| PurposeThe purpose of the phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions and lived experiences of selected veteran academic librarians who experienced dramatic periods of change in librarianship over the past three decades, which were largely influenced by technology.;Methods Moustakas's (1994) qualitative transcendental phenomenological research method was used to examine the emotional memories of five veteran academic librarians through their lived experiences in the 20th century academic library. Individual interviews were conducted with the five veteran academic librarians who met specified selection criteria. Interviews were recorded and transcribed with consent. Data were analyzed using a phenomenological reduction process.;Findings Data analysis resulted in three major themes, wherein several corresponding subthemes also emerged. The three themes and the constructed meanings were: (a) shifts in role of the academic library organization (i.e., academic libraries reconceive and reconstruct the ways in which they support faculty and students in research and education); (b) shifts in the role of the academic librarian (i.e., the 21st century academic librarian must possess combined research and technology skills); and (c) emotional memories of the veteran academic librarian (i.e., what do the selected veteran academic librarians for this study recall from their 30 plus years career as an academic librarian?). Implications and recommendations for practice and future research are discussed.;KEY WORDS: Academic librarian, Academic libraries, Emotional memories, Organizational identity, Affective events theory, Library transformation. |
