Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Why Don’T Library Science Students Want To Become Managers?, Robert P. Holley

School of Information Sciences Faculty Research Publications

Very few students who have taken Wayne State University's required management course from me have any interest in library careers in management. Some are even more firm in their decision after taking the course though most graduates will have management responsibilities in their first library position and some will manage a small library. I polled current students and recent graduates about this reluctance. The sixteen responses considered the following possible causes: personality traits, a preference for traditional library activities, a dislike of managerial responsibilities, prior management experience, and salary. Additional, more systematic research is needed to test this hypothesis.