By now, if you know any librarians you've also probably seen the CNBC article about the "10 Least Stressful Jobs" in which librarian is ranked #9. While I actually kind of agreed with the job description they laid out: "Your job is to help people use services as best as possible," I disagree (surprise, surprise!) that the most stressful thing a librarian faces is "teenagers with a paper due tomorrow and you don't have the books. It's really not your stress." As any good librarian would, I take issue with this description on several accounts.
1. I would posit that rather than work stress coming from patrons with last minute research requests, most of the stress a librarian feels is in having so much to do and so little time. Depending on the particulars of the position, librarians are planning semi-weekly if not daily programming for groups of children and/or adults, often planning said programs while sitting at a reference desk fielding seemingly endless random questions on demand as needed from a long line of patrons, working to manage a tight budget while meeting the needs of the community, fending off weird/annoying patrons and dealing with patrons who can't seem to follow policies about cell phone usage, internet usage, printing, reserving study rooms, etc., working with mentally ill and not-always-all-there seniors patrons who demand a lot of attention, and, yes, working to find materials for students who come in with ultra, mega, super important requests for school assignments at the last minute.
2. Anyone who has been in a library in the past ten years wouldn't worry about the library not having "the books" needed for patron requests. There are these things called databases and the internet. Almost anything you need can be found there. And librarians can teach patrons how to use them best!
3. I feel like somehow the work of teachers and librarians is continually misunderstood, and I'm not sure why. People seem to think that teachers assign busy work to their students and put their feet up and read the paper from 9am-3pm and then quickly rush home at the end of the school day, with nothing work-related to do all evening. They also think that librarians sit in the library and read with occasion interruptions to help someone find a book, shelve books and/or check out books. Neither of these is true. And we all know that neither of them are true because we all went to school and received back graded papers and had teachers who stayed after school or came in early to tutor, help catch up absent students, go over a test, coach, chaperone, advise a club, etc. and we all went to the school and public library as children and benefited from story time, information literacy lessons, book talks, research assistance, etc. So how is it that people don't understand what teachers and librarians do?
The LibrariYAn is an Amazon Associate. If you click from links on this blog to Amazon and buy something (anything!), I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.
Showing posts with label librarianship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label librarianship. Show all posts
Monday, January 7, 2013
Friday, November 30, 2012
A Search Engine With a Heart
A few weeks ago there was this image going around the interwebs...
Isn't it awesome?!?!
Here's what's even more awesome: artist Sarah McIntyre has made her images available for download as a COLOR POSTER for FREE!
Totally amazing. I printed one and hung it in my office for daily inspiration.
The LibrariYAn is an Amazon Associate. If you click from links on this blog to Amazon and buy something (anything!), I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.
Here's what's even more awesome: artist Sarah McIntyre has made her images available for download as a COLOR POSTER for FREE!
Totally amazing. I printed one and hung it in my office for daily inspiration.
 |
| Happiness is a workspace that energizes you! |
Monday, September 27, 2010
Private Companies Running Public Libraries
The newest fad in libraries isn't e-books, it's turning over the reins to private for-profit companies. It's not widespread, but it's catching on. As the New York Times reports, L.S.S.I. (Library Systems & Services - not sure where the I comes from) has taken over struggling libraries in communities across the country, with the goal of cutting costs and increasing efficiency.
Cutting costs and increasing efficiency? That sounds great! But how does it work, and how does a company turn a profit from a free public library? For starters, L.S.S.I establishes a contract with the library's governing body. Since the whole idea is to save money, we can assume that however much that contracted amount is, it's less than the preexisting library budget. We can further assume that L.S.S.I. takes their cut right off the top, and divides the remaining funds for staff salaries and benefits, furnishings, collection development, etc., which means less money for those important expenditures.
One of the cost savings highlighted in the article is cleaning house on the library's current staff and hiring new staff (or sometimes the old staff) who will work for less money and less benefits. Frank A. Pezzanite, the company's chief executive, espouses the belief that library employees work for "35 years and never have to do anything" before settling into a nicely pensioned retirement. By getting rid of longtime dedicated employees, L.S.S.I. makes way for less experienced staff who will accept lower salaries and fewer benefits.
So here are my issues:
1. I resent the accusation that library employees, as a group, do not work hard at their jobs. Just as I resent accusations that teachers, police, etc. don't work hard at their jobs. In every workplace there are some that work tirelessly and some that do not. Go-getters tend to climb the ranks and advance in their careers. Those who don't work, tend to get fired. Sometimes, yes, they sneak by, but that's no different from one place of employment to the next. Every workplace has "that guy" that is never on-task.
2. Wiping the slate clean and cutting salaries and benefits will save a bunch of money upfront, but that only works at the beginning. Those new employees, if they stick around, will continue earn more a little bit more each year, and thus cost the library more to keep, so costs here will go up each year.
3. Less money in the budget means fewer books on the shelves, diminished quality in the selection of materials and outdated materials.
4. The last quote in the article "We volunteer more than ever now." (from a library patron) makes me think that perhaps another way they're cutting costs is by not having enough staff to support library services. Library volunteers are great and any library that has them is lucky, but they aren't a substitute to trained professionals.
5. I just don't see what L.S.S.I. can do for a library that a well-trained library director or consultant can't, unless it's really all about cutting costs by getting rid of union employees who "cost too much." By having the library run by a private company, all union guaranteed benefits (salary, pension, etc.) are no longer available to employees. And that saves money, yes, but it seems like the wrong way to go about it - taking money and benefits from your employees only to give most of it to a private company, just for getting rid of the union?
6. I fear that there MUST be some other way this company is turning a profit. Do they have proprietary software that you sign on to use as well? Do they sell your patron records? What's the secret?
Note: I am NOT an employee at a public library. I am not even an employee at a public school library. I work for a private school, do not receive a pension, and am not a member of any union.
The LibrariYAn is an Amazon Associate. If you click from links on this blog to Amazon and buy something (anything!), I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.
Cutting costs and increasing efficiency? That sounds great! But how does it work, and how does a company turn a profit from a free public library? For starters, L.S.S.I establishes a contract with the library's governing body. Since the whole idea is to save money, we can assume that however much that contracted amount is, it's less than the preexisting library budget. We can further assume that L.S.S.I. takes their cut right off the top, and divides the remaining funds for staff salaries and benefits, furnishings, collection development, etc., which means less money for those important expenditures.
One of the cost savings highlighted in the article is cleaning house on the library's current staff and hiring new staff (or sometimes the old staff) who will work for less money and less benefits. Frank A. Pezzanite, the company's chief executive, espouses the belief that library employees work for "35 years and never have to do anything" before settling into a nicely pensioned retirement. By getting rid of longtime dedicated employees, L.S.S.I. makes way for less experienced staff who will accept lower salaries and fewer benefits.
So here are my issues:
1. I resent the accusation that library employees, as a group, do not work hard at their jobs. Just as I resent accusations that teachers, police, etc. don't work hard at their jobs. In every workplace there are some that work tirelessly and some that do not. Go-getters tend to climb the ranks and advance in their careers. Those who don't work, tend to get fired. Sometimes, yes, they sneak by, but that's no different from one place of employment to the next. Every workplace has "that guy" that is never on-task.
2. Wiping the slate clean and cutting salaries and benefits will save a bunch of money upfront, but that only works at the beginning. Those new employees, if they stick around, will continue earn more a little bit more each year, and thus cost the library more to keep, so costs here will go up each year.
3. Less money in the budget means fewer books on the shelves, diminished quality in the selection of materials and outdated materials.
4. The last quote in the article "We volunteer more than ever now." (from a library patron) makes me think that perhaps another way they're cutting costs is by not having enough staff to support library services. Library volunteers are great and any library that has them is lucky, but they aren't a substitute to trained professionals.
5. I just don't see what L.S.S.I. can do for a library that a well-trained library director or consultant can't, unless it's really all about cutting costs by getting rid of union employees who "cost too much." By having the library run by a private company, all union guaranteed benefits (salary, pension, etc.) are no longer available to employees. And that saves money, yes, but it seems like the wrong way to go about it - taking money and benefits from your employees only to give most of it to a private company, just for getting rid of the union?
6. I fear that there MUST be some other way this company is turning a profit. Do they have proprietary software that you sign on to use as well? Do they sell your patron records? What's the secret?
Note: I am NOT an employee at a public library. I am not even an employee at a public school library. I work for a private school, do not receive a pension, and am not a member of any union.
The LibrariYAn is an Amazon Associate. If you click from links on this blog to Amazon and buy something (anything!), I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
On Becoming a Librarian Serving Teens and Tweens
From time to time I receive emails, comments, and questions from folks who are considering a career as a school or young adult librarian. They ask for recommendations on courses to take, books/articles to read and what it takes to be a LibrariYAn*. In response, I've put together my words of wisdom below. If you're one of those interested in becoming an awesome librarian, read on to find out how. If you already ARE an awesome librarian, add your two cents!
1. Get to Class!
Most libraries require their librarians to have a Master of (Information and) Library Science degree. When I first started classes, friends (intelligent ones with their own professional degrees) asked things like, "So you go to school for two years just to learn the Dewey Decimal system?" I, of course, told them with a straight face, "Yes. It's a very complex system." But seriously, there's so much more to the degree. In my program, I took classes on materials for children and young adults, where we read books, looked at the evolution of materials available for young people, discussed related hot button issues (think LGBT characters and "banned" books), and considered the plethora of media available for young people (table top games, video games, movies, music, etc.). There were also classes on cataloging materials, organizing information, providing reference services and how people search for information (the answer to this: not in a very sensible or organized way - that's why we have librarians!).
2. Get a Job!
If you're considering becoming a librarian, it might be a good idea to spend some time in a library before you take the leap and spend all that cash on the degree. Look into becoming a Library Assistant or Circulation Assistant. If you've already begun taking classes, many libraries will hire you as a Librarian, once you've completed 15 credits. I had a terrific experience working as a Reference/Young Adult Librarian at the library in my hometown. Since I was taking classes while working I found that each week, as I learned more in class, I became a better, more knowledgeable librarian for my patrons. I taught classes on Excel, chaperoned teen programming and answered lots of random reference questions. It was a great opportunity to put what I was learning into action at work and then bring questions, thoughts, and ideas back to my professors and classmates at school. I also took a turn volunteering as an intern at a high school library. In this role I got to do things like weed a collection, assist with purchasing/collection development, hand-key records for new materials into the database and create and deliver lessons on the research process.
3. Get Reading (Watching, Listening, Playing)!
Especially if you want to work with children and/or teens, you MUST have a sense for the materials available. There are thousands upon thousands of books to read, games to play, movies to watch, and songs to hear. Start yourself off with something that you find interesting. Several years ago, when I was getting a Master's degree in Teaching and working part-time at the children's department in Barnes & Noble, I just decided one day to pick up a little book called Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson. It was a slow day, and the cover looked interesting. As a teen, I hadn't really spent too much time reading young adult fiction, skipping instead to V.C. Andrews
and Agatha Christie
. The language and characters in Speak drew me in, and I was hooked. Before long, I was reading Louise Rennison
and J.K. Rowling
. By no means have I read everything out there. I keep meaning to read Angela Johnson's The First Part Last
, and Rick Riordan's Lightning Thief
series, but it just hasn't happened yet. Heck, I only hesitantly picked up science fiction a few years ago when I had to read Scott Westerfeld's Uglies
for a class assignment. And afterward, I kicked myself for being so closed-minded about what I would enjoy. When it came time to watch High School Musical
, compete in a Wii Rock Band
tournament, or listen to Lady Gaga
, I knew it was in my best professional interest to do so.
4. Get Connected!
No librarian is an island. We need each other to be better at our jobs. I may be the only staff person in my library most of the time, but my subscriptions to School Library Journal, Horn Book, VOYA, and Booklinks are invaluable tools that keep me up-to-date on new releases, technology and programming ideas. I also spend a lot of time tending to my professional development by attending conferences like BEA and ALA Annual. Back when I was in NJ, I was also fortunate enough to have met many other YA librarians through my involvement with the NJLA-YA Services Section. I also keep an eye out for FREE professional development opportunities, like SLJ and ALA webinars. And what blog post would be complete without me recommending that you check out librarian blogs? Bookshelves of Doom, The YA YA YAs, and GreenBeanTeenQueen are among my favorites (though I have MANY more).
And that's all I have to say about that.
* There can be only one. That job is taken by me, but luckily, I love talking about myself, so you can learn a lot about what I do here at this blog, and then emulate!
1. Get to Class!
Most libraries require their librarians to have a Master of (Information and) Library Science degree. When I first started classes, friends (intelligent ones with their own professional degrees) asked things like, "So you go to school for two years just to learn the Dewey Decimal system?" I, of course, told them with a straight face, "Yes. It's a very complex system." But seriously, there's so much more to the degree. In my program, I took classes on materials for children and young adults, where we read books, looked at the evolution of materials available for young people, discussed related hot button issues (think LGBT characters and "banned" books), and considered the plethora of media available for young people (table top games, video games, movies, music, etc.). There were also classes on cataloging materials, organizing information, providing reference services and how people search for information (the answer to this: not in a very sensible or organized way - that's why we have librarians!).
2. Get a Job!
If you're considering becoming a librarian, it might be a good idea to spend some time in a library before you take the leap and spend all that cash on the degree. Look into becoming a Library Assistant or Circulation Assistant. If you've already begun taking classes, many libraries will hire you as a Librarian, once you've completed 15 credits. I had a terrific experience working as a Reference/Young Adult Librarian at the library in my hometown. Since I was taking classes while working I found that each week, as I learned more in class, I became a better, more knowledgeable librarian for my patrons. I taught classes on Excel, chaperoned teen programming and answered lots of random reference questions. It was a great opportunity to put what I was learning into action at work and then bring questions, thoughts, and ideas back to my professors and classmates at school. I also took a turn volunteering as an intern at a high school library. In this role I got to do things like weed a collection, assist with purchasing/collection development, hand-key records for new materials into the database and create and deliver lessons on the research process.
3. Get Reading (Watching, Listening, Playing)!
Especially if you want to work with children and/or teens, you MUST have a sense for the materials available. There are thousands upon thousands of books to read, games to play, movies to watch, and songs to hear. Start yourself off with something that you find interesting. Several years ago, when I was getting a Master's degree in Teaching and working part-time at the children's department in Barnes & Noble, I just decided one day to pick up a little book called Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson. It was a slow day, and the cover looked interesting. As a teen, I hadn't really spent too much time reading young adult fiction, skipping instead to V.C. Andrews and Agatha Christie. The language and characters in Speak drew me in, and I was hooked. Before long, I was reading Louise Rennison and J.K. Rowling. By no means have I read everything out there. I keep meaning to read Angela Johnson's The First Part Last, and Rick Riordan's Lightning Thief series, but it just hasn't happened yet. Heck, I only hesitantly picked up science fiction a few years ago when I had to read Scott Westerfeld's Uglies for a class assignment. And afterward, I kicked myself for being so closed-minded about what I would enjoy. When it came time to watch High School Musical, compete in a Wii Rock Band tournament, or listen to Lady Gaga, I knew it was in my best professional interest to do so.4. Get Connected!
No librarian is an island. We need each other to be better at our jobs. I may be the only staff person in my library most of the time, but my subscriptions to School Library Journal, Horn Book, VOYA, and Booklinks are invaluable tools that keep me up-to-date on new releases, technology and programming ideas. I also spend a lot of time tending to my professional development by attending conferences like BEA and ALA Annual. Back when I was in NJ, I was also fortunate enough to have met many other YA librarians through my involvement with the NJLA-YA Services Section. I also keep an eye out for FREE professional development opportunities, like SLJ and ALA webinars. And what blog post would be complete without me recommending that you check out librarian blogs? Bookshelves of Doom, The YA YA YAs, and GreenBeanTeenQueen are among my favorites (though I have MANY more).
And that's all I have to say about that.
* There can be only one. That job is taken by me, but luckily, I love talking about myself, so you can learn a lot about what I do here at this blog, and then emulate!
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