Navigating the Identity Transformation: Librarians as Change Agents in the Academic Digital Landscape

Abstract

The digital era has precipitated a fundamental identity crisis within librarianship, challenging the traditional professional identity of the neutral custodian and advocating for a new paradigm of the librarian as a proactive change agent. This systematic literature review investigates this transformation, aiming to map the evolving roles and responsibilities of academic librarians, identify the barriers hindering their effectiveness, and analyze the underlying professional identity conflict. Employing a rigorous systematic review methodology, 40 peer-reviewed studies (2016-2024) from databases including Scopus, Web of Science, and LISA were selected and subjected to thematic analysis. The findings reveal a stark dissonance between an aspired identity, characterized by advocacy, digital scholarship leadership, and pedagogical partnership, as well as the enacted reality of practice, which is constrained by systemic barriers including competency gaps, chronic resource constraints, and a lack of institutional validation. Interpreted through the theoretical lens of Professional Identity Theory, these challenges are identified as symptoms of a deeper professional identity dissonance, where librarians struggle to reconcile historical norms of impartiality with new imperatives for advocacy and technology integration. The study concludes that the documented capacity gap is, at its core, an identity negotiation crisis. Therefore, bridging this gap requires moving beyond conventional solutions of training and funding to explicitly facilitate professional identity reform. This entails reimagining professional development as identity work, transforming leadership into identity champions, and reframing strategic advocacy. The findings offer crucial insights for library administrators, LIS educators, and policymakers seeking to support the profession’s successful navigation of this critical transition.