Any librarians out there?

[sallysmom]

Hi, I'm a newly layed off (since Jan 09) publishing professional and am faced with the reality of overcoming the fact that there just aren't any jobs out there for me now and maybe not for some time.
I'm toying with the idea of going back to school (if I can get the funding somehow) for a Master's in Library Science. I've always loved my local library and I'm thinking that perhaps there might be a future in this area for me.
Any advice out there from current librarians? Do you think funding will continue to support this vital part of every community? Or am I "jumping on the bandwagon" too late for it to do me any good, considering a degree is at least 2 years away for me?

TIA for all your feedback.

 

[splashmtnfan]

But wishing you much luck. I am looking for a new job for the Fall myself nd it is not an easy task.

 

[sallysmom]

and good luck to you, too.

 

[horseshowmom]

Hi, I'm a newly layed off (since Jan 09) publishing professional and am faced with the reality of overcoming the fact that there just aren't any jobs out there for me now and maybe not for some time.
I'm toying with the idea of going back to school (if I can get the funding somehow) for a Master's in Library Science. I've always loved my local library and I'm thinking that perhaps there might be a future in this area for me.
Any advice out there from current librarians? Do you think funding will continue to support this vital part of every community? Or am I "jumping on the bandwagon" too late for it to do me any good, considering a degree is at least 2 years away for me?

TIA for all your feedback.

I am finishing my first year as a librarian (after more than 20 years in the field of education), and it is absolutely the best job I have ever held (and I've done everything from the classroom to the central office)!

What is your bachelor's degree? In my case, I was able to add a school library certification to my degree (but in my state, you have to have a valid teaching license first). Of course, I am a school librarian (as opposed to a public librarian). Other states may have other options.

There is a severe shortage of librarians right now, and the economy is actually making libraries even more popular (books, videos, computers, children's programming, etc.). Does that necessarily mean the funding will be there? I can't say that for sure. I do know that libraries serve much larger audiences than just those who wish to check out a book (although they're great too! ).

 

[librarygal]

I am a librarian. I would say the job market is not good now. Public libraries are laying people off or have hiring freezes. It might be better in two years or could be worse. The thing about librarian jobs is that they are quite specialized. There is a big difference between a children's librarian and a special librarian at an engineering firm.

I would suggest signing up for the NEWLIB discussion list to get a feel for what the market is like.

http://www.lahacal.org/newlib

 

[MaumeeMom]

I have worked in the area but was downsized a few years ago and decided to stay home with the kids. I agree, the job market is not great right now. Many of the University libraries are making cuts or have hiring freezes going on at the moment. The public libraries are in trouble as well. In our area, the library is primarily funded by property taxes and with values going down, and people not making their payments, funds are down. No one goes into the field to get rich, you really have to love working with people and information. You may want to start out by volunteering locally before you rush into a career change.

Good luck.

 

[Pigeon]

I'm an academic librarian. I think a lot of it depends on where you live. Bigger cities employ more professionals. In more rural areas, you may only have one librarian who is the library director, and this person may not even be full time. If you live near a library school and aren't mobile, it's going to be hard to get your first job no matter what. OTOH, there are many states that don't have any library schools and it's much easier to get a job.

Right now the market for all jobs is tight, librarians included. But I don't think it will stay that way forever.

When you say "funding" for library school, you're not talking about grant funding, are you? I've never heard of anybody being funded that way through library school unless they are underrepresented minorities, and even that's rare.

 

[harleyquinn]

I think job availability varies WIDELY by state.

The librarian shortage thing is total BS in Ohio...yes they are retiring like crazy, but the positions just are not being filled. If your state is a big supporter AND so are your local communities--you'll have a much easier time finding a job.

Ohio has the best funded libraries in the country, but we're having major problems right now. There are jobs, but they are few.

The chance of you getting a job as a librarian with a MLIS at your local library are probably slim to nil. Many people think it should be easy to walk right in and get a job ( I have no idea why), but especially in union environments, it can be very difficult. I started out as a page when I was working on my undergrad degree and got lucky that a position opened only a couple of months after I got my MLIS.

Enough with the negatives--I LOVE my job. It is totally the best thing I've ever done. I'm a children's librarian, so I get to do storytime and fun programs...it's so rewarding to help a reluctant reader find books they can't wait to read.

I would do everything I could to find a job in a library now. Do not wait til you have your master's.

Oh and my favorite advice to would-be librarians--talk to your local librarians!!! We love to talk about our career. Ask them how the job market is. Ask them how many people working at the branch are MLIS librarians (mine is only the managers). Talk to the youngest staff member in children's or at the reference desk--they're usually the ones tapped in.

 

[yoopermom]

I earned my MLS back in the late 80s, and was a school librarian until MI decided to HACK all the school libraries to death with a large machete I miss it with all my heart, there is no better job in the world I would NOT recommend getting a degree in it right now, though, since both school and public libraries are taking a huge hit due to the economy. Our poor public library director gets hit with cuts left and right year after year, so it's not just schools. In our area you're more apt to get hired in as a parapro and learn on the job (unfortunately for not too much $$), than as someone with their MLS.

There's LOTS of librarians on these boards, I'm sure you'll hear from the rest! We're a fun bunch

Terri

 

[NotUrsula]

I'm with Harley -- not a good market right now. We're a pink-collar ghetto, and tend to be one of the first places to get cut when taxes run short.

I don't know who it is who has been spreading all that rot about librarian shortages, but so far as I know, the ONLY three places where the market has been any better than lukewarm since the late 90's are DC, NYC, and metro Los Angeles, and only because of the large number of government and corporate libraries in those areas. Right now all bets are off even there. Take a look at the LISjobs.com website if you don't believe me. In the keyword search box, type in just a period, as that will show you every listing in the database. Right now, that entire list is only two screens long, and several of the jobs on it don't even require an MLIS.

The $64K question is: Are you willing to relocate? Outside of the two cities I've mentioned, willingness to relocate is just about the only way that you will be able to pursue career advancement, because the ladder for us tends to be a lateral one. I've been in the same city for 20 years now because I married an attorney when I was 2 years out of my MLIS, and my career has been totally scattershot. Right now I'm a special librarian, but I've also worked for a systems vendor and been a public library branch manager in that time. My original specialty was rare book cataloging (I even went to Rare Book school), but today I spend most of my time negotiating electronic access contracts.

Speaking of that, one question. You didn't by chance work for one of the big scientific publishers, did you? THAT would make you attractive as an academic acquisitions librarian; university libraries are hungry for people who are privy to the inside workings of the publishers who form the scientific publishing oligarchy. It would definitely give you a leg up on the competition.

If you want to try libraries, I'd do my best to get a library associate position now. Internal hiring is very common outside of academic circles, and depending on the library, they may pay you to pick up the MLIS.

 

[horseshowmom]

I don't know who it is who has been spreading all that rot about librarian shortages, but so far as I know, the ONLY three places where the market has been any better than lukewarm since the late 90's are DC, NYC, and metro Los Angeles, and only because of the large number of government and corporate libraries in those areas. Right now all bets are off even there.

As I said in my post, I am a school librarian which is a different situation than a public librarian. When I said there is a shortage, I meant in my state (which is one reason I got the job I have now). I can't speak for anywhere else. The last time I looked on our database (a month or so ago), there were several school librarian openings.

 

[NotUrsula]

I think if you have a real school librarian shortage in your area, then your area is unusual, quite frankly. (In this state, though, most of the school librarians don't have the MLIS; they mostly have a BS in Education with a Media certificate; to get certified you have to pass the Media Specialist Praxis, but not get a Master's, and most don't, unless it is an M.Ed.)

About 18 years ago ALA and all of the library schools starting talking about how there was going to be this huge nationwide shortage when the older boomer librarians started retiring, and they ramped up recruiting. Problem is, the nationwide shortage of librarians never materialized. Librarians just are not retiring as expected, or if they are, hiring freezes are holding those jobs open. Every time I go to ALA Annual the discussion comes up over lunches and dinners, and every person I talk to says that in her experience, openings are few and the shortage is mythical.
(I think that the changes in the way that we provide services have a lot to do with it, too -- Libraries hire a lot of non-librarians these days to be system managers, webmasters, metadata managers and such. Reference is not as labor-intensive as it used to be, and a lot of Tech Services functions are being outsourced.)

I got laid off from my vendor job 4 years ago (along with 12 other people, luckily I was the only librarian in the group), and I found a new job 3 months later. I interviewed for all 3 of the professional openings that were available in my metro area over that period. (And that's a metro area with 2.5 million people in it.) Three openings in a single quarter is a lot for this area; normally it's a banner hiring year if we get one MLIS opening per quarter. Several of my friends who subsequently left that company have taken paraprofessional jobs, because that was all they could find.

 

[horseshowmom]

I think if you have a real school librarian shortage in your area, then your area is unusual, quite frankly. (In this state, though, most of the school librarians don't have the MLIS; they mostly have a BS in Education with a Media certificate; to get certified you have to pass the Media Specialist Praxis, but not get a Master's, and most don't, unless it is an M.Ed.)

Correct, that's what I indicated about myself in post #4.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

Well, let me tell you about my library ....!

I am a children's librarian, in a urbanish affulent area near New York City (lots of wall street money around here). My job is "one hour below full-time" with no benefits. Full-time librarians at my library are well-paid - we have 4 who make over $80,000 a year, and they are just librarians, not administraters. Like previous posters said, no one is retiring - many on our staff have been here forever and have no plans to retire anytime soon. We have someone who is 78 and still working full-time.

I am somewhat pessimistic about the future of libraries. Like others said, I see a future of paraprofessionals and temp/part-timer workers.

My coworkers, though, are mired in the ways of the past - they fully believe they will always receive their salaries and very generous benefits, and they can never be fired for any reason. The town will always take care of them since "they were promised". The unions will always protect them. There is no connection in their minds between reduced tax revenues and their jobs - they think they are untouchable since "they were promised". Budget cuts have to come from somewhere else, since the staff was promised everything and nothing can ever change. They could be in for a rude awakening someday.

Sad thing is, these librarians I work with will ride the gravy train to the very end, and the future will be very different for younger librarians like me. The director already said that no more full-time people can be hired if/when anyone retires. Positions will be attritioned away, or benefitless temps or part-timers will be hired to replace anyone (the current level of benefits absolutely suck the library dry). So the future is not so bright here - I expect my entire career will be temp and part-time jobs strung together, as has been my whole career so far. The full-time liveable wage with great benefits will become a thing of the past.

Well, that being said, I actually do make more money as a librarian than in my two prior careers (computer consultant & nursery school teacher), so no regrets at all. I actually do see jobs listed on NJLA and other library system websites, though most jobs listed are part-time, but at least libraries are hiring here even in this economy. But I am not sure if I would recommend it as a career to someone who really needs a liveable wage.

 

[can84]

Hi, I'm a newly layed off (since Jan 09) publishing professional and am faced with the reality of overcoming the fact that there just aren't any jobs out there for me now and maybe not for some time.
I'm toying with the idea of going back to school (if I can get the funding somehow) for a Master's in Library Science. I've always loved my local library and I'm thinking that perhaps there might be a future in this area for me.
Any advice out there from current librarians? Do you think funding will continue to support this vital part of every community? Or am I "jumping on the bandwagon" too late for it to do me any good, considering a degree is at least 2 years away for me?

TIA for all your feedback.

Well, I'm not a librarian yet--but I am finishing my MLS in August I have to say I have loved almost all the classes I've taken and have learned so much, and my classmates have been fantastic. BUT--I am worried about the market and getting a job when I'm done. I know there are jobs out there, but it seems like there are so many people applying for them. There are also so many areas, that what you think you may like in the beginning may change to something else entirely. Also, the MLS is good if you want to try and get into Archives (which is where I'm doing my internship), and even some museums want the degree too. Sorry this is so long Good luck with what you decide!

 

[can84]

My original specialty was rare book cataloging (I even went to Rare Book school), but today I spend most of my time negotiating electronic access contracts.

Wow--I would love to take a class (or 3) at RBS! How was it?

 

[MaumeeMom]

PARTIAL

My coworkers, though, are mired in the ways of the past - they fully believe they will always receive their salaries and very generous benefits, and they can never be fired for any reason. The town will always take care of them since "they were promised". The unions will always protect them. There is no connection in their minds between reduced tax revenues and their jobs - they think they are untouchable since "they were promised". Budget cuts have to come from somewhere else, since the staff was promised everything and nothing can ever change. They could be in for a rude awakening someday.

That sounds just like what the auto-workers around here have gone through. They had it really good for a long time and thought that nothing could go wrong but now the rug has been pulled out from under them and plants are shutting down.

Lay-offs are hurting people everywhere, anyone who thinks that they are indispensable is wrong. Downsizing is happening in every field, and when the boomer librarians do finally retire/pass on, those jobs will be filled in different ways.

Sorry, I sound like such a pessimist. No matter what field you choose, you need to do work you love. Life is too short to work at a job you don't enjoy. This is something I've found - not one of my librarian friends does the work for the money - they do it because it is their passion.

 

[NotUrsula]

Wow--I would love to take a class (or 3) at RBS! How was it?

Hard, but fun. I miss rare books. I had to go pick something up for a client at WU yesterday. It was a confusingly-numbered old German serial title, so they let me into the locked stacks to figure out which volume I really needed. I passed a lot of in-process rare items on the way in, and I actually got a little nostalgic over the smell of red-rot.

PS: *No* librarian does it for the money unless he or she is delusional.
It has taken me 22 years to break $50K. (However, as the OP is coming from publishing, library pay shouldn't come as too much of a shock.)

 

[HugsForEeyore]

That sounds just like what the auto-workers around here have gone through. They had it really good for a long time and thought that nothing could go wrong but now the rug has been pulled out from under them and plants are shutting down.

Lay-offs are hurting people everywhere, anyone who thinks that they are indispensable is wrong. Downsizing is happening in every field, and when the boomer librarians do finally retire/pass on, those jobs will be filled in different ways.

Sorry, I sound like such a pessimist. No matter what field you choose, you need to do work you love. Life is too short to work at a job you don't enjoy. This is something I've found - not one of my librarian friends does the work for the money - they do it because it is their passion.

I always compare our union (we have CWA) to the auto workers, and see what happened there. My coworkers really think nothing will change for THEM forever. I think they assume all us part-timers (like me) and temps will get the ax first, so they are always safe. Probably true, though.

Even worse, at my library we have librarians who "do nothing" literally (surf the net, make personal calls all day, gab, etc). And some others are as nasty to patrons as they can be (to make them go away), since our librarians get paid the same whether people come to the library or not! (I'm sure we all seen "mean" librarians in action). All this gives our staff a bad reputation in town - depressed me to see this, since if/when decreased tax revenue hits the library, I don't think the town will rush to our rescue. This entitled unprofessional behavior will ruin everything down the line for the rest of us.

Yeah, I am not too optimistic for the future of the profession either! I am currently looking for another part-time job to add to my current part-time job, to make ends meet better.

 

[sallysmom]

Thanks for all the incredible and honest feedback. My computer servers been down for a few days -- UGH! Otherwise, i would have responded sooner.

In answer to some of the questions, I have a BA in Mass Communications. No teaching degree, which means I can't go in the school system libraries. I am in Long Island, which makes NYC reachable for me and a bigger job market.

I've spent the last 20 years marketing children's books and I'm just trying to find some way to stay around. Working in a bookstore doesn't pay more than unemployment at this point so I'm still exploring my options.

thanks again to all and I'll continue to scour for opportunities. Who knows, I might event find a job I LIKE! HA!