More stuff from the past

There will likely be a whole set of posts that I'm moving from the Electric Velocipede blog to this one. I'll post them every few days instead all at once. This one was originally from March 22, 2005.

Are you, like me, going to Library School? Or are you perhaps, a working librarian? We should get together, you and I, so I can look over the classes offered at my school and see how you would think they fit into what goes on at a library. You see, Michael at Library Dust posted recently about Truth in Advertising about the ALA, library schools, and the forever coming glut of library jobs. One of the interesting things that Michael talks about is how library schools tend to create librarians in the same way that education schools create teachers. Having a wife who just received her Master’s in Education, I know exactly what he’s talking about. However, Michael wonders if this is good practice:

One difference between the two situations is significant: the market for schoolteachers is enormous compared to that for librarians (the census bureau puts the figure at 6.2 million, as against about 122 thousand librarians of all types). Obviously the greater number of teaching positions means considerably more market flexibility—there are simply more places to go, more opportunities available. An individual’s investment in library training is therefore a riskier proposition from the outset. To add to that, when the market stalls, the impact falls greatest upon those who have the least marketability—new graduates with little or no experience.

I agree. Teachers with Master’s degrees, even those with little experience, are still hireable since the teaching profession is in constant renewal. People leave the profession, move, have children, etc. And, while a ten-year teacher has skills and knowledge that a new-born graduate doesn’t have, the ten-year teacher is paid at a higher level than the new-born graduate. In the library, all the librarians (as opposed to library staff) have Master’s degrees. Hiring someone with ten years of experience as opposed to a new-born graduate isn’t about saving money as it is with teaching, it’s about bettering the library. Yes, the library won’t hire someone over-qualified for the job, or someone looking for too much money, but the library is not required to pay on a scale like a school is. Michael again:

The folks at the receiving end of this crisis occupy the lowest ranks of the industry; in point of fact, most of them occupy no rank at all, being neither student nor librarian but in a kind of limbo. The schools are done with them and the employers have no relationship: one wonders, who will be their champion?

What can a new-born librarian do to make him/herself more marketable, or as I like to say palatable, to potential employers? I wonder if something can be done on the side of the library schools. Are there practical classes for one to take that will assist one when interviewing for that library job? From the comments on Michael’s post:

There is often also a mismatch between what is taught, what the student chooses to take (known here as the “majoring in Thursday syndrome”), or thinks he or she might do, and what employers want.

Hmmm, that’s interesting. I think there’s also a mis-match in what library schools offer and what libraries want people to know. Sure, they offer a lot of classes, but the schedule is geared for people already working in a library, available any of time of day. On the other hand, let’s say you work full time. And you don’t work in a library (you’re planning on switching careers). And a class that would be beneficial is offered, oh, 9AM to noon on Wednesday. I doubt many employers would be happy with the idea of people working a half-day on Wednesdays. Well, it’s not important to me you say. If switching careers was that important I’d give up my job to take my class. That’s a nice thought, but I have bills to pay, and that gets accomplished by working where I am, not by taking an $8 an hour part-time job. Well, since you’re switching careers anyway, take the class when you decide to leave your job since you will at some point anyway. OK, so let’s say the class is offered one semester a year (I know, crazy thought) and you won’t have a chance to take it.

Is that my fault? Is it my fault that I want to keep working so that we can pay bills and set money aside for a family and a house and for grad school (I have no loans and no school debt, paying it out of pocket and going to school full-time) and be able to afford life when the time comes and I have to leave the job I currently have and then I find out that despite that it’s my last semester the class I really should take is offered next semester? There’s a class I’m supposed (ok, highly recommended) to be taking right now, but it’s during the day, during the week. My employer has told me that taking classes during the day is not an option. I understand that. They didn’t hire me because just anyone can do my job. Losing me for half a day would not be easy for them. And making up the time would be difficult for me since I am in school and much of my current outside of work time is spent on home work. No, to take classes during the day is going to take the commitment to stepping away from my job and scrimping and saving. But that’s wandered away from where I started.
How many of you out there do something different on the job from what you learned in school? How many classes did you take that you never use? Do the library programs near you offer choices that would be useful to the new librarian? I think the library schools do a great job of fleshing out an existing librarian, but for those of us switching careers it is not as strong. I don’t feel that I have much a voice in these matters.

As Michael asked, who will be my champion. Will you be my champion?

5 comments

1. 

   Bill S. says:

   March 23, 2005 at 11:52 am (UTC -5) |

   It depends on the sort of library you want to get into, I think. I want to work in an academic library, and have found that nearly all the positions I apply for prefer some experience with instruction. I have some (secondary) experience, but I haven’t taken a course in library instruction. I regret that now.
   I’d read job postings for jobs you would be interested in (on ala.org, for example), see what they’re asking for with positions (unfortunately, most commonly this is experience, which the school can’t provide, outside a practicum), and tailor your classes accordingly.
   However, throughout my experience in library school, I heard a lot of librarians say that they had prepared for one type of library (academic, special) and ended up doing something library-related that was entirely different — working as the director in a medical library, for instance. It’s a good idea to choose classes that could be useful in a variety of settings.
   As for the course during the day: whenever something like that happened in my program, the listserv would suddenly be overrun with complaints, and everyone knew that the higher-ups in the program read the listserv. But sometimes the schedule depends on money, the availability of professors and facilities, et cetera. Sometimes there’s not a lot that can be done, especially once you’ve completed the core classes. But I’d see if there isn’t someone in the program to whom you can make your dilemma known.
   One thing: because of budget cuts, a few of the classes I took were taught, not by professors, but by working librarians. While family and friends thought I was being ripped off, this was actually beneficial, in that working librarians tend to be a lot more pragmatic, and they are faced with library problems every day. I really appreciated those classes, although their teaching styles were widely variable.
2. 

   John Klima says:

   March 23, 2005 at 12:57 pm (UTC -5) |

   Bill, I constantly hear stories of people who followed one course of study during their MLS time and end up doing something else when they get into the field. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened to me. I’m currently looking at systems librarianship to make use of my technical skills, but maybe once I’m in place I’ll shift to somewhere else in the library.
   I completely understand that the classes available at my school are dependent on the expertise of the staff. And while I like evening classes because they fit into my schedule, I don’t like losing my evenings, and I suspect that the faculty feels the same way.
   I’ve had a few courses taught by adjuncts. My cataloging class is taught by someone who catalogues for a living (or did, I think she manages more now than catalogues) but she has the real-world experience of what I should learn about cataloging.
   Mostly, just like the list servs, this is me voicing my personal complaints. And hopefully getting corrected by people in the know. I realize that the schedule of classes isn’t devised by pulling numbers out of a hat and the people that put it together spend a lot of time on it. You can’t make everyone happy.
   It’s interesting that my library themed posts get comments while my science fiction ones do not. Of course, it could be that my library thoughts are less informed and need more correction!
3. 

   Bill S. says:

   March 24, 2005 at 2:05 pm (UTC -5) |

   When it comes to science fiction, I pretty much sit back and see what other people say about it; I don’t actually feel like I can offer an opinion with any confidence. I also don’t feel like I have the critical vocabulary to express what I think about — well, any fiction. While I’m not actually employed as a librarian (yet), having just completed library school, I’m chock full of fully-formed opinions that I share with people who usually have little or no interest.
   I didn’t mean to sound like I was correcting you: I’m just offering my experiences in the field, such as they are.
4. 

   John Klima says:

   March 24, 2005 at 2:38 pm (UTC -5) |

   Sorry Bill, I didn’t mean to imply that you were correcting me; but I would hope that anyone who reads my posts and finds mistakes in them is not afraid to let me know.
   This is particularly true with library oriented things where I have limited to no experience of my own. My thoughts and opinions are going to be very one-sided and naive. I’m sure I’ll look back on these things some day and wonder what the heck was I thinking?

Blast from the Past

This was a post that I wrote on March 15, 2005 while I was going to library school. It was on my Electric Velocipede blog, but as I'm cleaning that blog up to be magazine only, I'd thought I'd move some of the library oriented posts over here.


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There’s been a . . . well, I guess a meme, but I hate that word . . . going around among some electrified (meaning heavy online presence) librarians about classes they would like to teach in their library. I find this discussion fascinating and interesting. It made me want to join in with my own list. Now, I’m taking classes in Library Science right now, and I’m not a librarian. So I don’t have a list of classes I’d like to teach at my library (again, don’t have a ‘my library’), but here’s my list of classes I’d like to take (or see offered) in Library School:

1. Working with the Library Board (How to Choose Which Battles to Fight and Which to Let Go)
2. Library Intership (Required semester course wherein you work at Circ, Reference, Archives [if available], Book Preservation, Receiving, etc.)
3. Publishing 101 (Where Do Your Books/Journals/Magazines Come From?)
4. Vendors (Who Provides Materials for Libraries; How Do You Enact Transactions With Them to the Benefit, and Not the Detriment, of Your Library?)

I’m sure there are more if I bend my mind to it, but those are the ones I’d like off the top of my head. To speak some more about #2, I think it’s a shame that ALA accredited programs don’t do more to ensure that their students have library experience. Here’s my thoughts on this:

If you are an ALA accredited program, there’s a good chance you have a library nearby. For students without prior library experience (or even those who do have library experience) require a semester long course wherein you work in every department of the library. Perhaps a few weeks at each. Then you get a flavor of what each department does. This will help if/when you move into managerial roles, but it will also help when you need help from fellow librarians and library staff members.

For students who work full-time in a non-library situation (like myself) your library probably is open late at night. Three hour shifts could be scheduled in the evening and on weekends. Even with several dozen students needing a course like this (and it might not be that many) there should be enough different three-hour chunks of time at the different departments to place all of them somewhere. The difficulty will be in getting a staff member (i.e. a librarian) who can be there for guidance. But, there should be some senior member of the staff who would be able to provide training, etc. And for some of the departments, the current part-time student help would be able to train people.

My school provides a Field Experience course which is very beneficial. The woman who runs the program does an excellent job of finding a library/situation very similiar to that which the student wants to do once the degree is completed. This is a great option for people who are not looking to work in public libraries and not specialized work experience. Unfortunately, often the field experience requires time during the week during the day, which is virtually impossible for people who work full-time outside of the library venue. It requires that they leave their job. Of course, this is something they may be planning on doing anyway, but I suspect many of them want to do it on their terms, not on the terms set down by the school.

Just some thoughts, and I’m sure they need some help.

7 comments

1. 

   katester says:

   March 16, 2005 at 9:18 pm (UTC -5) |

   I agree 110% on the internship concept. I was lucky in that I worked in a library during library school, but I did an internship elsewhere, too.
   Classes I wish I had been offered in library school:
   * Building maintenance issues – how to deal with faulty plumbing, leaking roofs and regular vandalism.
   * Unions. When they’re good and when they’re not-so-good. Related: making sure you have a good union steward.
   * Advantages/disadvantages to being a member of ALA and/or your state library association.
   I’m sure there are others… I’m 10 years out from school and still learn new things every single day on the job (:
2. 

   John Klima says:

   March 17, 2005 at 8:09 am (UTC -5) | 

   I’m sure there is much more to learn than you could ever hope to pick up in a MLS program. Some of my frustration is born out of the fact that I work full-time, so I am only available nights and weekends. When I applied to my school, not only was I sucked by the reports of jobs for the asking, but my school talked about volumes of evening courses, weekend courses, online courses . . . none of which have become a reality. This Fall there are two evening courses I can take.
   I think it’s very disingenuous of a program to not try and support its clientle. If you aren’t a full-time student or already working in a library, it feels like you are a second-class citizen. My wife received her Master’s in Education from the same school yesterday, and that program seemed to recognize that people work (in this case, teach) and there were NO day classes. Oh well, I’m halfway through . . . it will be done soon enough!
3. 

   Rose says:

   March 17, 2005 at 8:10 am (UTC -5) |

   Nice list, much more useful than mine.
   I too wish I had a couse on dealing with the board and which battles to fight. And manditory internships/workstudy for library school studnets. I wish that the libraries in universities with MLIS programs realized the rich resource they have and would use it!
   I really really really wish that we had courses on customer service/teaching/people skills. And computer/technology courses that didn’t involve learning how to use a mouse and send email (yes, in grad school).
   But, after working as a librarian, I’ve come to the conculsion that 90% of what I do on a given day I learned how to do through life experience. Only on the days that I do cataloging and write pathfinders to I find myself using MLIS knowledge.
4. 

   The Krafty Librarian says:

   March 17, 2005 at 9:26 am (UTC -5) |

   I agree an internship/practicum should be mandatory, but this was one of the areas that students working outside of libraries hotly contested. Their view was that they didn’t have time to work a job, go to school, and work for free (or nearly free) at an internship/practicum. I worked in libraries and I did a practicum, I wanted as much experience as possible.
   Other classes I wish we had:
   -Systems librarianship, how to get into it and what you need know for your library to work. Something beyond, this is a mouse and this is how you load a program. Hello nobody told me about firewalls until my first job as a medical librarian. I am an “accidental systems librarian” and I still feel there is so much out there I don’t know.
   -How to publish. Yeah sure I had that class, but it was on such a large scale that it blew out my brain. I think we need a publishing for newbies. How to get started by doing something small and then working your way up to the big scholarly articles.
   -Vendor negoitations and electronic license agreements.
   -Justification 101. New and inventive ways to prove to your worth to the university/public/hospital/business. Something more than just showing them we did x amount of searches, checked out x amount of items. Something that teaches us how to illustrate more of what we are doing and how it has an impact on the university/public/hospital/business. Because after all “they” can do searches on their own and “they” can go to Barnes and Noble.
5. 

   John Klima says:

   March 17, 2005 at 9:48 am (UTC -5) |

   I like the justification class. I think that’s something you should get as an undergrad: when you’re up for review, how can you show your boss that you’ve accomplished X so that you receive Y raise?
   The customer service idea is good, too. I had my fill working in fast-food and retail as an unkempt youth. When someone is yelling at you about pickles on a hamburger (and you have no real danger of losing your job since being a fast-fooder who always shows up on time makes you indispensible) you get to try out a lot of different strategies. Eventually you learn how to do it right.
   The philosophy I picked up while managing a Wendy’s was “We’re just making burgers.” You know, the above person who didn’t want pickles . . . make them a new sandwich. Someone else ate everything but the last bite of a chicken sandwich to realize he doesn’t like mayonaise? Make him another sandwich. We’re just making burgers, we’re not performing open heart surgery. Do it again, and get it right. If they keep coming back with complaints, keep doing it over until you get it right. If you can’t get it right, refund their money.
   I’ve applied this to every job I’ve had since. I have yet to work in a place where my decisions could kill anyone. Yes, my decisions can inconvenience someone, but often that person is me.
6. 

   Anonymous says:

   March 18, 2005 at 6:52 pm (UTC -5) |

   I started a mental list of things I’d teach in my “What you really need to know to work in a library” course about the day after I started in my first professional postion. That was over 20 years ago. The list is long now, and the suggestions posted in comments here are excellent additions. I shall make note of them.
   My biggest peeve : no one taught us how to manage in a real library. It was all quite theoretical. Not that theory is bad – but it doesn’t do any good if the practical application isn’t demonstrated. For example – what I really needed to know was that people can’t spell some names. So, help them out by including the common misspellings in the see also’s etc in catalogs. (This is as true for the online versions as it was for the print version.)
   Now, if I could just find the time to teach that class…..
   btw – get a good tool kit!!! Screw drivers, wrenches, eletric drill, big tape measure, hammer, etc. Also include tools for working on PCs. You will be indispensable.
7. 

   Lis Riba says:

   March 22, 2005 at 11:52 am (UTC -5) |

   I don’t think there’s enough material for a class with credits, but I once suggested that Simmons should offer seminars by the Physical Therapy department training future librarians in ergonomics, proper lifting techniques, exercise and stretching techniques focused on shelving and unpacking and the whole physical aspect of librarianship.