Date of Conferral

8-13-2025

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Business Administration

Advisor

Michelle Preiksaiti

Abstract

Public and private libraries in the Midwestern United States are experiencing a significant staff shortage, a problem that concerns community members, library directors, and policymakers. Staff shortages hinder access of community members to essential library services, including literacy programs, informational support, job application assistance, research assistance, and safety during community crises. This qualitative, pragmatic inquiry study explored effective strategies successful library leaders used to attract and retain qualified employees. Grounded in Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory, this study explored successful retention practices applied by six purposively sampled library managers and directors in the Midwestern United States. Data included interview transcripts and a review of the American Library Association (ALA) website. The reflexive thematic analysis was conducted on the semistructured interview data, resulting in three important themes: (a) developing strategic alliances with professional associations such as the ALA to create recruitment pipelines; (b) providing encompassing compensation plans, such as a tiered retirement plan and tuition reimbursement; and (c) incorporating technology to improve efficiency in operation and employee satisfaction. A key recommendation is that library directors should devote at least 3% of the yearly budget to ALA training programs. The implications for positive social change include the potential for library administrators and policy makers to implement effective recruitment and retention strategies, thereby stabilizing library services to their vulnerable and underserved communities.

Download

Share

 
COinS