NextGen: The "Bridge" Generation

By Rachel Singer Gordon -- Library Journal, 11/15/2005

I am a generation X librarian. While prevailing stereotypes make many of us reluctant to assume that GenX label (no, I am not a slacker, and, no, I am not especially cynical), I take pride in my generation's accomplishments and professional potential.

After a flurry of professional interest in Generation X a few years back, the next generation of librarians, dubbed the Millennials, have now moved into the spotlight, leaving some of us in our 30s caught in the middle, nestled between boomer and Millennial colleagues, between long-term librarians and their younger customers, and between traditional librarianship and technology.

“In the middle,” however, can be an interesting, if at times unsettling, niche, full of possibilities. GenX librarians who recognize this potential are well positioned to take their place as movers and shakers in this profession.

Earlier this year, I surveyed a number of NextGen librarians—and GenXers had a lot to say about their evolving role in the profession. Both new grads who had come to librarianship as a second profession and mid-career librarians with a decade or more under their belt tended to see themselves as essential in helping to build connections between boomer and Millennial colleagues.

“I feel somewhat like a 'bridge' librarian—somewhere between NextGen and traditional,” says Nancy Renfro (director, Watauga Regional Library Center, Johnson City, TN). “I have enough of the old to know where traditional librarians are coming from and enough of the new to understand where things are going.” This ability to bridge categories helps GenXers build solidly on our professional foundations while also forming our institutions' technological future.

“I think I successfully bridge two aspects of librarianship,” explains Jennifer Lutzky (librarian, Brawerman Elementary School of Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Los Angeles), “the traditional deep love for books and literature and helping people find what they need, and the younger generation's ability to use new technologies to adapt those characteristics to current needs.”

“I feel as if I straddle both 'old,' or traditional, librarianship,” added another MLS student in her early 30s. “I used card catalogs until college and newer technologies and theories. I've worked on the web for years and feel comfortable with and enjoy all the new ways of communicating.”

GenXers also said they shared professional values with their baby boomer colleagues. “While my age indicates that I am a 'next-generation librarian' and I identify myself as a GenXer, I feel like I share a lot of the same values that all librarians have in choosing this profession,” noted one librarian. “I value public service and doing good in my community. That was my impetus for becoming a librarian.”

At a succession planning talk I gave last year, one of the audience members went on a mini-rant about the lack of a work ethic among her GenX staff and said she “just can't talk to them.” This unfortunate communication gap likely contributes to her inability to get the best out of her GenX workers, but I also couldn't help thinking, if she cannot bring herself to talk to, or tap into the talents of, GenX staff who are ten to 15 years younger, how will she deal with an influx of Millennial librarians? Long-term library managers who fail to connect with GenXers as a bridge generation fail in their responsibility to the future of their institutions.

Most GenXers are eager for increased responsibilities and the chance to take leadership roles in their facilities but also retain respect for institutional memory and practices. “Libraries are in an interesting spot right now,” notes Michelle Budt-Caulk (electronic services librarian, St. Charles Public Library, IL). “Baby boomers haven't retired yet, but GenXers are looking for their positions to be open. A big vacuum in middle- and upper-management will be created when they do retire. For self-preservation, NextGen librarians need to ask their administration if they've set up succession planning and ways to transfer the knowledge of baby boomers when they do retire. NextGen librarians will improve libraries when baby boomers are gone, but we need their knowledge of the organizations!”

Those asking what Generation X will need to lead should look at what GenXers are already doing. We are already directing our institutions from the middle, building bridges, forming connections. What we need are more examples of true leadership from the top, mentors who are willing to pass along institutional memory and to help us grow, to nurture these important relationships, and to recognize our contributions.