NextGen: Generational Journeys

The more I pay attention to issues affecting next-generation librarians, the more I feel trapped in some endless and unsolvable logic problem. It tends to run in circles along these lines: If many new librarians are frustrated by bureaucracy, a tight job market, and lack of opportunity, and if many younger librarians are frustrated by bureaucracy, a tight job market, and lack of opportunity, then which of the following is true?

A) Most young librarians are new librarians

B) Some new librarians are young librarians

C) Many new librarians who are not young librarians will feel that discussion of NextGen issues is ageist

D) Certain young librarians who are not new librarians will feel that discussion of NextGen issues discounts their experiences

E) Some odd mixture including elements of each of the above

When discussing NextGen concerns, we face common problems in talking about any difference. These include the perception that pointing out differences is exclusionary; the misunderstanding that talking about the issues facing NextGens means those issues are exclusive to that group; and the problem that our interaction with individuals tends to shape our ideas about an entire group. Unfortunately, these miscues can cause us to shut down before really hearing what our colleagues are saying.

Younger librarians are by definition mainly new to the profession. This means that they do face some of the same issues as new grads for whom librarianship is a second or third profession. NextGens do, though, tend to share age-related commonalities in outlook and experience that are not necessarily common to all new librarians but do affect their reactions to these issues and connection to the profession. NextGens also face unique problems, including stereotypes about GenX and GenY that may color managers' willingness to hire, promote, and mentor them.

I recently gave a talk about succession planning and generational issues to a group of managers, most of whom realized the need to retain and engage their staff. One audience member, though, seemed incensed at the thought of paying any attention to generational concerns, apparently owing to the "lack of respect" and "lack of work ethic" among her GenX employees. It became clear that, somewhere along the line, she had lost the ability, or will, to connect with her younger staff. What likely started as a communication gap resulted in frustration for her and a lack of motivation among her employees, catching them all up in a destructive and self-perpetuating cycle.

These communication gaps are more likely to spring up when we try to pretend that generational differences do not exist. They do, and when we suppress concerns and ignore differences in communication style and outlook, we end up reinforcing the very negative stereotypes we try to avoid by taking an age-blind approach.

Jenny Levine, "The Shifted Librarian," pointed recently to a blog post about a three-year-old who has grown up with TiVo and has no concept of TV schedules (www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2004/12/our_replaytv_ho.html). When wanting to watch a favorite cartoon at a TiVo-less house, she has to be told that the TV is "broken." I think about this in contrast to my rushing home after school each day to watch Gilligan's Island reruns and my mother's memories of clustering with her family for weekly shows around their first black-and-white set.

My father has lived and worked in the same town for the past 50 years, I have changed addresses five times in the past ten—and it is too soon to tell where my son will end up. None of my grandparents' friends were divorced; half of my friends' parents are divorced; most of my peers are just now taking the plunge into marriage and parenthood.

I am a sample of one, but my life events mirror those of many of my peers. From technological advances to geographic mobility to shifting relationships, each generation shares a certain frame of reference. Our formative years shape our present. They affect our relationship with technology, with popular culture. They impact how we approach our profession. When we take the time to think about where people of other generations are coming from, we can start bridging those communication gaps, so that we can work together and learn from each other.

When we are managing the TiVo generation in 25 or 30 years, we can take a lesson from our lives now, understanding that difference is interesting and that everyone's ideas contribute to a relevant institution and profession. Our work with both good and bad bosses shape our ideas of the managers we want to be; our flexibility and openness to change help propel the profession forward, now and in the future.