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Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I just checked our Library System for openings, currently there are 3 for Librarian, internal only. The requiredment is Master’s of Library Science Degree from an American Library Association accredited school of Librarianship and Washington State certification as a Librarian, pay is $30.33/Hour.
Gizmo, thanks for carrying the torch here. As a retired library cataloger of 25 years I agree with your comments concerning libraries of today. This profession is totally different now than when I entered it, degree-less so many years ago. The technology is entirely different now and the pressure to keep up with it AND to teach the patrons everything they need to know about their latest "smart" gadget is a constant learning curve for all library staff, not to mention the reference side, the ongoing programs for the community, the acquisition and deletion of materials, the vetting and ordering of databases, e-resources, free music downloads, etc. Add supervising a dozen or so staff to that mix, while cataloging a whole new set of materials available for checkout including Go-Pros, iPads, laptops, an entire film studio to use with green screen and editing equipment for film making. To those who scoff at the expertise needed, this is not your grandma's library anymore. It's your public library and you wouldn't believe the resources available to you courtesy of your tax dollars and your experienced and educated librarians.
One of the weird things about librarianship is that there is no such thing as a bachelors of Library Science. I suppose some colleges could offer it, but not that i'm aware of. You get a Bach degree in something else (anything, really) and then the MLS.
I'm a librarian with an MLS. (BS in Communications/Journalism). Much of what you see in a public library may not seem to require a masters, but some of the behind the scenes stuff does. We analyze the data of what is getting checked out, how many people use the library and why, etc. to make decisions about how to run the library. Some of us are experts in an area of literature, an academic area, computer stuff, digital info access. Some are managers of people, some of materials. Youth services requires a solid grounding in literacy education (many of us were teachers first). Yet we have to be excellent with customer service and jacks of all trades, because that is what our patrons expect. Ask a question, get a helpful intelligent answer! A good library has a team that covers all bases. And of course, you may think someone in the public library is a librarian, when in fact they are an assistant with no MLS. You can't tell just by looking most of the time.
The same MLS is required in a college library. But IMHO it is harder. They have specialties related to what the university offers. So even if i have 10 years experience in a public library, I couldn't just walk into a university library job. Same in a school library..those positions require specialised certification and a lot of teaching.
On the job training counts for a LOT, which probably takes the place of the bachelors degree. Lots of librarians worked in clerical positions in libraries before going to grad school. And it is possible for someone with 35 years experience and no degree to be as good at it as someone with an MLS. I'm sure that could be said for a lot of fields.
Library school is hard to get into...it's extremely competitive. It's not so much about what we DO all day, but what we KNOW. That is harder for the casual observer to measure.
Reminds me there's going to be a big push not just for automating government documents online but also historic.
As mundane as it may sound but there are plenty of communities that have to scan and add meta data to historical documents or risk that they may ultimately be lost. That way you have physical evidence of the existence and at the same point have a copy that can be searched and examined without any potential damage. I would argue that libraries are the defacto government entity that is working with historical societies on this.
I think the big picture that people are failing to consider here is that not all Masters/Terminal degrees are equal. Just because a job that seems easy requires a masters, doesnt mean that it requires the same amount of effort to obtain as a masters in a different field. A Masters in BioChem, Finance, Mechanical Engineering, Marketing, IT, or Library science arent all created equally. If you want to be a librarian, go get the Masters it requires, dont just assume that its going to be as hard as a Masters in Engineering.
I think the issue with libraries is there are so many different ones. There are public and school libraries that are fairly easy to help with. School you need to know MLA and APA citing (though Microsoft Word makes this easier) and an MILS should likely not be needed. Now talk about college and specific libraries and they are different animals and require more specialized approaches. College libraries require a decent knowledge of citing sources as the different schools are require different citing (again Word makes this easier) as well as what is a good source and isn't. In this, an MILS could foresee-ably be needed.
Another thing is not all library jobs are grunt work like we see when we goto the local public library. The public library mostly uses the desk for locked out checkouts and forgotten card checkouts as they went self-service as well as reserved DVDs, sign-ups and fees. Fairly easy as most software is easy and putting books into the right spots is fairly easy with proper cataloging, aisle labels and reading. Obviously people don't help when they just leave books wherever (we are all guilty of this.) Compare this to research locations where you will need more specialized needs.
Edit: This is an outsider look but I feel it is true. Correct me if I am wrong.
I hadn't really thought about who assigned a book the call number(?) be it Dewey or Library O'Congress. I had assumed that ther was a central "authoritay" that assigned these. This is "cataloging" right? Does this mean a specific title/edition could have different call#s in different libraries. This would drive Adrian Monk nuts! (imagines a roomful of bun-haired, bespectacled, buxom sweater-clad librarians "cataloging" "Filthy Shades of Grey" - hubba hubba - drinks on me! Sorry guy librarians!)
Obviously people don't help when they just leave books wherever (we are all guilty of this.)
My local college libraries have signs up saying don't reshelve - they want to scan the books that just get browsed/read onsite but not checked out. (or is it so the books are accurately/correctly reshelved?)
My local college libraries have signs up saying don't reshelve - they want to scan the books that just get browsed/read onsite but not checked out. (or is it so the books are accurately/correctly reshelved?)
Now as I said I am an outsider. I wonder is this for electronic balance sheet issues, random policies, workers who don't know the call letters or is it unlisted call letters on the spines.
Now as I said I am an outsider. I wonder is this for electronic balance sheet issues, random policies, workers who don't know the call letters or is it unlisted call letters on the spines.
Most libraries having to file periodic reports on activity, numbers, types, looked at, etc.
Public school libraries in MD have a monthly report to file with MD State Department of Education. I would imagine many states are similar.
There's a push in education now to get rid of libraries and go to all on-line based research (led by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, imagine that) and that the elephant in the room in many Library Education programs and library systems.
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