I have this huge mess of a post that I am trying to wrangle into something manageable, so I decided to set that aside and wear my naysayer hat for a bit. I don’t know if it’s something in the air, but I keep reading things that I disagree with this week. So, the post of the day is about “Where are all the Library Jobs?” from the June 15th Edition of Library Journal by Christen Orbanus.
The article opens thusly:
When I first began applying to library schools, I heard rumors about all these great jobs that would be open to new students after graduation. For some time now there has been talk of a surge of retirements in the profession and how more librarians are urgently needed.
I don’t even know where to start. The author “heard rumors” about a shortage of librarians, and plunked down thousands (possibly tens of thousands) of dollars for a degree? Did she even look at the jobs posted first? I had a few stars in my eyes when I started in library school too, but a quick look around told me job prospects weren’t quite as rosy as I had hoped. Still, they seemed decent, especially compared to other careers I had considered. Even if a student is promised lots of job offers by a recruitment officer, one always has to consider the source- after all, these people are paid to get you to enroll.
The author of this article isn’t willing to relocate (despite being in a horrendously over saturated market) and (as of this writing) hasn’t even graduated yet. One can hardly say she’s that hard up. Maybe the cover letter that she shoehorned into the middle of the article worked, though- just a few short weeks after this article was published, Christen posts on her blog that she has, in fact, found a new job! Maybe there’s hope for us yet.
I have a soon to graduate library friend who is in a similar position of looking for – and not finding – a job. A few months of looking for a job, and panic starts to set in. It’s only natural- looking for a job is one of the most stressful things you can do, and looking for a library job is extra hard, because it’s not like there’s a library on every corner. The best advice I can give is: unsubscribe from NEWLIB (if you haven’t already), keep your hopes up, remember that you are awesome (you know who you are, and I really mean it) and remember that lots of people have it lots worse. You could be looking for a job as an English Professor.
(This is perhaps my snarkiest post to date. I tried and tried to say it a little nicer, but it needed a little edge. I can’t help but feel like I should apologize….)
I don’t think your position is snarky – obviously anyone going into any field should do their research and know what to expect. I agree that this author seems to have been totally starry-eyed and bought the ALA and library school line on recruitment hook, line and sinker. Yes, they are businesses looking out for a financial bottom line.
The only reason I follow discussions on newlib and nexgen is that they do provide an alternative perspective for the people in the profession who usually go unheard – specifically, those who (due to whatever personality disorders or intellectual limitations or whatever) just can’t seem to find a job. In a field where the party line is that there’s an abundance of work out there, I think it’s important to be aware there’s another side to the story. There’s a great disconnect between those established in the profession who think we’re facing a crisis-level shortage of librarians and those entering the field who are perplexed at the lack of entry-level jobs. Well-researched articles such as Holt & Strock’s “Entry Level Gap” (http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA527965.html) are probably more pertinent than the anecdotal stuff on the discussion lists, but still, I think we all need to work to counteract this disconnect. There are two nearly opposite perspectives, and then there’s reality.
Karen,
I graduated from library school in December of 2004 and it took me 6 months to find a job in a small cow-town that paid nothing and drove me to insanity. I quit that job after six months for quality of life reasons.
After that, it has taken me two years to finally land a part-time librarian position that also pays little and offers no benifits. I’ve decided to wash my hands of the librarian job market and to go back to school for my PhD. \
Good luck, you’ll need it.
Nope, still not worried. :)
Pingback: nirak.net - Musings of an LIS Student » More on Library Job Stuff
Wow! I just came across this. haha. Tell me how you really feel. But seriously… to clear a couple of things up… first of all, I was totally willing to relocate. I actually went on interviews in Ohio and in Colorado. I really wanted the job in Ohio, but it didn’t work out.
Maybe you all are right and I was totally star-eyed, but I swear that I saw tons of jobs that would have been perfect for me… until 6 months before I got ready to graduate. Suddenly there was nothing. The county I lived in went on a hiring freeze and the county next to mine (the biggest in NJ) stopped hiring! I freaked out! And I know I’m not the only person who was freaking.
Sorry you didn’t like the article…
It wasn’t that I didn’t like the article, I just thought it added to a panic that may not be necessary. I don’t think ALA should be telling people there are tons of jobs out there, but I think sometimes that people are going too far in the other direction too- things aren’t as good or as dire as people make it out to be.
However, I know that that kind of dichotomy is what sells papers/magazines/journals, etc, so I guess I can understand it. Like most things, the truth lies somewhere in between.
I know what you mean about seeing lots of jobs advertised- I’m a year away from graduating, and I’m seeing TONS of jobs I would die for. I have a feeling they’ll dry up before I graduate, and I fully anticipate I’ll have to wait to find my dream job.
Maybe it all comes down to expectations- having looked into a lot of other careers, I know that most are hard to break into (unless you want to be a nurse.) So I know there will be a certain amount of time job searching, and I’m anticipating and planning for it. It’s not that I don’t think I’ll get a job, I just think it might take a while. (Course, ask me again a few months after graduation, and I may be eating my words.)
Sorry if I seemed overly critical- you were kind of a scapegoat, the last in a long line of articles I read. I’m glad you found a job!
Karin,
Christen posted her first hand experience. I would think someone in your position would want to learn from what others are going through, but you are more interested in criticizing her.
You haven’t even been through the job seeking process, while Christen has. Maybe it will be easy for you, or maybe you’ll be in the very same position Christen found herself in. I wouldn’t be so quick to judge before going through it yourself.
Just because I have not gone through the job search process as a librarian, doesn’t mean I have not gone through it (I didn’t have a straight HS-Undergrad-Grad path). I have spent agonizing months scouring want ads looking for a job that paid a living wage. I’ve spent months getting countless rejections. I know the game – which is maybe why I’m a bit more realistic when it comes to looking for a job. I expect the process to take a long time. It will in just about any profession (again, excepting many medical professions) including librarianship.
My main argument with Christen’s original article was that she based her job search based on rumors- which is never a good way to go. There have been rumors of a surge in retirements in just about every employment sector- surges which aren’t happening, and don’t look likely to happen any time soon (my guess is that people can’t afford to retire.)
I am grateful to people like Christen, though. It’s hard to put yourself out there, and share your frustrations with the world. It’s reminded me that I need to work extra hard before I’m out of school to build up a seller resume, because I’m up against very intelligent people- and we’re competing for a limited amount of jobs.