International Journal of Information Studies & Libraries

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

A Comparative Study of Leadership Competencies of Academic Librarians in Malaysia


Affiliations
1 BLT Solutions, Malaysia
2 Department of Library & Information Science, University of Malaya, Jalan Pantai, Malaysia
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


This study aims at examining the perception of library leaders and librarians about leadership competencies for academic library leaders and identifying the degree of differences in their perception. The study takes on a quantitative approach, involving a survey of library leaders and librarians at a Malaysian university library. Two separate questionnaires were designed based on an adaptation of the MySkillsProfile@2012 and Gorman’s Competence Inventory to examine what leadership competencies were considered to be most important among the two groups. The study found that academic librarians only possessed moderately developed leadership competencies and the frequency of leadership training courses, which are being conducted by an academic library in a year, is not adequate for them to acquire leadership competencies. The top five leadership attributes, as perceived by library leaders, showed little difference in the ranking of the competencies between the two groups. The adapted instrument developed from this study can be applied, tested and used to determine leadership training needs based on the perceived gap.

Keywords

Leadership Competencies, Academic Library, Library Leaders, Malaysia.
User
Subscription Login to verify subscription
Notifications
Font Size

  • Badia, G. (2015). Calling all academic librarians to lead!: Developing and using inside talent to stay ahead. Library Leadership & Management, 30(1), 1-9.

  • Dewey, B. I. (2005). Leadership and university libraries: Building to scale at the interface of cultures. Journal of Library Administration, 42(1), 41-50.

  • Fiels, K. M. (2015). The new ALA strategic directions: Advocacy, information policy, and professional and leadership development. American Libraries, 46(11/12), 6-7.

  • Fitsimmons, G. N. (2008). Academic library directors in the eyes of hiring administrators: A comparison of the attributes, qualifications, and competencies desired by chief academic officers with those recommended by academic library directors. In E. D.

  • Garten, D. E. Williams, J. M. Nyce, & J. Golden (Eds.), Advances in Library Administration and Organization (pp. 265-315). Bradford, EN: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

  • Garrett, W. A. (2009). Evaluation of the Skills and Qualities for a Senior Library Director (Doctoral dissertation). Available at ProQuest Dissertation and Theses database. (UMI No. 3401928).

  • Hall, R. A. (2013). Traits and training: Attributes and skills of Pennsylvania academic library managers. Pennsylvania Libraries: Research and Practice, 1(1), 10-23. doi: 10.5195/palrap.2013.12.

  • Harris-Keith, C. S. (2015). The relationship between academic library department experience and perceptions of leadership skill development relevant to academic library directorship. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 41(3), 246-263.

  • Jantti, M., & Greenhalgh, N. (2012). Leadership competencies: A reference point for development and evaluation. Library Management, 33(6/7), 421-428.

  • Jordan, M. W. (2012). Developing leadership competencies in librarians. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, 38(1), 37-46. doi: 10.1177/0340035211435074.

  • Le, B. P. (2015). Academic library leadership in the digital age. Library Management, 36(4/5), 300-314. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/LM-07-2014-0083.

  • Malaysian Qualification Agency. (2011). 2011 Rating system for Malaysian Higher Education Institutions (SETARA’11). Retrieved from http://www.mqa.gov.my/portalMQA/SETARA11/SETARA%20’11%20ADVERTORIAL%20BI.pdf.

  • My Skills Profile. (2012). Management and leadership questionnaire: Leadership assessment and development. Retrieved from http://www.myskillsprofile.com/Guides/2012%20Management%20and%20Leadership%20Questionnaire.pptx.

  • Phillips. A. L. (2014). What do we mean by library leadership?, Journal of Education in Library and Information Sciences, 55(4), 336-344.

  • Sutton, A., & Booth, A. (2014). The librarian as a leader: Development of leadership in the library and information profession. Journal of the European Association for Health and Libraries, 10(40), 15-17.

  • Weiner, S. G. (2003). Leadership of academic libraries: A literature review. Education Libraries, 26(2), 5-18.

  • Wong, G. K. W. (2017). Leadership and leadership development in academic libraries: A review. Library Management, 38(2/3), 153-166. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-09-2016-0075.


Abstract Views: 392

PDF Views: 1




  • A Comparative Study of Leadership Competencies of Academic Librarians in Malaysia

Abstract Views: 392  |  PDF Views: 1

Authors

Goh Sok Boon
BLT Solutions, Malaysia
K. Kiran
Department of Library & Information Science, University of Malaya, Jalan Pantai, Malaysia

Abstract


This study aims at examining the perception of library leaders and librarians about leadership competencies for academic library leaders and identifying the degree of differences in their perception. The study takes on a quantitative approach, involving a survey of library leaders and librarians at a Malaysian university library. Two separate questionnaires were designed based on an adaptation of the MySkillsProfile@2012 and Gorman’s Competence Inventory to examine what leadership competencies were considered to be most important among the two groups. The study found that academic librarians only possessed moderately developed leadership competencies and the frequency of leadership training courses, which are being conducted by an academic library in a year, is not adequate for them to acquire leadership competencies. The top five leadership attributes, as perceived by library leaders, showed little difference in the ranking of the competencies between the two groups. The adapted instrument developed from this study can be applied, tested and used to determine leadership training needs based on the perceived gap.

Keywords


Leadership Competencies, Academic Library, Library Leaders, Malaysia.

References