The university of illinois urbana-champaign and the university of illinois chicago will examine the systemic challenges facing mid-career academic librarians and convene a forum to help disrupt them

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the University of Illinois $375,108 on September 1, 2026, under the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (CFDA 45.313) to examine systemic challenges facing mid-career academic librarians and convene a forum to address them.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois Chicago will conduct a scoping review, lead focus groups, and convene an interdisciplinary forum to identify recommendations and next steps for academic libraries and professional organizations to better support mid-career librarians. The project targets challenges that emerge in mid-career, including questions about career trajectory, barriers to institutional transition, work-life balance, and the limited availability of mentoring and support resources beyond early-career stages. The project responds to prior work by the team showing current reliance on individual action and goal-setting while revealing significant demand for systemic and organizational culture change.

Performance takes place in Urbana, Illinois. The period of performance runs through August 31, 2028.

In mid-career, questions arise about career trajectory, barriers limiting transition between institutions become salient, and problems of work-life balance expand. Additionally, these librarians have advanced beyond most available mentoring and support. Previous work by the project team exposed the current reliance on individual action and goal-setting and revealed a significant interest in systemic or organizational culture. This project will respond by conducting a scoping review, leading focus groups, and convening an interdisciplinary forum to identify recommendations and next steps for academic libraries and professional organizations to better support mid-career librarians.