Panel Session I: Who Leads Next? A European Conversation on Succession Planning in Academic Libraries
Date: Wednesday, 1 July 2026, 16:00-17:00
Room: R2
Moderator: Anja Smit, Dutch National Centre of Expertise and Repository for Research Data (DANS), The Netherlands
Speakers:
- Isabelle Eula, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Jeannette Frey, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
- Marie Fuselier, University of Geneva, Switzerland
- Randi Halveg Iversby, University of Oslo, Norway
- Julien Roche, University of Lille, Lille, France
- Frank Scholze, German National Library, Germany
- Anja Smit, Dutch National Centre of Expertise and Repository for Research Data (DANS), The Netherlands
Leadership succession planning is a critical aspect of organizational sustainability, especially in academic libraries where the transition of leadership can influence the library’s future direction and impact service continuity, institutional knowledge and employee engagement.
Many libraries currently observe a generational shift as leadership transitions are becoming increasingly frequent due to retirements or career advancement. Despite the efforts and importance of preparing future leaders, formalized succession planning may vary from institution to institution, potentially leading to instability, disruption or missed opportunities for professional growth.
This panel – composed of seasoned library directors across the European landscape – will examine challenges faced in implementing effective succession planning in their context and explore participants’ perspectives to identify opportunities for improvement.
The panel will
- investigate the state of leadership succession planning in selected academic libraries
- identify the challenges in succession planning, including institutional, cultural, structural, and resource-related obstacles;
- share perspectives on succession planning best practices and their views on how to address these challenges;
- propose recommendations for strengthening leadership succession in academic libraries.
To set the stage for discussion, each panelist will briefly introduce his/her institutional context, highlighting specific challenges, practices, or structural conditions relevant to succession planning. It will be followed by a moderated World Café–style discussion during which participants will rotate through 5 to 6 small thematic groups (e.g., organizational culture, human resources, governance mechanisms, leadership development, etc..). Each panelist will facilitate one group and synthesize the perspectives and insights shared by participants. All participants will be invited to reconvene in a plenary session to conclude the discussions.
Learning outcomes.
At the end of the panel, participants will be able to:
- Compare institutional approaches and best practices in leadership development and succession planning across selected European academic libraries
- Identify key challenges affecting succession planning in academic libraries
- Apply shared insights to define or refine institutional succession-planning approaches and help shape actionable, collaborative recommendations across European libraries.
Panel Session I: Who Leads Next? A European Conversation on Succession Planning in Academic Libraries
Date: Wednesday, 1 July 2026, 16:00-17:00
Room: R2
Moderator: Anja Smit, Dutch National Centre of Expertise and Repository for Research Data (DANS), The Netherlands
Speakers:
- Isabelle Eula, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Jeannette Frey, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
- Marie Fuselier, University of Geneva, Switzerland
- Randi Halveg Iversby, University of Oslo, Norway
- Julien Roche, University of Lille, Lille, France
- Frank Scholze, German National Library, Germany
- Anja Smit, Dutch National Centre of Expertise and Repository for Research Data (DANS), The Netherlands
Leadership succession planning is a critical aspect of organizational sustainability, especially in academic libraries where the transition of leadership can influence the library’s future direction and impact service continuity, institutional knowledge and employee engagement.
Many libraries currently observe a generational shift as leadership transitions are becoming increasingly frequent due to retirements or career advancement. Despite the efforts and importance of preparing future leaders, formalized succession planning may vary from institution to institution, potentially leading to instability, disruption or missed opportunities for professional growth.
This panel – composed of seasoned library directors across the European landscape – will examine challenges faced in implementing effective succession planning in their context and explore participants’ perspectives to identify opportunities for improvement.
The panel will
- investigate the state of leadership succession planning in selected academic libraries
- identify the challenges in succession planning, including institutional, cultural, structural, and resource-related obstacles;
- share perspectives on succession planning best practices and their views on how to address these challenges;
- propose recommendations for strengthening leadership succession in academic libraries.
To set the stage for discussion, each panelist will briefly introduce his/her institutional context, highlighting specific challenges, practices, or structural conditions relevant to succession planning. It will be followed by a moderated World Café–style discussion during which participants will rotate through 5 to 6 small thematic groups (e.g., organizational culture, human resources, governance mechanisms, leadership development, etc..). Each panelist will facilitate one group and synthesize the perspectives and insights shared by participants. All participants will be invited to reconvene in a plenary session to conclude the discussions.
Learning outcomes.
At the end of the panel, participants will be able to:
- Compare institutional approaches and best practices in leadership development and succession planning across selected European academic libraries
- Identify key challenges affecting succession planning in academic libraries
- Apply shared insights to define or refine institutional succession-planning approaches and help shape actionable, collaborative recommendations across European libraries.