Academic libraries in transition: some leadership issues - a viewpoint

摘要

Purpose - Academic libraries, in general and more specifically in Africa, are at varying stages ofrndecline: they are gradually being dislodged as top "go-to" places. This paper aims to suggest thatrnleaders of academic libraries turn to the private sector to learn strategies through which this declinerncan be stopped or even reversed.rnDesign/methodology/approach - The aim of this paper is to facilitate that learning process byrnidentifying and analysing the errors or mistakes committed by leaders of other organisations,rnespecially those that were once regarded as successful. The literature that focuses on this phenomenonrnwill be scanned with a view to learning more about once successful companies that failed.rnFindings - Factors such as arrogance, complacency and denial have been identified as some of thernfactors that contributed towards their failure.rnPractical implications - The paper concludes with a discussion of this experience at the Universityrnof Pretoria and the strategies applied to prevent it from being marginalized.rnOriginality/value - The value of the paper lies in the identification and suggestion of a practicalrnmethod, which leaders of academic libraries can employ in preventing or reversing the decline of theirrnlibraries.