Leading the comprehensive community college library :\ud defining, aligning, and supporting innovation and change

Graduation date: 2012The purpose of this multi-case study was to describe how library deans and directors at large comprehensive community colleges strategically advocate for and support instructional and technological innovation despite the reality of limited resources and the stress caused by recurring funding crises in higher education. It further sought to examine how directors articulate the role of the library at the institution, prioritize support for new initiatives, and provide meaningful professional development opportunities for librarians and library staff members involved in the development of new innovative instructional and technological initiatives. The following foundational questions guided the research: (a) How do library directors strategically prioritize support for new library initiatives involving instructional and technological innovation despite funding instability, limited resources, and increased demand for library services? (b) How do library directors provide meaningful learning opportunities for librarians and library staff members who are involved in creating innovative services or programs? \ud The focus of the study was comprehensive community colleges in the very large 2-year (VL2) size and setting category of the Carnegie Classifications. It included a preliminary survey to verify the importance of issues, recruit participants, and conduct interviews with six library directors. Although participant directors worked at large community colleges, there were structural organizational differences between institutions. Organizational structures were (a) multi-campus district/multiple libraries/one director; (b) multi-campus district/multiple libraries/one director per library; and (c) one campus/one library/one director. Four of the participants had the title dean, and two were classified as directors. The majority of the librarians at the colleges had some form of faculty status, and four of the six colleges were unionized. In all cases, regardless of organizational status, the reference librarians had instructional duties. \ud The study indicated that the library directors were involved in various types of strategic planning including library-related, campus-specific, institutional, consortial, and state-level efforts. Directors, librarians, and staff members used a number of methods to share information with and get input from institutional partners. The directors reported that they also spent time responding to and participating in change due to State-mandates. \ud The findings indicated that the directors were focused on providing support for initiatives involving instructional and technological innovation. Librarians at all colleges in the study were heavily involved in instruction. The directors spoke of the need to provide learning opportunities for librarians and staff members in order to keep up with the fast pace of change in librarianship and the educational arena. Funding was by far the most significant challenge, but all libraries in the study made training a priority. The results of this research provided insight about high-impact practices in library-related strategic planning and organizational learning and identified areas in need of additional research