Thrive in an Age of Uncertainty?: Using the ADAPT Framework to Build Resilient Academic Libraries

Contemporary academic libraries face significant and well-documented challenges brought about by a multitude of factors, including the rapidly evolving information landscape, the recent COVID-19 global health crisis, the complexity of the current sociopolitical climate, ongoing economic turmoil, and the need to address heightened user expectations and remain relevant in the digital age. As complex adaptive organizations, how can academic libraries respond more resiliently to all the uncertainty and change associated with our time? One way for academic libraries to do so is to embrace, and act upon, the need for a nimbler organizational culture predicated on the ability to quickly respond to change, adapt to internal and external pressures, and continuously iterate on major organizational processes and services. This article argues that the ADAPT framework which is based on the findings of a recent survey of academic library leadership can help conceptualize these changes. This article defines the key components of the ADAPT operational model and explains how it can be used as the foundation for library practitioners to combine the principles of agile management, data-driven decision making, adaptive and participatory leadership, and strengthening partnerships with key stakeholders to enable libraries to transform their service models and ways of working.