organizational behavior and Library and Information Studies (LIS) scholarship as well as invaluable personal reflections found on blogs and other gray literature sources.

Findings – The modern MLIS produces graduates who can vary greatly in their knowledge of LIS topics and career preparedness. MLIS programs and employers can mitigate the effects of nervousness, burn out, and isolation for high-achieving individuals through career preparedness and continuing education courses and opportunities for positive onboarding and mentorship.

Originality/Value – To date, there is a gap in the LIS literature about IP, especially the connection between the modern MLIS and IP. This chapter provides an exploratory look and asks questions to further the conversation on this topic.

Purpose – This paper examines William Stetson Merrill, the compiler of A Code for Classifiers and a Newberry Library employee (1889‐1930) in an attempt to glean lessons for modern information studies from an early librarian's career. Design/methodology/approach – Merrill's career at the Newberry Library and three editions of the code are briefly examined using historical, bibliographic, and conceptual methods. Primary and secondary sources in archives and libraries are summarized to provide insight into Merrill's attempts to develop or modify tools to solve the knowledge organization problems he faced. The concept of bricolage, developed by Levi‐Strauss to explain modalities of thinking, is applied to Merrill's career. Excerpts from his works and reminisces are used to explain Merrill as a bricoleur and highlight the characteristics of bricolage. Findings – Findings show that Merrill worked collaboratively to collocate and integrate a variety of ideas from a diverse group of librarians such as Cutter, Pettee, Poole, Kelley, Rudolph, and Fellows. Bliss and Ranganathan were aware of the code but the extent to which they were influenced by it remains to be explored. Although this is an anachronistic evaluation, Merrill serves as an example of the archetypal information scientist who improvises and integrates methods from bibliography, cataloging, classification, and indexing to solve problems of information retrieval and design usable information products and services for human consumption. Originality/value – Bricolage offers great potential to information practitioners and researchers today as we continue to try and find user‐centered solutions to the problems of digital information organization and services.

An increasing amount of tenure‐track academic librarians in the USA are expected to conduct original research and publish their results in peer‐reviewed journals. However, librarians who are new not only to librarianship as a profession but also to academia may find it difficult to become acquainted with research while also mastering the day‐to‐day aspects of their job. The purpose of this paper is to examine why early career academic librarians struggle with research and to present some strategies these librarians can use to get started.

The paper takes the form of a literature review.

Librarians often do not research because of factors such as the lack of time and the lack of research skills. Many strategies, such as time management and collaboration, can help them overcome these barriers.

Research is an important topic for academic librarians who hold tenure‐track positions. However, they may be unfamiliar with the sort of research that will be required of them.

The purpose of this paper is to present a theory regarding how professional and academic women face career-limiting barriers when they are no longer associated with a professional or academic or professional employer.

This paper presents literature review and presentation of a new conceptualization of the digital divide.

In the past 30 years, communications and information sources have become increasingly digital. To make use of digital information and communication systems, an institutional account is required. Women who are no longer employed by the institution or are no longer students lose their accounts and don't have access to the digital services they require.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper presents an original description of a new facet of the digital divide, as the author was not able to locate any papers discussing this particular issue.

This paper aims to give an overview of OpenCon 2014, organized by the Right to Research Coalition, SPARC (The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) and an organizing committee of students and early career researchers from around the world that took place between the 14th and 17th of November 2014 in Washington DC.

A narrative approach was used to describe events.

OpenCon 2014 is an exciting new conference that targets early career librarians and researchers who are involved with and/or interested in aspects of the open-access movement. It is attempting to galvanize the upcoming generation of scholars to demand more of traditional publishing models by bringing together a selective group that spans diverse interests and experience levels.

This report outlines the author's takeaways and opinions concerning the events of the conference, as well as identifies some of the themes and issues that were relevant to librarians in research institutions.

Academia’s overwhelming reliance on non-tenure track, or contingent, faculty is a well-known fact. While the status and working conditions of contingent classroom faculty have been well studied and documented, the corresponding trend in academic libraries has not been explored as deeply. As this paper reviews the limited LIS literature on the subject, the purpose of this paper is to provide administrators and managers with a deeper understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of contingent appointments. It also offers strategies for fostering a workplace culture that recognizes contingent librarians’ contributions and promotes their professional growth.

An overview of scholarly and professional literature on contingent librarianship, this paper is based on published research studies and academic articles; given the prominence of anecdotal and personal writing on the subject, columns and first-person essays from trade publications, as well as library-related blogs and job search sites, are also included.

Contingent librarians have been a steady presence in academic libraries for the last few decades. The trend is continuing. There are specific practices that can be applied to effectively manage contingent librarians.

The paper offers academic library administrators and managers a concise yet comprehensive overview of the issues related to contingent appointments.

Mentorship is crucial to the success and accomplishment of librarianship in the contemporary era. This paper aims to investigate the need for mentorship and challenges besetting mentorship in librarianship with specific focus on academic libraries.

Descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population of the study was 1,214 librarians in 102 academic libraries in Southern Nigeria. Total enumeration sampling technique was adopted for the study.

It was reflected that mentorship, though beset by a number of challenges, is a necessity in librarianship. The hypotheses tested revealed that there is significant relationship between the need for mentorship and the types of mentorship adopted in academic libraries, and that there is no significant difference between the need for mentorship by male and female librarians.

This study affirmed that it is through mentorship that librarians can meet their job demands. Mentorship should therefore be stimulated to bolster the professional and intellectual development of the librarians. The mentees should be carried along in mentorship partnership selection process, and training should be organized for mentors and mentees on mentorship.

The interaction of librarians in the course of mentoring can facilitate work cohesion and enhanced job performance.

The needs for and challenges besetting mentorship in librarianship have been explored by collecting data directly from the librarians. The cloistered nature of librarianship, given the changing nature of the profession owing to massive deployment of Information and Communication Technology in the performance of library operations, means that mentorship should be encouraged in the profession.