Leveraging our assets: the academic library and campus leadership

In the competition for resources, academic libraries possess more assets than they know. These include a still central role in access to published academic knowledge; a cadre of professionals experienced in managing change and in developing assessment instruments that match resources with outcomes; an ethos and record of success in collaborative projects; and significant development potential and successes. These assets can be leveraged to enhance funding as well as the role of librarians in campus leadership. The author, a library director for more than a decade, bases his observations in part on a 16‐month appointment as interim assistant vice‐chancellor for administration at a mid‐sized public university.