More than 60% of librarians currently employed will reach retirement age by 2020. There are not enough MLS graduates entering the field to take their place. Moreover, many graduates and current professionals continue to leave the profession for better pay and/or benefits in other information industries.

Gallup identifies Learning, Training and Development (LT&D) as related to three out of the top twelve concerns of high quality employees. This Discussion assumes that Libraries will need high quality support staff to "shoulder the load" as the retirements ensue. In order to attract and retain high quality support staff, attention must be paid toward initiating quality LT&D efforts.

The objectives of this discussion are:

• To lay out the current literature on effective LT&D practices both in libraries and in other industries;
• To identify best practices of American Libraries;
• To explore upcoming challenges and solutions regarding LT&D and the preparation of support staff for inevitable restructuring.

The participant will gain from this discussion:

• A focused and thorough look at the advantages and disadvantages of LT&D in American Libraries;
• One alternative to combining best practices with the creation of a LT&D program;
• An opportunity to think and respond to the issues above.

The research and writing for this presentation is the result of this author's Literature research and Field research for his Master's Thesis. The working title is: "Practicum: creating a LT&D program for DePaul University Libraries."