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When the author began his career as a school librarian, he took time to live with the collection and the school library the way it was inherited, with systems that were already in place. And during that first year, he observed. That period of observation and living with things as they were allowed him to start innovating and problem-solving from an informed position. It was a time that allowed him to see what glitches in the existing systems arose, and it was a time to plot--with intention--how to solve those problems, how to make the library more user-friendly and more accessible. This article shares those problems and solutions to help others create a better space for librarians and their patrons, or perhaps invites librarians to intentionally observe and seek out problems and solutions in their school library.

The Missouri State University Libraries Access Services implemented an evidence-based process to move many books and shelves. That process included measuring the collection, performing quality control checks, creating a plan, and defining regular waypoints to keep the shift from deviating from the plan. This article describes the move, the ideas behind it, and the spreadsheet that provided evidence to make informed decisions.

It is essential school librarians understand and demonstrate how they impact the school culture, implement school and district goals, and form positive relationships within the school community. However, some school librarians have difficulty understanding the connection between advocacy, leadership, and acting in a leadership role. As a result, there is a decline in the number of school library positions around the country (Lance and Kachel 2021). Anita Cellucci and Pamela Harland believe if administrators understood the school librarian's roles and responsibilities and school librarians were meeting administrators' needs then there would be fewer positions eliminated. This article details the results of a research study that examined an American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Town Hall video recording with members of the AASL School Leader Collaborate. It examines the relationship between administrators' priorities for school librarians and their grasp of the AASL Standards. The article also outlines how school librarians can build strong relationships with their administrators.

What is the future of urban school libraries? The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) "National School Library Standards" offer a framework for school librarians to reflect on how they can tailor their professional practice to serve their specific school communities. Through the lens of the standards, school librarians can refine their focus, identify how interrelated Shared Foundations point to possible strategies, and identify shifts in practice to better serve the particular needs of the learners and educators in their buildings. This article offers information for framing an urban school library with the "National School Library Standards"

The modern school library is a complex social setting "grounded in standards and best practice" (AASL 2018). The new "National School Library Standards" have refreshed the student learning standards and aligned new Shared Foundations to the school library. Additionally, the competencies for learners are now complemented by competencies of effective school librarians. To be effective, school librarians must be aware of classroom pedagogy and possess a thoughtful disposition about their practice. Professional competence challenges school librarians to continuously monitor and self-assess while being receptive to professional growth. Ideally, school librarians are self-reflective. This reflective stance toward practice allows librarians to model the self-reflection process for learners and impact practice for greater student improvement. This articles presents how school librarians reimagine, reflect, and react with the new standards.

Teacher and librarian collaboration is a main theme in school librarianship, education research, and professional literature. Now, within the American Association of School Librarians' "National School Library Standards," collaboration is one of the six Shared Foundations on which the standards are based. Improving collaboration in schools, and particularly collaboration between teachers and the school librarian, is of benefit to students both directly and indirectly, and helps improve student academic achievement. Developing trust is the first step toward building effective working relationships with colleagues. Librarians must build and maintain trust with the members of the school community, including parents, students, administrators, and teachers. This article discusses the following steps school librarians can take to help build or maintain trust among their colleagues: (1) Communicate effectively and consistently; (2) Build awareness of each other's knowledge base, and set boundaries to determine who knows what; and (3) Fulfill promises, and be careful about making commitments.

During COVID-19, academic library employees pivoted to predominantly remote work. Associate deans, associate university librarians, and equivalent managers at the top 50 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions were interviewed about benefits, challenges, pre-pandemic norms, necessary conditions, and the future of flexible work arrangements (FWAs). The findings suggest that successful FWAs require adequate technology and effective managerial communication and depend on the types of positions and individuals involved. Most managers believe FWAs will increase in academic libraries in the future. FWAs provide benefits for both organizations and employees and will likely have a positive impact on library space, recruitment, and retention. At the same time, careful communication and compassionate leadership are needed for successful FWAs.

Women library professionals are greatly underrepresented in key leadership positions, especially in the developing countries. This study explored the women academic library leadership in Pakistan and investigated the major challenges faced by women leaders during their ascending to the top, the key indicator of their success, as well as the community services and professional contributions made by them during the course of their careers. Qualitative research design was used and data were collected by conducting in-depth interviews of 16 senior woman library leaders in Pakistan. The findings indicated that organizational challenges, family responsibilities, and gender discrimination were the major barriers that hindered the women leaders during their career progression. The key indicators of their success were effective use of technology, professional commitment, academic contributions, community services, family support, international exposure, and continuous learning. The implications of the study highlight the various areas of improvement for women library leadership.

This is the first qualitative phenomenological study to investigate the state of leadership in Saudi libraries. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 14 library leaders or section heads in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Library leadership was found to be strongly associated with management skills, visionary thinking, teamwork, and mentorship. While almost half the participants could not differentiate between library leadership and library management, "personal attributes and skills" emerged as top assets of a library leader. Identity crises and cultural issues were identified as major challenges. Possible solutions were creating and developing user-focused services and spaces, continued professional development programs for library staff, seeking new avenues for public-private partnerships, and promoting information literacy programs. The Saudi Library and Information Association, Saudi library schools, and deanships of library affairs in Saudi universities should increase collaboration and offer more continued professional development and higher education opportunities for senior and mid-career librarians. Such steps will help to align library services with the current and ever-changing needs of library users.

The purpose of this phenomenological narrative study was to investigate the perceptions of academic librarians in Texas regarding their experiences with leadership development. The participants in the study were 10 librarians who had varying levels of library leadership experiences. Interviews were conducted face-to-face or virtually, with in-depth questions about leadership training. The interviews were analyzed to see the differences among levels of librarians and the impacts of their participation in leadership development. The findings revealed the participants' perceptions regarding library leadership development, including what they saw as the most and least necessary leadership skills, obstacles to leadership development, and impacts on their personal and professional life of such training. Possible implications of this study might influence the design of leadership programs and succession planning at university libraries.

Arizona State University (ASU) is known for both enormous size and scale, as well as excellence in research and innovation. These attributes are embodied in the ideal of the "New American University." ASU Library, as a partner in the New American University, has reorganized itself, completed a large-scale renovation of its main library building, and created interdisciplinary divisions of librarians and other professionals, backed up by subject "knowledge teams" that address specific research needs of faculty and students. As a result, the library has become involved in nontraditional projects across the university. This article is useful for libraries seeking to remain relevant and align themselves with institutional priorities.

The study was aimed to explore the problems and issues faced by the students of University of the Punjab, regarding library usage. A survey research method and random sampling technique was used to collect data from the students. The instrument consisted of twenty closed ended questions containing three factors, i.e., i) Library staff services, ii) Library resources and iii) Physical environment of the library. Sample size consisted of 225 students to which the instrument was administered. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques. The results revealed that, students showed a positive response towards factor one, and a mild dis satisfactory response towards factor two and a satisfactory response towards factor three. Various recommendations were given to improve the library services, resources, and physical facilities.

The joint-use library is a place where people of all ages, interests, and income levels can find items of interest at no personal cost. The mission of A. H. Meadows Public and High School Library in Midlothian, Texas, is to offer what other public libraries provide: educational and entertainment resources to a community. Yet, the staff also wants the library to be seen as an effective school library that enhances the high school curriculum and helps improve student achievement. This article shares examples of how this joint-use library has partnered with the nine school libraries in Midlothian and addresses proposed guidelines for combined school/public libraries.

The evolving demand for workforce skills has often been a topic of discussion at various professional library and information science (LIS) conferences and in the academic literature. Although LIS schools tend to highlight the goal of preparing future members of the LIS profession to be effective leaders, a management and leadership curriculum gap still exists worldwide. Most LIS schools are still falling short when it comes to offering advanced management courses on a regular basis as identified in international studies. Consequently, this lack of adequate management education and training in LIS schools tends to contribute to the development of "accidental managers." A review of the online program and course descriptions of the 58 American Library Association (ALA) accredited graduate schools demonstrates the current landscape of LIS education in relation to the demand for leadership and management skills and the increasing significance of these competencies for information professionals. This research also shows how regular interaction and engagement with the LIS professional community resulted in the development of an online advanced certificate program in management for information professionals. Although this study primarily reviewed LIS schools in the U.S. and Canada, it has wider implications given the need for advanced management courses expressed in the literature worldwide. It is vitally important for LIS schools to bridge the existing gaps in LIS education in order to meet professional demands for leadership and management skills, and this paper demonstrates one way in which LIS schools can accomplish this.

Licensure examination performance of graduates is one measure of the effectiveness of curricular programs. This study analyzed the five-year performance of 159 BLIS graduates in the Librarians' Licensure Examination in from 2011 to 2015. Findings reveal that the passing the graduates' passing rates were statistically consistent in the five-year duration. The average passing rate was moderately high at 57.89%, but the mean general rating was only 73.23%. The general ratings had a slightly platykurtic, negatively skewed distribution. Overall, the institutional passing rate surpassed the national passing rate by 45.12%. Passing rates were highest in Information Technology, Indexing and Abstracting, and Library Organization and Management. Lower passing rates were posted in Selection and Acquisition of Library Materials, and in Cataloguing and Classification. The first timers, and the review center attendees, outperformed their respective counterparts, while the male and female examinees were statistically even. The first timers scored better than the repeaters in five areas, save cataloguing and classification. Meanwhile the male examinees and the center-reviewers were better than their counterparts on only one area - Library Organization and Management, and Selection and Acquisition of Library Materials, respectively. Recommendations as to the result of this study were proposed.

For decades, declines in library reference use have been inextricably tied to technological improvements. This article asserts that reference staffing models may be a significant predictor of a decline in reference questions. Using two years of data, collected from a large public university, the researchers determined user preferences among five staffing models: (1) staffed and visible reference desks, (2) on-call and visible reference desks, (3) staffed, unseen reference desks, (4) on-call, unseen reference desks, and (5) chat reference, where librarians and users "talk" to each other in real time using special software. The researchers found that library users seem to prefer staffed and visible reference desks. When staffing does not match that model, users turn to chat reference rather than on-call or unseen reference services.

Library employees face countless changes, big and small, in their workplaces every day: not only the COVID-19 pandemic but also such commonplace events as open positions, renovations, budget cuts, and new library systems. No single handbook can anticipate all the changing needs. This case study discusses how one particular library responded, in a specific time and context. The librarians and staff created a model of self-leadership in an effort to articulate a shared purpose and to establish cohesion and well-being in a group that was sometimes divided. Lessons learned include the importance of ways of thinking, rather than specific protocols, and the value of trust, listening, and transparency.

Using data for 2,717 journals and more than 9,000 acquisition opportunities, this study shows how journal prices vary by level of aggregation (single-journal subscription or full-text database), resource provider type (scholarly society, university press, other nonprofit organization, commercial publisher, or library vendor), and broad subject field. The journals acquired through commercial publishers' databases cost less than half as much as those acquired through the databases of scholarly societies, university presses, and library vendors. Across all provider types, full-text databases are more cost-effective than single-journal subscriptions. These results are more realistic than those reported in earlier investigations, since (1) unlike previous studies, this one accounts for the prices of both single-journal subscriptions and full-text journal databases; (2) this assessment is based on actual prices, including consortial and negotiated prices, rather than list prices; and (3) this investigation focuses on the journals identified by faculty as important titles for their teaching and research.

In 2015, the Research and Instructional Services Unit of Meyer Library at Missouri State University was challenged to update and rethink the current service model and space. We had been operating in a traditional reference model, including a large, walkup reference desk that was staffed primarily by faculty librarians. After reviewing the literature, it was decided that some form of reference/research service point should be kept but should be completely revamped to fit the research needs of the campus community and the changing demands on faculty librarians. Various library service models and those used in campus tutoring centers were reviewed and used to reframe our own reference service model. This paper outlines our process for researching, designing, and implementing our new space and service model, and the subsequent change in library organization, resulting in a combined desk.

Library long-term and strategic plans tend to employ top down approaches that can leave departmental staff feeling disconnected an unrepresented in the plan. In 2019, the Access Services Department at the University of Denver engaged in a long-term planning process. This process puts Access Services staff members at the center of the process. This article examines the planning process for the long-term plan including how the themes of the plan were developed, how goals were determined and set, and the path toward administrative approval. This article will focus on helping readers understand how they can undergo a similar process to develop their own plan, as opposed to the specific results at the University of Denver.

The objective of this study was to identify common communication issues that arise during the electronic resource lifecycle and identify communication strategies academic libraries are using effectively to manage electronic resources. A survey of academic librarians and staff received 240 responses and included 5-point Likert scale ratings on communication surrounding acquisitions, access, administration, support, evaluation, and renewal? at their institutions. The study found that the acquisitions, evaluation, and renewal stages of the lifecycle experienced the most issues in communication, while support had the most positive responses. This article provides further discussion on the communication mechanisms used by academic institutions across the electronic resources lifecycle.

Solo tenure-track librarians in academia must discover the key to mastering the fine art of multitasking to execute concepts of seamless user experiences. This article covers notable practices and principles of Solo tenure-track librarians in academia, specifically at the City University of New York, including overseeing a library division, satisfying provisions of the academic triad (excellence in teaching, service, and creative scholarship), and liaising various academic disciplines. Solos appointed to oversee a library division coordinate every aspect of access service (stacks maintenance, facilities management, user experience, etc.) in addition to being director. Directing a specialized library unit accompanies public-facing expectations of access and being an effective advocate and dynamic partner with all stakeholders. The purpose is to highlight the importance and value of Solo librarianship in higher education and their impactful contributions to the student body, faculty, and administrators alike. Though not intended to be exhaustive, the review of library literature serves as a practical guide to others in similar circumstances. The author's reflections introduce a deeper understanding of supportive organizational structures and the interdependence of building a collaborative team to provide intentional user-focused library services, promote literacy, and efficient operation across all service points.

The role of the student worker is expanding in academic libraries. Their unique perspectives add valuable insights to the design and delivery of library services, project development, outreach activities, and operational planning. Student-workers gain internal and external benefits from working in peer-to-peer learning environments which also inform library managers of ways to improve library operations. The peer-to-peer service model is a framework that library managers can use to facilitate peer-to-peer learning. Lessons learned in expanding the role of the student worker through a peer-to-peer service model are shared and should be considered when creating experiential and operational support for library services.

The school district library supervisor occupies a pivotal position in library and information services programs that support and enhance the instructional efforts of a school district: providing leadership; advocating for the programs; supporting, advising, and providing professional development to building-level librarians; and representing school library programs to stakeholders in the school system and the community at large. With funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Lilead Project was founded at the University of Maryland in 2011 to "study, support, and build community among school district library supervisors" (Lilead Project n.d.). To gain a better understanding of supervisors--who they are, the duties they perform, and the challenges they face--and to establish baseline data upon which further research can be built, in 2012 the project team conducted a survey of supervisors nationwide: the Lilead Survey. In this paper, which is the first of two planned reports on the results of the survey, we present findings related to the position and office of the supervisor; demographic information, qualifications, and career paths of the incumbents of the position; and changes in policies, curriculum, and resources that impact the supervisor's responsibilities for library services. Survey findings related to responsibilities and tasks assigned to the position, professional development needs of supervisors and staff, and challenges and needs that supervisors face will be presented in the second report.

J. Linda Williams was coordinator of school library services for Anne Arundel County Public Schools prior to her retirement. She served as AASL President 2005-2006 and is also a past president of the Maryland Association of School Librarians. Looking back on her 2005-2006 term as AASL President, Williams writes that she feels that particular year brought things into focus for AASL and school library programs and laid the foundation on which AASL built for the next ten years. School librarians had always faced critical issues and they often seem to be the same ones. It is slowly, very slowly if at all, that they made headway. Librarians had achieved small successes, but not nationally and not sustainably. Almost twenty years after the publication of "Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Program" (ALA 1988) and almost ten years after the second edition, "Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning" (ALA 1998), many of the same issues in addition to new ones were still on the agenda. Standards and guidelines were not widely accepted by the educational community, and the role of school librarians was often misunderstood or given no credibility. While there were critical challenges at the time, they do not seem so significant compared to some of the challenges faced today. ALA has made its presence known and forged partnerships with the other divisions, roundtables, and ALA leaders gaining their support and an understanding for ALA concerns. Williams closes by saying that to ensure that the school library remains an integral part of the educational process, school librarians must work collaboratively with teachers and administrators. She advocates school librarians continuing to take action to further stakeholders' understanding of school librarians' roles, and actively advocating for their profession within their school communities, as well as at the state and national level.

Five initiatives launched during Cyndi Phillip's term as American Association of School Librarians (AASL) President (2006-2007) continue to have an impact on school librarians ten years later. They include the rewriting of AASL's learning standards, introduction of the SKILLS Act, the presentation of the Crystal Apple Award to Scholastic Library Publishing for their first "School Libraries Work" reports, revitalizing School Library Month, and establishing the AASL Best Websites for teaching and Learning Committee. AASL is a vibrant and evolving association that works to meet the needs of its members in the present as well as into the future. Reflecting on how the above five activities from Philips' presidential year have evolved and remained relevant through the past ten years, Philips writes that she is amazed, and excited to see what the next ten years will bring.

As the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) celebrates sixty-five years in 2016 as a division of the American Library Association (ALA), it is wholly appropriate to examine the life of the organization contemplating what the future holds for school librarians. It is important to understand the past and abiding certainty and steadfast adherence to a set of guiding principles, core values, and beliefs. This adherence to core values also explains why AASL is the standard-bearer and undisputed leader in the ongoing commitment to excellence in school librarianship and school library programs. This article presents and discusses: (1) What Are Professional Core Values?; (2) Core Values of Librarianship; and (3) Roots and Pioneers.

Reaching the "leadership zone" happens when librarians tap into the extraordinary skills lying within to overcome obstacles and transform sometimes-difficult situations into meaningful outcomes. Maturing into an experienced leader who stays in the leadership zone requires knowledge, training, and practice. This article provides tactical leadership tips to assist in developing school librarians as leaders who have the mental focus to guide their school library programs through today's changing environment. The following tips are presented: (1) Stay Connected to Your National Professional Association; (2) Articulate a Library Program Vision That Defines the Future; (3) Model the Skills and Practices of Effective Management; (4) Empower Others; and (5) Sharpen Job Skills.

This paper is based on two studies conducted in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2008 and in Kampala, Uganda, in 2014. The basic research question addressed in both studies was: "What are the experiences in the lives of upper elementary-aged children that foster an intrinsic motivation to seek information?" The secondary question was: "How do the experiences of students from a collectivist culture (Kampala, Uganda) who are intrinsically motivated to seek information compare and contrast with the experiences of similarly aged students from an individualistic culture (Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.A.)?" The focus of this paper is to explore the dispositions of both sets of informants using a theoretical framework consisting of the educative dispositions of an Effective Learner--independence, creativity, self-motivation, and resilience (Bertram and Pascal 2002)--as correlated with the dispositions listed in the American Association of School Librarians' "Standards for the 21st-Century Learner" (2007). The findings were that both sets of informants exhibited an affinity for play and a tendency toward creativity, and that the Ugandan students were more inclined toward competence-building activities than their Colorado Springs counterparts, who generally exhibited noncompetitive dispositions. Furthermore, resilience was a disposition revealed by students in the Ugandan study.

Understanding motivation in the workforce is a crucial step toward creating a dynamic work environment that enriches and fulfills workers. This research stems from LIS management class discussions on the topic of motivation and highlights the need for radical shifts in management approaches to motivation in information organizations. Our analysis of 98 MLS students from four student cohorts from spring 2013 to spring 2014 shows that intrinsic motivators are far more influential than any "carrot and stick" type of approach. The findings indicate that future information leaders and managers should recognize that intrinsic factors play a bigger role in employee motivation and put more effort into creating a culture of respect, recognition, trust, and autonomy when tailoring their management strategies to tap into the emotions of their coworkers. These intrinsic motivators are more important to staff than extrinsic factors such as money. LIS educators have a role to play in developing graduate expectations within an holistic framework that furthers professional development and career advancement.

This paper examines the extent to which public librarians are successfully prepared to engage the community in digital literacy and inclusion. A qualitative, multiple case study research design was chosen, using an analysis of policy documents and existing training programs offered by the libraries together with semi-structured interviews with public librarians and library management. This was followed by an analysis of Masters in Library & Information Science programs. The majority of public librarians felt that information technology skills and transferable skills were perceived to be equally important. However most of the public librarians identified quite a few gaps between what they learned in their library program and how it translated into their working environment. They also expressed a great interest and need for additional on-going technical training and development to promote digital literacy and to become proficient in understanding the needs of the community. Gaps in MLIS programs were identified around the areas of e-Books, basic PC trouble shooting, social media and communication skills. This study concludes with several recommendations for public libraries and for MLIS programs to foster digital literacy and inclusion.

Staying ahead of the pitch: an old baseball metaphor that means to anticipate where the ball is going to go so that the batter can score a hit. But to anticipate changes in a field as robust and challenging as information sciences, reflection and contemplation are often key to good planning. With simple day-to-day management of libraries already being a full-time task, true leadership and planning often comes with a real, physical break from the workplace and daily routines. With this in mind, the leadership retreat should be employed by librarians to give themselves the luxury of deep reflection, camaraderie, and thoughtful planning in environments conducive to such work. This article outlines a simple process that can be used to run a planning retreat, at a reasonable cost, and within a modest time frame. To outline this process, a case study involving the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa Schusterman Library will be described.

Croft presents her study results that explored how district leaders can be equipped to support their school librarians in the absence of an official district school librarian supervisor. Croft offers suggestions for practice to assist school librarians in partnering with district leaders to provide the knowledge and experience district leaders need to build effective school libraries.

A paradox exists in the building and managing of digital scholarship centers in academic libraries. While imagined as collaborative library spaces, such centers often remain "siloed" or isolated from the subject specialists who work with departments to build collections, assess critical needs, and collaborate with faculty and students. In this article, the authors argue that such a silo effect contributes to a sense of separation, skepticism, and even resentment toward digital scholarship initiatives. Silos also fail to utilize the full expertise of the academic research library. Interviewing the directors of 15 digital scholarship centers in libraries, the authors assess the current ecosystem of digital scholarship and make recommendations about how to renegotiate the relationship between such centers and liaison librarians to nurture a more inclusive infrastructure.

Libraries continue to spearhead initiatives to incentivize instructors to adopt, adapt, and create open educational resources (OER). However, these programs often do not explicitly require educators to preserve the OER they create. Drawing on an analysis of semi-structured interviews with six experts, this article presents considerations for libraries interested in preserving OER and recommendations for OER librarians who are new to digital preservation. The study makes an argument for why and how libraries could begin to preserve OER. Future areas of investigation include better understanding how OER repositories preserve such resources and how consortia models can support this work.

The clock and calendar regulate many library activities, but the seasonal and temporal dimensions of libraries are largely unexplored. Intrigued by observations of colleagues' temporal attitudes and behavior, the authors drew on the work of sociologist Eviatar Zerubavel to investigate the perceptions of time, schedules, and urgency among professional library personnel. The data showed almost no statistically significant relationships between demographic categories and the employee's approach to time; however, multiple significant relationships existed between the latter and the employee's department. These findings can help academic librarians understand--and bridge--differences among themselves to build more vigorous organizations.

This paper will use circulation data to explore usage trends for physical textbooks in an academic library over a sustained period of time. Conclusions will be drawn from the analysis to determine the usefulness of aging physical textbook collections in academic libraries and inform recommendations for efficient models of lending and management.

The University of Louisville's Ekstrom Library needed to remove 260,000 items from its shelves, and shift a further 95,000 within an extremely short deadline ahead of plans to redesign its third floor into an inviting, modern, student-friendly space for patrons to enjoy. The move faced three distinct challenges: space, item tracking, and sufficient personnel to complete the project. Although the project finished ahead of schedule, things did not go as smoothly as planned. OPAC issues and lack of sufficient storage space forced the Committee to readjust plans on the fly, resulting in issues that could possibly take years to fix.

Across the sector, universities are transforming the student experience by reconceptualising the ways in which they partner with students. The academic library is at the heart of the university experience and libraries have a long history of collaboration and engaging with their communities. As such academic libraries are the perfect next frontier within which to embed the 'students-as-partners' approach. This paper proposes a broadening of partnership with students to improve the governance, operations and design of the academic library. Taking La Trobe University Library as a case study, the authors explore a series of examples in action across six domains: space transformation, library governance, service excellence, research, resource design and collection renewal. Within these domains the paper provides insights into how the relationship between the academic library and its community might be shifted to foster critical student/staff partnerships.