THE BLACK BAR · ebook and print edition available November 1, 2026
← Back to Research & Publications

Peer-reviewed article · Open access

Studying hybrid role reform in academic libraries: A conceptual-methodological framework and an illustrative comparative qualitative design

A conceptual-methodological framework and an illustrative comparative qualitative design for examining how hybrid policies reshape role expectations, job control, symbolic visibility, and workload equity in academic libraries.

Version of RecordCC BY 4.0DOI 10.1016/j.acalib.2026.103332

Free, immediate download. No registration required.

Official abstract (English)

Hybrid work has become a durable organizational condition in academic libraries, yet the academic-library literature still lacks designs that can show how formal hybrid arrangements are translated into everyday role expectations, job control, symbolic visibility, and workload inequity. This conceptual-methodological article develops a framework and one illustrative comparative qualitative design for studying hybrid role reform in academic libraries; it does not report empirical findings. Using Role Theory and the job demands-resources tradition as the analytic backbone, treating telepressure, technostress, symbolic visibility, and invisible labor as sensitizing mechanisms, and using intersectionality as a comparative lens, the article argues that one useful next empirical step is a multi-site comparative qualitative study. It clarifies four key constructs, advances three analytical propositions, specifies three non-exhaustive focal research questions, and outlines one illustrative single-country design that combines semi-structured interviews, policy and workload documents, abductive thematic analysis, and matrix-based cross-case comparison. An illustrative worked example shows how apparently similar hybrid policies can imply very different degrees of control, legitimacy, and workload equity. The article offers a bounded and implementable basis for future empirical inquiry into role strain, burnout risk, accommodation, retention, and service sustainability across public, technical, digital, and managerial academic-library work.

Suggested citation

De Prosperis, M. (2026). Studying hybrid role reform in academic libraries: A conceptual-methodological framework and an illustrative comparative qualitative design. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 52(5), Article 103332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2026.103332

Academic affiliations are provided for identification purposes. The views presented on this website are those of the author.