Re‐thinking positions in academic libraries

Purpose – Librarians in the twenty‐first century require different skills from their predecessors. The purpose of this paper is to examine what those skills are and how they correlate with new position descriptions. Design/methodology/approach – The paper looks at ways to analyze vacant positions so that libraries can hire the faculty and staff with the necessary skills. Findings – The paper finds that creative ways of thinking about vacant positions are necessary in the current environment and that different skills are needed in the twenty‐first century from those that might have been sought previously. Originality/value – The paper provides a way to evaluate and assess vacant positions.