The face of librarianship is changing. By 2014, the number of librarians projected to reach age 65 and retire is more than 23,000. The replacement workforce is unlikely to be sufficiently experienced to fill the gap. However, residency programs have the potential to provide solutions for the upcoming recruitment and training challenges.
The effective training of individuals in the new wave of library professionals who will replace those of the outgoing “baby boomer” generation is essential to the future success of libraries. Residency programs will undoubtedly serve as the backbone of this transition process.
The New Graduate Experience: Post-MLS Residency Programs and Early Career Librarianship is a much-needed text that will complement the limited, existing publications on library residency programs, serving to complete the record of residency program activity over a series of successive decades, management strategies from program coordinators at different institutions, and first-hand accounts of residents. This book includes the contributions of authors from a diverse group of ARL libraries, including early career librarians who describe their experiences in library school and joining the professional workplace, and program coordinators who detail how they implemented and managed their programs. Information on nursing residency programs is also included, providing different conceptual models for accelerated development of new librarians.
