In order to validate the methodology used in the study by Jose-Marie Griffith and Donald W. King that is reported in "New Directions in Library and Information Science Education," this study examined the management competencies of middle managers in 11 large academic research libraries in the Midwest. The goals of the project were to provide a profile of the managerial competencies observed in research librarians who are acknowledged to be top performers and to suggest a competency model for academic middle managers, i.e., those in the management hierarchy above the level of supervisor and below the level of vice president. Three middle managers judged to be average in performance and three judged to be superior were interviewed at each of the 11 locations, and they were requested to narrate three positive and three negative experiences in which they had utilized management principles. A taxonomy was prepared from these narratives, using 12 subject headings (e.g., staffing, planning, organizing, communications) by which to analyze the "critical incidents" reported, and the data were analyzed to determine specific activities and attitudes that characterize the superior middle manager. These data are then compared to those gathered from academic libraries in the study by Griffith and King, who surveyed only the superior performers in selected regions, and asked for only positive experiences. It is concluded that the study reported here is a step in developing models for evaluating the work of middle managers in large academic research libraries, whereas the Griffith and King study represents one approach to developing models for evaluating the qualifications of library/information professionals for their positions in library/information organizations. One figure and 11 tables are appended. (14 references) (SD)