Late-Career Librarians

This chapter looks at the final phase of a librarian’s career, the late career. Currently, the librarians in this phase are mostly from the Baby Boom Generation. These librarians have not been retiring as early as was initially predicted, choosing instead to stay in their careers longer than the generations before them. As libraries place a greater emphasis on youth, senior librarians may find it difficult to stay involved with work that they find both challenging and interesting. Also explored in this chapter are issues related to the late career, including succession planning, retirement, and professional development.