When I was in graduate school in 2009, most professors believed that a great wave of retirements, in every facet of the field, were imminent. They were not incorrect, from my perspective, but their timing was wrong: only since 2021 has the staff and leadership of libraries and archives started to turn over at unprecedented rates. The quick pace continues today. In one small example, 25% my small Agency is retiring between this October and the end of the calendar year. I'm not sure if the fields of conservation and "GLAM" more widely are affected in the same way, but I have a feeling they might. Plus, here's another related trend I've noticed: it is increasingly difficult to recruit people to volunteer for leadership board positions - it being hardest, and rather dire actually, for smaller institutions in rural communities.
In any industry, transitions of staff, leadership, and board members are important to prepare for ("succession planning"). In our GLAM fields more specifically (that is, among stewards of collections and arts organizations), there can be some serious negative outcomes when a transition is unexpected or sudden. There can be major gaps in collections management knowledge, or practice, specific to that institution, that may be related to proper preservation, storage, and perhaps most importantly, records management.
The corporate world seems ok at succession planning, but even there it is hard. Our fields, even less so. Better understanding of the issues at play generally and with specific regard to cultural institutions is important, and developing custom tools that can more effectively and systematically support knowledge transfers and leadership development in the field are welcome. That's why I've been grateful to be a part of an Advisory group to the Conservation Center in Philadelphia (CCAHA) and Lyrasis, funded Federally by IMLS, to do exactly that.
At this stage of the project, they ask for wide input to inform the project. If you have the time (approx 15mins) please fill out their online survey at https://form.jotform.com/232546568737065. The survey closes Monday, October 2nd at 5pm ET.
Collections Management staff at libraries, archives, museums, and other collecting institutions as well as Arts Administrators and Operations Managers within the arts field are encouraged to respond. (So please feel free to forward this invitation!) All responses are kept confidential.
A more formal announcement is attached.
Best regards,
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Evan Knight
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