03 July 2005
jobs et al.
Jessamyn beat me to the news, but I have been meaning for some time to point to a recent post about the library job market (from an Australian perspective) by my friend Morgan over at explodedlibrary.info. (For more on the same, you can visit the very first post on this blog [she said, shamelessly]).
As I have noted before, I would have less of a problem believing the ALA job-hype if I didn't read so much news about libraries losing funding.* It's a bit hard to believe that the world is awash in jobs for librarians when it is also awash in libraries closing, cutting budgets, hours, staff, etc., etc.
On the other hand, I am not in a state of total despair.Meredith and Dorothea both recently landed jobs, and I can't tell you how many people I met at ALA who told me encouraging things. I didn't walk away with job offers, but I did walk away with a clutch of business cards and a handful of opportunities to submit articles to various publications and get involved in sundry organizations--and all from such enthusiastic and interesting people! I'll tell you, it's a big change after being in a writing program, a field in which there truly are no jobs.
In the unlikely event that you are waiting with baited breath, I shall mention that I will be finishing up my ALA coverage in the near future. I've spent most of the past week recovering lost sleep and organizing various summer reading programs @ my library. In the meantime, if you are desperate to learn more about what happened, check out the coverage at the PLA Blog, the LITA Blog, and the extensive guide to online coverage over at the wiki. (And thanks to whoever put up the links to the posts I've made so far!)
*NB questions by Rochelle and comments by Jessamyn on the underfunded libraries map.
As I have noted before, I would have less of a problem believing the ALA job-hype if I didn't read so much news about libraries losing funding.* It's a bit hard to believe that the world is awash in jobs for librarians when it is also awash in libraries closing, cutting budgets, hours, staff, etc., etc.
On the other hand, I am not in a state of total despair.Meredith and Dorothea both recently landed jobs, and I can't tell you how many people I met at ALA who told me encouraging things. I didn't walk away with job offers, but I did walk away with a clutch of business cards and a handful of opportunities to submit articles to various publications and get involved in sundry organizations--and all from such enthusiastic and interesting people! I'll tell you, it's a big change after being in a writing program, a field in which there truly are no jobs.
In the unlikely event that you are waiting with baited breath, I shall mention that I will be finishing up my ALA coverage in the near future. I've spent most of the past week recovering lost sleep and organizing various summer reading programs @ my library. In the meantime, if you are desperate to learn more about what happened, check out the coverage at the PLA Blog, the LITA Blog, and the extensive guide to online coverage over at the wiki. (And thanks to whoever put up the links to the posts I've made so far!)
*NB questions by Rochelle and comments by Jessamyn on the underfunded libraries map.
Comments:
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Yes, the funding situation is not something that is often mentioned in the whole job shortage issue, but it is a contributor as well. Having said that, you also have to look at libraries that seem to invest more on their buildings than on hiring good staff to put inside those pretty buildings. And while I am not in despair (I managed to land a job), I know that for everyone who does get hired after what can only be described as a gruesome process, there are many other very capable librarians who are recent grads and do not get hired. Overall, I just think ALA's overly hyped recruitment strategy needs to be refuted at the very least.
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