Great Expectations? Developing a profile of the 21st century library and information student: a Queensland University of Technology case study

The library and information profession in Australia, and indeed throughout the world, is rapidly aging. In the United States it was recently predicted that, by 2017, some 68 percent of today’s librarians will have retired (Lynch, 2002). The demographics of library and information professionals in Australia mirrors this situation, where 52 percent of qualified librarians are over the age of 45, compared with 34 percent across all other occupations. Only 19 percent of librarians are under the age of 35, compared with 42 percent across all occupations (ABS, 2003). The issues associated with an aging workforce include the need for effective succession planning and the development of new leaders.