University of Illinois, University Library

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois Chicago will examine the systemic challenges facing mid-career academic librarians and convene a forum to help disrupt them. In mid-career, questions arise about career trajectory, barriers limiting transition between institutions become salient, and problems of work-life balance expand. Additionally, these librarians have advanced beyond most available mentoring and support. Previous work by the project team exposed the current reliance on individual action and goal-setting and revealed a significant interest in systemic or organizational culture. This project will respond by conducting a scoping review, leading focus groups, and convening an interdisciplinary forum to identify recommendations and next steps for academic libraries and professional organizations to better support mid-career librarians.