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As is the case of all organizations, the academic library is a body reflecting the contribution of its core employees. As such, the roles performed by academic librarians are crucial to its development and existence. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of academic librarians as change champions in an information age that has been, still is, and is expected to be continuously pervaded by varying and widespread changes in librarianship and scholarship coupled with the ever changing and expanding user needs and expectations. The paper also identifies a framework to perform this role.

This paper is informed by opinion and draws on relevant literature to highlight the current climate and what is being perceived as valuable to the future direction of academic libraries in order to bring credence to its trajectory.

Academic librarians must readily accept, be responsive to, and anticipate change to maintain and justify their relevance to stakeholders. Yet, anecdotal evidence suggests that not all librarians are prepared to embrace change.

Academic librarians must understand how their roles influence the decision-making processes of the stakeholders and vice versa.

The paper advances five principles or 5As to guide the change process in academic libraries: alignment, accountability, agility, accessibility, and assessment. Very briefly, it discusses the relevance of a concept referred to as the competition-collaboration continuum to further academic librarianship. These notions serve to assist academic librarians in determining the appropriate actions to be taken now.

The success of socialization and orientation of new academic librarians has a considerable effect on outcomes critical to both the newcomer and institution, including job performance, job satisfaction, and staff turnover. These factors correspondingly impinge upon the institution's bottom line, due to the high costs associated with activities ranging from recruitment to retention. The paper asserts that if a new librarian leaves the institution within the first six to 18 months, the costs expended on hiring are practically wasted. To avoid this, and engage new professionals that stay long enough to justify the cost of hiring, and gain a return on its investment, the academic library needs to engage in rapid on-boarding. The article therefore aims to demonstrate how socialization and orientation can be effective.

This paper is informed by opinion and draws on relevant literature to provide an understanding of the phenomenon.

Rapid on-boarding is central to getting new hires up-to-speed quickly; yet, anecdotal evidence suggests that it is not as widespread as it should be in academic libraries.

An on-boarding plan immanent in the strategic plan provides a unique channel of influence for familiarizing newcomers with the institution and advancing its policies and practices.

A formal on-boarding program can be a great source of support for all library staff and can increase the retention of professionals by inculcating the values and behaviors required to succeed.

The article underscores how human resource development (HRD) activities, which subsume orientation, affect the library's bottom line. The author advances the significance of “chi” to the success of rapid on-boarding: communication, human interaction and individualization.

The dynamic environment in which the academic library operates requires explicit links between business strategy and a new management priority including the development of people; this is the focus of human resource development (HRD). It serves the needs of an organization by ensuring that employees’ expertise is state-of-the-art, something that is critical in a period of rapid technological development coinciding with ever-expanding societal needs. HRD can be relied upon to support and shape a wide range of academic library initiatives requiring a competent and engaged workforce by recognizing people as the organization’s most critical asset, one that drives competitive advantage and helps it out-perform the market. Emphasis is placed on developing an organizational context that will attract and develop talented individuals and leaders and keep them engaged. Furthermore, HRD activities must respond to job changes and integrate staff skills sets with the long-term plans and strategies of the organization thus ensuring the efficient and effective use of resources. This chapter explores HRD as a strategic concern of the organization and how it can best serve the organization in the long term. In so doing, it considers how HRD can help the academic library focus resources in those areas where there are strong likelihoods that they can produce substantial improvements in future capacity and performance. This kind of strategic planning helps the organization configure resources within a dynamic competitive environment, thus serving market needs and satisfying stakeholder expectations, helping meet its business purpose and maintain its strategic direction. The case study developed here highlights the need for the effective linkage of HRD and strategic planning for the advancement of the academic library. It suggests the need for developing and implementing both a strategic plan and an HRD plan and developing a culture of strategic human resource development (SHRD) in academic libraries.