I had the following thoughts:
- My job (librarian) is so easy in this data-rich world, why am I expecting a highly paid salary for it?
- Why do most of my colleagues make such a balls-up of an essentially easy set of tasks?
- Librarianship is a field that is still dominated by an old-fashioned stereotype. Libraries are serene temples where librarians read all day and tell people to shush.
- Modern librarians have no time to read. We encourage children to laugh and play. A modern libraries a cross between a creche, a coffee house, an internet cafe, a bookstore and a drop-in shelter.
- Librarianship as a career is attracts introverted people who love the old fashioned stereotype.
- Librarianship as a career needs extroverted people who can deal with any person at any time in any situation.
- Every person who works in a library (especially a public library, a specialist library, or a small library) spend at least 50% of their time selling or promoting their products.
To succeed as a modern librarian, you need to be able to communicate positively to anyone at any time. You need to put a positive spin on every conversation. You need to recognise the importance of every communication.
This is not a career for people who want to hide in stacks and say Shhh! a lot. These misguided souls are lost.
What do they do about it? What do we do about it?
Me - I'm off to eat those pancakes .... and think some more ...
20 comments:
Interesting thoughts, Mel. I don't agree that librarian is an easy job in this data rich world. I think it is more important than ever as there is so much crap to troll through these days that having a guide to what is worth my time is a wonderful thing. Perhaps the job description will need to change, but the need for librarians is definitely still there.
I think you're both right & wrong at the same time (how's that for fence sitting?).
Sure, the TRADITIONAL librarian job might seem simple (and so deserves low pay) but as you've rightly pointed out, the MODERN librarian's job is so much more. The better libraries have morphed into "people-centered" book repositories, and THAT'S where the successful librarians will gravitate to. And ANY people jobs are tough, and staff good at the role will/should be paid commensurately for it. It's entirely possible that Australian (and maybe Perth in particular) is several years behind the trend you've already seen.
You've pointed out some interesting things, Mel - and made me very thankful for our public library here!
The problem is many Librarians do not like to interact with people. They like to interact with books and lack many social graces
Mel is rife with social graces!
((belch, scratch, what did I just dig out of my ear?))
Thanks kinda what I was trying to say. Too many of the wrong type of people go into this career and years later theyare desperately unhappy and actively or passively sabotaging any and all progress attempted by the organisation. Most libraries I have worked at, have veneration of the longer-term employee - but they are causing the downfall of the organisation. Libraries are downsizing or closing because their staff refuse to adapt.
Everybody has a "mean old librarian" story. I see my colleagues perpetrating it every day. It just sickens me and I have no clue what to do about it ....
Been spying on me again sis :) :) :) :)
Yep. Its plain to see where the profession is heading but I'd estimate 90% of librarians I work with (or have ever worked with) are actively resisting the new techology and any form of "people-centred" communication.
The younger ones coming into the profession completely understand, but many of those are frustrated by the existing regime that they are moving into other fields. Hell I'm seriously trying to do the same thing myself for the same reason.
Or is it just the Gen X in me - always feeling caught in the middle between the Baby Boomer mindset and the Gen Y mindset?
I meant in comparison to me, LOL.
I think that might play into it a bit. I've been thinking about this since you posted it, and you know, when I walk into my library, I expect the quiet stacks and someone sitting at the desk who can help me find something - if it's a title or author, I can find it, but if I'm not sure what I'm looking for, then I am often open to suggestions. And I'm not looking for lots of social interaction - it's the library, not a bar - I'm there for information. I think when they started putting coffee shops and books together, a line was crossed. Not necessarily a bad thing, but breaking with tradition, which some people have a problem with.
My local library seems to be so full of contradictions in policy that I assume it's all due to internal politics that I neither care about nor do I think they should affect my usage. When the new one opened up down the way from my house, I was thrilled, and was hoping to get a stitching group together there, especially trying to draw in some kids to get the next generation going :) But then, come to find out, the girl that works there who turned me onto my local group, tried to get one going in there, and was flat-out refused. And then a few girls met in the coffee shop while waiting for the librarian one to get off work, and had their knitting needles out, doing their thing - and were banned from the coffee shop! WTF? Is it, or is it not, a public place? Supposedly, they were making too much noise - even though the coffee shop is separated from the library by sliding glass doors.
Now, several months later, they have a stitching group meeting there - one day during the week, from 8-10 a.m., which precludes all of us that have to work for a living (clearly for the local oldsters). I feel totally discriminated against, and I wasn't even involved in any of it. I haven't talked to the girl from my group since it happened - I know she has been realllllyyyy unhappy there, even before this, because of politics, and I'm sure this isn't helping matters. Yes, they can have a stitching group, but THEY get to pick who can go? Gee, pretty sure my taxes paid for the damn building, oh, and the salaries of the policy makers.
Not really sure what my point is, other than I kind of want libraries to remain libraries, and community centers to be separate. I don't want to walk into a library and see kids doing activities (ours has Wii days and movie days, etc). Why don't we encourage reading? In a library? Surfing the net requires reading, and it's good to see all of the computers in use when I'm in there, but I don't want to see kids at the library playing games on the computers. I think the skills you learn to become a librarian these days are wasted because, here, anyway, no one wants you to look anything up for them, they want you to organize events and entertain. IMHO, those two skill sets cannot necessarily live in the same person successfully. Maybe that's where the politics come in. I don't know. I feel for you - not sure I have the full grasp of the situation, but from a patron's perspective - and "getting to that age" - I am not overly thrilled with the direction our libraries are headed. But can I blame the technology, or the current trend where everybody has to have everything they want, when they want it, wherever they are? Due to technology, nothing is sacred - and I miss that atmosphere in libraries....
I've been thinking about this for a couple of days.. and I think I'm in the same spot that Karen is. (Must be an age thing! lol)
Seriously, I'm all for encouraging use of the library, but I don't think that game-playing is the way to do it. Our library is too small to really have anything in the way of meeting rooms, and our Town Hall serves the function of providing a place for meetings rather than the library. (It's a rural area and not every town has or needs a Community Center.)
What I always loved about the library was the quiet and the fact that once I got there I could totally absorb myself in what I was doing. I guess I'm lucky, tho, because I can't really seem to recall a "mean librarian" story! :)
Coffee shops in libraries? certainly not here. Funnily enough I was in our library last week. The librarian who usually does the childrens group (story telling and crafts) was away and the others were attempting to sort out a replacement.
No 1 - Oh I cant do it. I'm on counter duty.
No 2. Sorry, I'm in the stockroom.
No 3. Whoops, just off upstairs to the non fiction section.
No 4. Okay. I'll do it but I wont do crafts and it will cost you lot a bottle of wine!!!
There are usually 4-8 kids (under school age) plus their mums in the kids corner on Thursdays. A book is read and they do the relevant actions or sounds etc. (you know the score Mel) and then they do finger painting or something like that. Am I just old or is that really difficult? I nearly said I'd do it and then thought of Union action etc. etc.
But back to the question; I must admit that I like the old fashioned library. It doesn't have to be the Shhhhh type and I do like the librarians to be able to answer any questions I have, especially where new books are concerned. Fortunately out library is a good one. They are pleasant, helpful and never try and sell you anything (not that there is much to sell anyway). AND - the most important point, its free to take out books. You can renew, reserve and comment about the books available online and I must admit, its one of my favourite places.
Not that that answers the question in any way, but then I'm OLD.....................................
That may be, Mel, but you will know to take that fact with some of your wicked gallow's humour...
As for the question about expectation and reality, introvert or extrovert librarians - I think it's just a question where in the system you work.
If it weren't for the libraries up and down the world who would be able to put some sense in all things published on paper???
You have a big problem though - you are basically an extrovert person who would love the interaction in public libraries if it weren't for the fact that there are too many kids around to make your life as cafetière, sorry, childmi..., sorry, librarian (?) too much of a hell
On the other hand - to open a bar with the added bonus of a few good books to read or talk about and a couple of tables to sit and invite stitchers or other crafters (might have a few books on the subjects on hand) wouldn't be such a bad idea, now, would it?
Not a specialised place, but one that invites everyone who doesn't want to only sit and drink in a bar! I always feel SO out of place when I actually want to sit and talk AND use my hands at the same time...
I guess my local library is blend of old and new. It is small and normally quiet. The younger employees are open and friendly, while the older ones look down their noses at you as if checking out a book is an intrusion on their time. There is a seperate childrens section where some noise is allowed and there are even a few toys. There is a summer reading program in which there is a weekly guest. Different programs, but loosely based on a single theme. We have had magiciams, jugglers, animals, artists, authors, puppets and more. The kids are allowed to scream and laugh and play during that time. My kids both enjoy our little library. Being allowed to be a kid during those programs has made them feel more at ease there, even if only the grumpy old ladies are on staff that day. They love books, love reading, and I sincerely hope that that would be at least part of the goal of any library, regardless of what means are used to accomplish it.
And for Karen, the hours of 8 to 10 for the stitching group is not necessarily aimed at excluding the entire working world, which is not all 9-5 anyway, but probably more to exclude children. Many moms would have to bring their kids in the evening and frankly, I would not want a half dozen untamed, sticky faced and dirty kids running up and touching my needlework, or hanging over my shoulder with snotty noses and food or drink in their less-than-steady hands. I think most stitchers are more comfortable when their stitching is not in perile. Even if it does clash with work schedules.
I am not assuming they made it from 8-10 to exclude the working world (unless they did it specifically to piss off the girl from my group - because from what I've heard, this is not a far-fetched idea), but, as all of their pre-school programs are from 8-12, as well, well then, the place is full of kids already. This also includes Reading Time with a Guest from the Animal Shelter - of the 4-legged variety.
I have a huge reponse to this half-written on my home computer for two days - while we have been without internet, so please don't think I'm ignoring you all.
I will just comment here, that programs planned for 8-11am are (here anyway) specifically designed for stay at home mums and retirees. If we want working people, we schedule it after 5pm or on the weekend. We always assume that children WILL be in attendance regardless of what time any event is scheduled, because the library environment is very pro-child.
You cam blame the whole shebang on Economic Rationalism! (and the Internet). Most libraries are judged by their owning organisation on two criteria: bodies through the door and items borrowed out (doorcount and loans). Except for the occassional progressive University library (eg UNSW) these are all the governimg body cares about and this is what funding is based on.
In my current role in a public library, I do a minimum of 5 hours a week out in the public area. Technically I am there to answer reference questions. The type Karen was talking about. In reality, I'm breaking up fights regarding Internet bookings and checking out books to those who wont/cant use the self-check machine.
In the six months I've been at this library I have answered two reference queries. One of which I have more books on here at home than the entire library system does (making a portable loom) and ended up googling and printing out exactly what he needed. The other was on hermit crabs and I sent them directly to my local pet supply store as I know they have more hands-on experience than the generic pet books we have here.
So given those constraints, what do libraries do to get people through the doors (one of the key determining factors for budget)? We lend the latest DSVD blockbuster releases. We have free internet. We have free wi-fi. We allow food and drink into the library. We have a parental area where parents can sit on a comfy lounge while their kids play dressups and drive everyone else insane. Some libraries have free wiis and playstations set up. Basically we'll whore out any service that gets people through those doors because our budget is based on it.
Its all about running a business to meet specific criteria instead of addressing an underlying business goal.
I can see that. Libraries aren't the greatest of earners in the economy. I suppose none of them would really make it without being supported by public funds unless they're really large.
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