In this case, the story from UM made the librarian in me feel apprehensive… at least initially. As I thought about it further, Courant seems to have a good background for running an academic library. It’s not like UM arrogantly hired someone who knew nothing about (and who cared little for) academic librarianship and all that it entails. By its very nature, librarianship attracts those who have a catholic range of interests, and who can see things from a broader perspective (as Courant seems to do). Why can’t someone who has such sensibilities lead a library, regardless of degree? As long as they understand and appreciate the role of libraries, there should be few problems.

Of course, to anyone who wants to keep librarianship in the family, the most ambitious members of our profession need to study the stories of people like Courant. That way, in case the judicious choosing of non-librarians to run academic libraries degenatres into a widespread fad, we can prevent grossly unqualified candidates from stepping into library leadership roles.