But with UNT they also offer in person classes, so if the person only says they went to UNT it’s not immediately obvious if a person got an online degree or in person degree. Even if they do live in another state because people move quite often.

Academic libraries have fewer drawbacks so far as the clientele, particularly if the institution is private. When visitors become problematic we stop admitting them and get campus police involved. When students become difficult, we contact the Dean of Students. When it comes to hiring, we are particular. Most of the online degree holders never even get a telephone interview. We are looking for experience. There are paras here working on online degrees from UNT. They may have experience but promotions from within don’t really improve a library system. When we have an opening we’re looking for someone from another library who can bring fresh ideas and a new perspective.

2. By and large, employers seem to prefer in-residence degrees here in the lower 48. We don’t tell people why they weren’t hired BTW. It should be pretty obvious when you don’t get a job – you didn’t have the requisite experience (if you’re fresh out of LIS, don’t bother applying for dept. head positions at large universities – we aren’t going to consider you), they didn’t like you (yep, that happens!), someone knew a librarian at your previous workplace and got the skinny on you, or you simply aren’t a “good fit.” That last is very important where I work and those that don’t mesh well with the culture either don’t stay long or get forced out.

In the back of my mind, however, is the hope that people like you will take the needed measures so as to not become an unemployed new librarian (riddled with debt) statistic. Personally, I think most people here just want to blow off steam, and that AL is a created character that is like what once might have been called Jerry Springer in the library world — there to provoke controversy. My mom told me about him. Is he still around? I don’t know if AL is one academic librarian or a composite of several.

I much like what I do. It was hard to get that first job, but I’m glad I went to FSU, which I thought was a good school, to go this route. The majority of the people, who comment on this blog, do not represent the opinions of all librarians out there.

Most of the complaints I’ve read have a lot to do with working in public libraries and the patrons visiting who talk on their cell phones, let their kids run around disturbing everyone, and homeless people using the sinks to bath themselves.

I’m not sure if things were different 30 years ago but the public library in many places has come to be the place where parents dump their kids for a few hours of free babysitting and where homeless people hang out during the winter and hot summers.

Also, the people puking on the floors in the bathroom not helping…It sounds like the libraries need a building manager to take care of issues like this not Librarians.

Most of what I read is at an Livejournal community for people who work at libraries and librarians. After reading the posts for a month I now know I should probably not work in a public library.

I have a lot more respect for what Librarians have to deal with though.