Essential Leadership Skills for Health Sciences Information Professionals

Selected as a 2025 Doody’s Core Title

Effective leadership and management are essential to a successful, thriving health sciences library, yet often librarians are promoted into leadership roles with little to no training and support. Then, swamped with the demands of their new positions, they struggle to find time to read multiple books on a leadership topic or attend long (and expensive) leadership training programs. Essential Leadership Skills for Health Sciences Information Professionals is intended to help fill that gap by making the accumulated wisdom of experienced leaders available in a concise, easy-to-digest format.
Each chapter is written by an experienced library leader and provides essential background and practical, actionable advice on eleven essential leadership topics: the health sciences library environment; building relationships and engaging stakeholders; setting direction; building and leading the team; engaging your staff; leading with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion; planning and managing projects; managing change; decision-making and problem-solving; crisis leadership; and managing and taking care of yourself. Busy leaders and aspiring leaders can learn essential information about a leadership topic quickly, then explore cited and recommended resources as needed to build deeper expertise. While examples are focused on the unique needs and environments of health sciences libraries, much of the material will be useful to leaders in all types of libraries.
Today’s libraries must navigate challenging and rapidly changing environments and compete for talent in a tight and highly competitive labor market. Effective and compassionate leadership is essential for libraries—and the people who work in them—to thrive in these conditions. Essential Leadership Skills for Health Sciences Information Professionals is designed to help aspiring, new, and experienced leaders develop the skills to build and sustain healthy, innovative, flexible, and resilient organizations and work environments that create value for their employees and the populations they serve.

Janet Crum is Director of Health Sciences Library at the University of Arizona. She has held leadership and management positions in academic and health sciences libraries, including Oregon Health & Science University, Northern Arizona University, and City of Hope National Medical Center, leading library teams through many challenges, crises, and changes. She holds a BA in English from the University of the Pacific and an MLS from the University of Washington.

Annabelle V. Nuñez is the Associate Director at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Library. She has been a library administrator for over six years and previously held a management position for a non-profit arts organization for close to a decade. She holds a BFA in Education and an MA, both from the University of Arizona.