February, 2003 - Compiled and annotated by Sue Searing, with assistance from Chuck Gray
In This Issue:
Guest editorial by Paula T. Kaufman, University Librarian, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
It should not be news to anyone in this profession that there is a serious shortage of librarians and that the shortage will worsen before it improves. Several interrelated factors have led to this situation: increased non-traditional opportunities for LIS-trained professionals in commercial and not-for-profit sectors; closures of LIS schools in the last quarter of the 20th century; unprecedented numbers of retirements in the profession; increased opportunities in other fields for women (who in previous generations had many fewer career choices); and general shortages of professionals in other fields that have recruited much more aggressively than we librarians.
Much has been written about how to recruit librarians to work in your library, how to keep them in your library, and how to help them develop skills to move into leadership positions. Much has also been written about how to recruit new faces into librarianship and several clever and effective programs are underway or being planned.
There is, however, an important key to success in recruiting to the profession: personal involvement by enthusiastic librarians. Most of us are passionate about this profession in which we've spent our careers. Our work is exceedingly fulfilling, intellectually challenging, an important factor in the success of those whom we support, and just made for people who long to make a difference - through our service to individuals to our participation in crafting and enacting national information policies. Although we no longer enforce quiet in most of our spaces, we've been quiet much too long. We've kept librarianship under wraps. It's time to bring it out in the open.
The study of library and information science leads to a myriad of exciting opportunities. We must get out there and tell that to our potential audiences, from K-12 students to PhDs to people working in other fields. I urge you to become personally involved. Set a goal to recruit at least one new person to the profession in the next six months.
It's time to take the "Ssshh" out of librarianship.
Harris, Roma, and Margaret Ann Wilkinson. "(Re)Positioning Librarians:
How Young People View the Information Sector." Journal of Education for Library
and Information Science, vol. 42, no. 4(Fall 2001): 289-307.
First-year university students were surveyed about their perceptions of
the work roles, future employment prospects, educational requirements, status,
and starting salaries of twelve occupations: lawyer, reporter, internet researcher,
paralegal, animator, systems analyst, librarian, database administrator, newscaster,
physical therapist, computer engineer, and medical records technician.
Asked to select which tasks "form a regular part of the work of each profession," students indicated that librarians educate users about libraries and library services (93.6% of respondents), check in and check out materials (92.8%), classify and catalog materials (91.2%), select and order materials (87.6%) and shelve materials (82.5%). By contrast, the main tasks they believe fall to the more prestigious internet researchers include conducting information searches from electronic sources (98.4%), conducting research (94.4%) and maintaining websites (90.8%). Students perceive that librarians are overwhelmingly employed in the government sector, while the students themselves wish to be self-employed or working in the private sector. The authors discuss the transformation of the information workforce and the implications for LIS education, but their findings also highlight the obstacles that must be overcome to recruit talented younger people to our field.
St. Lifer, Evan. "The Boomer Brain Drain: The Last of a Generation?" Library
Journal, vol. 125, no. 8 (May 1, 2000): 38-42.
The 1960s and early 1970s were a period of unprecedented growth in the
library profession. The generation hired then is moving toward retirement, and
library directors see a crisis looming. Between 1990 and 2010, nearly 45% of
the librarians in the U.S. will reach 65 years of age. The field has always
been "older" than other professions, because it attracts many mid-life career
changers, but today's librarians are retiring earlier. The number of MLS graduates
has been rising since 1996, but increasing numbers choose to work outside libraries,
in large part to earn higher salaries. Library leaders are beginning to question
the necessity of the MLS. Improving the lackluster image of librarians won't
solve the recruitment problem, according to some experts, who insist that the
profession needs to be retooled and made more relevant.
Lynch, Mary Jo. "Vacancies: How Many? Where? Why?" Library Personnel News,
vol. 15, no. 4 (Fall 2002): 1-3.
Lynch, director of ALA's Office for Research and Statistics, reports the
results from a survey of medium- and large-sized public and academic libraries.
"Recruitment of Public Librarians: A Report to the Executive Committee
of the Public Library Association." Public Libraries, vol. 39, no. 3 (May/June
2000): 168-172.
The PLA Committee on the Recruitment of Public Librarians concluded that
a shortage exists of MLS librarians going into public library work. This report
makes a strong case that low salaries deter librarians from seeking jobs in
public libraries. Personnel expenditures as a percentage of total library budgets
have gone down, and librarian salaries lag dramatically behind the salaries
of teachers with comparable education. Furthermore, young people are unaware
of the potential for challenging responsibilities in library jobs, including
working with emerging technologies. Other issues include inflexible job definitions,
scarcity of minority librarians, and scant encouragement of public library careers
by library schools. "Long term strategies" and "short wins" are recommended
for ALA and PLA to foster a systematic approach to the problem. Suggestions
are also made for local libraries:
A response to the report by a self-identified "under-thirty-year-old white male" public librarian in the September-October 2000 issue of Public Libraries provides a personal perspective on the problems of salary and image.
Urban Libraries Council. MLS Supply & Demand. Evanston, IL: Urban Libraries
Council, November 1999. 319 + 90 pp.
This "Frequent Fast Facts Survey" documents in broad strokes the shortage
of Master's level librarians in urban public libraries. Many libraries lack
internal data to answer questions about future retirements and anticipated new
positions, so the report avoids making projections and comparisons. Facsimiles
of all returned surveys are included in the report, and an appendix reprints
organization charts.
Somerville, Mary. "Facing the shortage of children's librarians: Updating
the challenge." American Libraries 29, no. 9 (October 1998): 50-51, 53-54.
In 1987 Sommerville wrote an eye-opening article on recruiting children's
librarians. She revisits the issues by posing questions to public library directors,
children's services coordinators, and library educators.
Everhart, Nancy. "Filling the Void: Many States Are Taking Steps to Remedy
the Rising Shortage of School Librarians." School Library Journal, vol. 48,
no. 6 (June 2002): 44-49.
A 2002 staffing survey documented "severe" or "extremely severe" shortages
of certified school library media specialists in 43 states. In twelve states,
there are nearly twice the number of open jobs as there are qualified candidates.
Emergency certification -- hiring teachers who lack library training but promise
to get it -- is on the rise. Many states have streamlined the certification
process, and online degree programs are attracting increased enrollments at
library schools. The ratio of students to librarians has improved since 2000;
states that mandate the employment of certified library media specialists have
the best ratios. But in states that don't have such a requirement, the economic
downturn has prompted budget cuts and layoffs.
Hopeful developments include:
"Recruitment, Retention, & Restructuring: Human Resources in Academic
Libraries." - http://www.ala.org/acrl/recruit-wp.html
The Personnel Administrators & Staff Development Officers Discussion Group
of the Association of College & Research Libraries established an Ad Hoc
Task Force on Recruitment & Retention Issues to deal with the issue of the
shrinking library workforce. This white paper presents their findings and recommendations
concerning recruitment to the profession in general and to academic libraries
in particular. Surging retirements, an insufficient number of MLS graduates,
low salaries, and competition from the information industry have created a supply/demand
gap. This paper reviews the available data and projections on the number of
potential applicants and discusses such issues as the impact of faculty status
on hiring and the use of non-MLS functional specialists for some kinds of work.
Extensive lists of ideas for attacking the problem are aimed at the major stakeholders
-- professional associations, LIS educational programs, individual academic
libraries, and their parent colleges and universities. The list of actions recommended
for individual libraries is the longest. They range from outreach on the home
campus to assessing the hidden costs of employee turnover and recruitment, from
redesigning search processes to restructuring jobs. A literature review and
annotated bibliography are appended to the report.
Kaufman, Paula T. "Where Do the Next 'We' Come From? Recruiting, Retaining,
and Developing Our Successors." ARL no. 221, April 2002: 1-5.
Research libraries face a serious problem with recruitment. In addition,
it is increasingly difficult to interest frontline librarians in becoming managers
or to interest middle managers in aspiring to senior positions. In the past,
the boring nature of many professional jobs prompted librarians to move from
library to library and into management in search of richer challenges, more
participation in decision-making, and better pay. Today librarians are more
content to stay in their current positions and institutions, and this fact adds
to the problems created by fewer available graduates, more non-library career
options, and escalating retirements. Successful recruitment and retention strategies
recognize generational differences.
In addition to proven recruitment techniques, such as supplementing advertising with personal contacts and offering financial incentives, the following approaches are recommended:
Lenzini, Rebecca T. "The Graying of the Library Profession: A Survey of
Our Professional Associations." Searcher: The Magazine for Database Professionals
v.10, no.7 (July/August 2002): 88-97.
Lenzini surveys major professional associations to see how they view the
librarian shortage and what they are doing about it. Four of the five associations
surveyed perceive a serious problem and are developing recruitment strategies.
Lenzini identifies recurring themes in the associations' recruitment strategies:
Multnomah County Library - Teen Intern Initiative. - http://www.multcolib.org/tii/index.html
In partnership with the Business Education Compact, a local organization, the
Multnomah County Library hires teenagers to work as branch assistants, administrative
assistants, outreach assistants, and technology assistants. The goal of the
program is to introduce students to the public library system as a potential
career path and a vital community resource. Each intern works eight to ten hours
a week. The program targets sophomores and juniors and encourages a two- or
three-year commitment. Library staff members who mentor interns attend professional
mentor training.
Recruiting Librarians: The Time Is Now! - http://www.cjrlc.org/becomealibrarian/recruit.htm
The Central Jersey Regional Library Cooperative created this web site for librarians
who would like to get word out about career opportunities in their libraries.
A section on how to plan an open house for potential librarians provides guidelines
for hosting, a link to a PowerPoint presentation titled "Librarians in the 21st
Century," and a sample press release. Also included are: model fact sheets,
applications, and evaluation forms for a job shadowing program; and a PDF file
with two recruiting brochures.
Wallace, Linda. "Groundhog Job Shadow Day Shatters Stereotypes." American
Libraries, vol. 32, no. 5 (May 2001): 38-39.
Job Shadow Day is a national event that gives junior high, high school,
and college students a behind-the-scenes look at the world of work. As guests
of the Chicago Library System, a large multi-type consortium, teens visited
special libraries at the Chicago Tribune and the Art Institute of Chicago.
These settings were a change of pace from their familiar school and public libraries.
By the end of the day, the teens' impressions of librarians had changed from
"geeky" and "shy" to "smart," "very exciting," and "fun." NOTE: For guidelines
and materials for launching a job shadow program, see: http://www.jobshadow.org/.
See also the web site for Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day: http://www.daughtersandsonstowork.org/
The Great Librarian Adventure - http://www.alliancelibrarysystem.com/GLA/index.cfm
A project of the Alliance Library System in Illinois, "The Great Librarian Adventure"
aims to communicate the thrill of a career as an "information navigator" to
100,000 people. The web site is sparse, but the half dozen success stories hint
at a range of recruitment strategies: scavenger hunts, travelling displays,
tie-ins to summer reading programs, and career fairs.
Reese, Gregory L., and Ernestine L. Hawkins. Stop Talking, Start Doing!
Attracting People of Color to the Library Profession. Chicago: American Library
Association, 1999.
Contending that members of minority communities do not enter librarianship
due to limited exposure to the profession, Reese and Hawkins examine the problem
and present practical strategies for recruitment.
Caywood, Carolyn. "I Want to Grow Up to Be a Librarian." Voice of Youth
Advocates, vol. 24, no. 5 (December 2001): 338-341.
"We promote libraries and we promote reading, but when do we promote
librarianship to kids?" Caywood asks. She spotlights some existing resources,
such as materials from ALA's Spectrum Initiative, but suggests that much more
should be done to counteract the image of the profession held by most teenagers.
Cool web sites and inspiring biographies would help. Locally, youth services
librarians can assemble career information, take part in career fairs, weave
recruitment into book talks, participate in job shadowing days, work with school
counselors and news media, and more. Recruiting teens as library volunteers,
advisory board members, and employees will open their eyes. National associations
should do more to support local recruitment efforts by creating a library career-oriented
youth organization and working to make library school more affordable and accessible.
Ultimately, "the best way we can contend with an unappealing professional stereotype
is by having staff challenge the gray-haired shush-er image."
White House Proposed Initiative to Recruit and Educate Librarians. -
http://www.imls.gov/grants/library/lib_bdre.htm
In early 2002, First Lady Laura Bush announced that the President's FY2003 budget
request would include $10 million to recruit and educate librarians. Although
the money has not yet been appropriated, the federal Institute of Museum and
Library Services has developed guidelines for applying for grants. The priorities
for the initiative are:
"BLS Career Information: Jobs for Kids Who Like Reading." - http://stats.bls.gov/k12/html/edu_read.htm
This web site distills information from the Occupational Outlook Handbook
(described below) for younger readers. Librarian is one of the five jobs profiled.
Become A Librarian! - http://www.becomealibrarian.org/
This site provides information about what a librarian does and how one becomes
a librarian. Photos of a diverse group of ten New Jersey librarians, who work
in a wide range of library settings, are featured, along with their stories
of how they chose librarianship and what they like about their jobs. Links lead
to information on types of libraries, scholarships, library schools, and more.
Careers in Libraries - http://www.ala.org/hrdr/careers.html
The ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment offers a wide
selection of resources for people interested in the library field. A list of
printed and electronic material on careers in library science is available,
as well as an article from American Libraries titled "Places an MLS
Can Take You: Alternative Careers for Librarians" in PDF format. Information
on different types of librarians, such as law, medical, music, etc., in addition
to links for working as support staff at a library, can be surfed to from another
list of links.
"Librarians." In Occupational Outlook Handbook, by the U.S. Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. - http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm
This up-to-date overview describes the nature of professional library work in
various types of libraries, emphasizing the wide range of responsibilities and
tasks and the interactions with people and technology. Working conditions, educational
requirements, and salaries are described. Employment of librarians is expected
to grow more slowly than the average for all occupations, due primarily to automation;
the best opportunities will be outside traditional library settings. Links point
to the web sites of major professional associations and to profiles in the handbook
for archivists, database administrators, and other related professions.
Librarians in the 21st Century - http://istweb.syr.edu/21stcenlib/
This site was created by a group of students in the School of Information Studies
at Syracuse University. Its goal is to provide information on library science
at the opening of the 21st century and explore the directions in
which the field is headed. The site describes varied career possibilities: academic
librarian, archivist, government documents librarian, information architect,
K-12 librarian, law librarian, and public librarian. The resources for those
interested in becoming a librarian include US News and World Report's list
of top library schools. Those who are interested in the future of library
science can find out more from links to other pages on censorship, digital libraries,
e-books, electronic publishing, etc.
Me? A Librarian? 1998 (videocassette) - Aimed at middle and high school students, this 10-minute video pokes fun at the stereotype of the librarian who's always saying "sshhh" and portrays real-life librarians in a variety of jobs and settings. It comes with an instructor's guide and handouts. $20.00 + S&H. Order from the Ohio Library Council: http://www.olc.org/publications.html
Crosby, Olivia. "Librarians: Information Experts in the Information Age."
Occupational Outlook Quarterly, vol. 44, no. 4 (Winter 2000-01): 1-15. http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2000/winter/contents.htm
This readable article explains how technology has changed the work, earnings,
job prospects and education of librarians. Using many real-life examples and
quotations from librarians, Crosby details various aspects of library work:
reference; reader's advisory; teaching; collection development; cataloging;
information architecture; and management. Positions in special libraries and
those dealing with technology command better salaries, but the real rewards
of a library career are not monetary. Library work can sometimes be stressful.
The article concludes by explaining educational requirements and recommending
further sources of information.
Spear, Martha J. "The Top 10 Reasons to be a Librarian." American Libraries,
v.33, no.9 (October 2002): 54-55. http://www.ala.org/alonline/news/10morereasons.html
Writing in a warmly humorous and personal style, high school library media specialist
Martha J. Spear (with a nod to David Letterman) elaborates on ten reasons why
she loves her profession: 10) Ever-changing and renewing. 9) Romance. 8) Useful
skills. 7) Great conferences. 6) Time off. 5) A job with scope. 4) It pays the
rent. 3) Good working conditions. 2) Cool coworkers. 1) Grand purpose.
Eberts, Marjorie, and Margaret Gisler. Careers for Bookworms and Other
Literary Types. 3rd edition. Chicago: VGM Career Books, 2003. 149pp.
After the introductory chapter, careers in libraries are the first to be
spotlighted in this readable guide that's suitable for teens as well as adults.
Working in a library allows you to indulge a love of reading while helping others,
the authors declare. They describe various types of libraries, explain the educational
requirements, and list "necessary personal qualifications." (Do you have a genuine
love of books? Do you possess intellectual curiosity? Do you like to work with
computers? Can you get along with all types of people? etc.) Eight short vignettes
reveal what librarians do and why they love their jobs. "Good things about being
a librarian" are listed, along with half a dozen cautionary "things to consider
about being a librarian." The latter include relatively low pay and evening
and weekend hours. The authors also proffer advice on job hunting, average salaries,
and related professions.
McCook, Kathleen de la Pena, and Margaret Myers; revised by Blythe Camenson.
Opportunities in Library and Information Science Careers. Chicago: VGM Career
Books, 2002. 152pp.
This information-packed book should appeal to people of college age and
older who are already contemplating a library career. Chapter 1, "The Evolution
of Libraries," briefly discusses the history of libraries and information science.
Chapter 2, "Information Professionals on the Job," explains the kinds of work
that information professionals do, the settings they work in, and specializations
within the field. The work of library support staff is briefly covered. Chapter
3, "Education for the Information Professions," focuses on preparation for library
careers at the high school, college, and graduate levels. Chapter 4, "Placement
of Information Professionals," suggests strategies and resources for job hunting.
Chapter 5, "The Future of the Information Professions," addresses the enduring
values of librarianship and predicts changes in the field. Appendices list professional
organizations, accredited LIS programs, and ALA serial publications.
2/7/03