Article: "Majority of States report decline in Support for Library Services" (buy, libraries)
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Now I understand why you post as you do. So sad!!!!!
www.ala.org The American Library Association was founded in 1876 to professionalize libraries. The ALA has a long history of fighting segregation both in the nation as a whole and in the library profession itself. "In 1936, ALA voted not to meet in cities where black members would not receive treatment equitable to that of whites. Another landmark move was ALA's effort to desegregate state chapters by mandating that there should only be one chapter in each state."
There are subject specific library associations, regional library associations, and every state has professional library associations.
Each state has it's own laws regarding educational requirements for librarians. For example, the state of Michigan requires that all libraries that serve more than 25,000 people must have librarians with ALA certified masters degrees.
Here's a link to the Social Responsibilities group: Social Responsibilities Round Table | American Library Association "Concern for human and economic rights was an important element in the founding of SRRT and remains an urgent concern today. SRRT believes that libraries and librarians must recognize and help solve social problems and inequities in order to carry out their mandate to work for the common good and bolster democracy."
I encourage you to visit your local library to find out about current jobs, educational opportunities, and opportunities to join the Friends of the Library or to become a library Board Member.
I am sorry but your post seems to be the sad one.
First off, it's not so off-base that people don't know about library schools. They do not exist. They only exist at certain universities. Your second link reveals that you can only get a library degree from certain schools in certain states. In Texas, you can only find two universities with library programs out of a state of more than 25 million. In California, a state with more than 35 million, you can only find two schools offering library programs. Only New York State has more than 3 universities with library programs. New York has 7 universities, but out of the 7, 3 of them are conditional, which means they may not meet ALA standards.
Secondly, the info you've given me has significantly increased my belief that library schools are used as a tool to keep the lower classes out. You seriously need to get a master's degree to work as a librarian? Seriously? What's so hard that you can't learn about being a librarian on the job? There are so few library programs, so few libraries, and there is virtually no advancement from being a librarian. Even going to barber college or beauty school is a better idea. There are more barber colleges and beauty schools, more barber shops and salons, it's easier to become a barber or stylist, and better advancement. And you learn a lot more, involving hair and skin treatment.
Like I said before, the schools are created to keep the lower classes out. There are few programs and few classes. And in the end, it means you pay a lot of tuition for something that offers little advancement.
I also noticed you clearly overlooked all the other things I pointed out in my other post: how virtually everything you said was what white males used decades ago to conclude why there were few women in white collar jobs. Thanks for this discussion. It has confirmed my strong belief that libraries discriminate against the lower classes. I don't feel an ounce of pity for the librarians who lose their job.
This is an interesting viewpoint. One thing I noticed is the majority of librarians are white, middle class women. Even when I go to neighborhoods where blacks and Latinos dominate it's always white, middle class women. Or when I go to poor white neighborhoods it's the same. It's strange how libraries say they are providing a need to the poor public but aren't accepting of the poor as workers there.
I'm sorry, but that is a fairly ridiculous - not to mention kind of inaccurate - observation. First of all, do you realize one MUST hold the MLIS (Master of Library & Information Science) to even apply for a librarian position? So it's not like they can just open these jobs to the general public, and if the majority of MLIS holders happen to be white women, there isn't much they can do to "diversify" the pool. But like another poster above said, the non-professional positions are usually filled by the general public.
Regardless, I would say the library staffs are becoming more & more diverse these days. I currently work in the Bay Area, and we have a wide variety of demographics represented in our librarians... the largest group probably is non-Hispanic white women, but that is also the largest (possibly tied with Asian/Indian) demographic in our county. So it's a matter of mere statistics, added to the fact that librarianship has historically been a "woman's job." Do you also question why most nurses are women?
But even here we have a decent variety, and when I worked in a county that was majority Hispanic, I was actually in the minority as a white woman. My boss there was Hispanic, as were 4-5 of our other staff members... we also had a Japanese Library Clerk, Native American Head of Reference, along with two male (white & Hispanic) Library Techs. Even among us three white ladies, two of us were/are Jewish.
Secondly, the info you've given me has significantly increased my belief that library schools are used as a tool to keep the lower classes out. You seriously need to get a master's degree to work as a librarian? Seriously? What's so hard that you can't learn about being a librarian on the job? There are so few library programs, so few libraries, and there is virtually no advancement from being a librarian. Even going to barber college or beauty school is a better idea. There are more barber colleges and beauty schools, more barber shops and salons, it's easier to become a barber or stylist, and better advancement. And you learn a lot more, involving hair and skin treatment.
I often say that anyone who has to ask that question has NO clue what a librarian actually does. Do you think we're the people who put books away, or what?
Please don't ever ask that again, unless you enjoy ticking off hard-working and well-educated library professionals such as myself. And if you really want to know why the MLIS is required, look through the curriculum for an ALA-accredited program... then ask a librarian to shadow them for a day or two, so you can see firsthand how involved our job really is. Sure, much of what we do is learned on the job, but without the core principles learned in library school we'd be lost!! And if you think only a "basic knowledge of math & reading" is needed for what we do, again I say you are confusing us with a page or clerk. Go ahead, though, and enlighten us on what you think we do every day - that should be interesting, LOL.
Oh, and yes there IS room for advancement within the library field. Ever heard of a County Librarian, Branch Manager, research specialist, head of archives, etc? Our County Librarian makes over $130K, versus the usual $50-70K for a "regular librarian," so I would call that a fairly high ceiling. There are also many non-traditional librarian jobs that pay very well, like working in the research department for a government agency or private corporation, law library, or medical research facility. We may not become millionaires off this career, but I don't know any librarian who got into this job for the money.
P.S. One thing I will agree with is that we don't have enough library schools! When I decided to pursue this career, I was living in the Bay Area but wanted to relocate... my only options were to leave the state, or go to SoCal (Chapman University or UCLA) to do my studies. I considered going to U of Washington, but ultimately decided to stay put and attend SJSU - mostly because I liked their "traditional" curriculum as opposed to the more technology-based courses at UW.
Why there aren't more schools I don't know, but I'm guessing it has to do with the limited employment opportunities nationwide. If we tripled the number of MLIS holders, even more of us would be out of work for extended periods of time. But it's not some devious plan to keep out minorities, considering they aren't excluded from applying to these schools. In fact, I imagine they would have an even easier time gaining acceptance and/or financial aid. Right? The state school programs are pretty cheap too, so it's no more "exclusive" than any other state school program. My sister & brother hold a JD & MBA respectively, and my degree was like 1/10th the cost of theirs.
I went to the library a week ago for the first time in YEARS.
But the last few years I've given either books or a small monetary donation -- because I don't care how many books people can 'download' -- I believe we still need libraries, and I don't think politicians give a rat's behind about them. I think they are prime pickins at budget cut time and we can't let libraries go away.
I have to think that the community I live in gives a very high priority to it's public library. 15 years ago they held a huge fundraiser and put on a very large and beautiful addition. Now they are replacing the original dome roof of the old section with a new copper one. The older roof was copper and they wanted to keep it that. They also are in the process and planning stages of a major remodel. This will total $9 million when all is said and done. Very little of this will come from the taxpayers. This is in a community of about 33,000 but I'm sure many in the surrounding towns use it too. There is a small fee for a card IF you are not a resident. IMO much of the remodel is not necessary but nice but it seems that people are willing to do it. Of course Stephen and Tabitha King have made a substantial gift - to be matched is a condition. They are residents here and are so very generous. Much of the giving they do is not even known by the public.
Last night, at the library, a reception was held that was open to the public to explain the plans with a slide show and it was open to suggestions from anyone that attended. "Refresments included" !
Last edited by Newdaawn; 10-09-2013 at 05:55 AM..
Reason: addition
I love everything about libraries -- the quiet except for the flipping of pages and soft, muted conversations; the librarians and assistants; the rows of books (of course); the smell; and the sight of people sitting around reading, studying, or just relaxing. Libraries offer such a vital service while bringing a community together and allowing everyone to contribute.
When I was a child in the 90s my library in Downers Grove, IL offered free classical concerts pretty frequently. Nice for people who don't have the money to buy tickets in order to enjoy culture they otherwise wouldn't have the pleasure of experiencing.
As a former librarian . . . here's how it has worked for years:
Every budget season:
People who want taxes to be cut suggest slashing governmental budgets at city, county and state levels.
Then, people who do not want taxes to be cut USE public library cuts as a scare tactic. "If we don't raise taxes, library hours will be slashed or our library will be closed!"
People who use libraries then say "Don't close our libraries, we'll accept a small raise in taxes!"
The result - taxes are increased, other departments get a little more money, and the library budgets are cut anyway.
The problem since the late 1990s has been that with the increased usage of PCs and now tablets, the educated people who vote are using public libraries less - and supporting them less.
The correlation is that since the late 1990s, the poor who can't afford their own PCs are using public libraries considerably MORE. But the statistics kept by the state barely record this type of use - there isn't anywhere on the (online) forms to fill out: # of children who hang out after school. # of people who shelter from bad weather. # of people lined up for computer time who don't get it because there aren't enough computers.
And the poor aren't generally the people who campaign or vote much. So the scare tactic of the potential closure of public libraries doesn't work so well with the voting public anymore.
So in many places, public libraries are losing hours or closing. The PC/tablet owning class says "oh, too bad, it's so sad", and downloads more from Amazon. And the poor are left with no place for their children to go after school, and no way to access employment websites, and no way to file their taxes online, and nowhere to get out of the cold/rain/heat/snow. And, is that the purpose of public libraries anyway?
Ech. It's all so depressing on so many levels.
Thanks for the illuminating post on this topic. I have to admit that I am one of those who prefer eBooks to regular books since I got my Kindle several years ago. I still borrow from my local library though (mostly ebooks or books from new to me authors). I read somewhere that it's even more expensive for public libraries to buy ebooks than paper books due to complicated publishers rules. Sigh.. it seems public libraries are facing challenges from all fronts.
Coming into this late, but the majority (well over 90%) of librarians ARE white females. Here's an interesting presentation about how skewed the races are in librarian positions: http://www.klaonline.org/docs/BlackMaleLibrarian.pdf
Most upper level librarian positions (management) are white/men, in a career that is predominantly white/female.
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