International Symposium - The Great Resignation era: attracting and retaining research library talent

 How can research libraries can attract and retain highly-skilled and talented staff within a highly-competitive and fluid employment market?

 

On 14 June, IARLA (ARL, CARL, CAUL, LIBER, RLUK) will host an international, virtual symposium to explore how, in the era of the Great Resignation and rising employee expectations, research libraries can offer a compelling and attractive career track to highly-skilled professionals, and how we can incentivise and retain our existing expertise. This will include how research libraries can navigate rising employee and candidate expectations around flexible working and the ways of mitigating the ongoing Talent Crunch.

 

Context

Research libraries sit within an international and highly competitive job market. Many of the skills we require are highly sought after in other sectors, including the information, technology, wider education, and commercial communities, which can pay a premium for skills and talent. The recent rise in employee and candidate expectations around flexible working arrangements presents an additional challenge to recruiting and retaining talent amongst research libraries, especially when other sectors are now offering highly-attractive flexible working packages in response to the Talent Crunch and skills shortages. As a consequence, research libraries can find it difficult to compete for, and then retain, highly specialist and expert staff.

 

This symposium will explore the experiences of research libraries in attracting and retaining talent. It will explore the impact and opportunities of the ‘Great Resignation’ across our community, and the subsequent ‘Great Restructure’ within our institutions. Central to its discussions will be a consideration of how research libraries can retain highly-skilled talent within such a competitive and shifting job market, and communicate a compelling and attractive career track that does not necessarily depend on ‘above market’ salaries.

 

This event is free to attend and open to all. Find out more and register here.