Interim Pastoral Skills as a Resource for Library Leadership Transitions

Abstract

David E. Cox, a veteran pastoral minister specializing in interim ministry and who is now a library leader, and Carisse M. Berryhill, a library science professor, explore how skills used by interim pastors can be applied by interim leaders or new directors to successfully lead libraries making the transition to new leadership. Cox recommends using a system-based strategy that moves through five steps: coming to terms with history, discovering a new identity, allowing for needed leadership change, reaffirming community with stakeholders, and commitment to new directions in programs and services.