Universities in Transition: Are Library Directors Facing Changed Demands?

This chapter focuses on the current re-organization trend among universities in Sweden and other countries. It is also related to the author's ongoing thesis on the contribution of library directors to the information society in different countries. The demands and the pressure on universities to increase their efficiency are highlighted as a driving force. In the academic world, several conferences call for discussions about the role and function of universities, with titles such as “Higher Education: Against all Greater Inequality?”, in Finland, “Nordic Model in Times of Crisis: What Is at Stake?”, in Norway and “Universities in Transition”, in Italy. Obviously, there are demands for reforms. These demands can also be seen as connected to needs for reforms in management in universities with an academic culture. This is an interesting phenomenon, a question of diverse aspects: cultural change in leadership styles resulting from re-organization, and the role of support functions of course as a part of resources of a university. Libraries are often included among support functions, but not necessarily. In this chapter I will propose conceivable implications of re-organization on the changing roles of and qualifications required of library directors. The New Public Management (NPM) movement is used as a theoretical framework of understanding. Even the question of visions and values is mentioned in relation to the idea of breaking with tradition. Some experiences from Sweden, Norway, and Finland are described as done by Almqvist in Sweden, Temmes in Finland, and Frølich in Norway. The idea of reform is central in this context and the term NPM is used to describe the movement. Central themes for NPM are competition exposure and the market, management by contract and internal control and decentralization/management by objectives. In this chapter NPM is discussed from the point of view of management and the use of common resources.