Comments on: A Library Job that Sucks in the Evergreen State

By: leslie minor

leslie minor — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 02:05:02 +0000

I thought about applying for this job, but realized that an hour and a half drive each way for a four hour shift is simply stupid. I have been subbing for a city library for four years in Washington State and cannot get a real job. I’m thinkin’ retail or anything to help pay for my daughter’s college costs. It really is depressing.

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 15:24:52 +0000

This is fairly common in the business world today. It’s very difficult to hire the right person. Government has a tendency to collect tired and useless dead weight. I’m sure Sno Isle has it’s own collection of old, tired, useless people that don’t contribute and are extremely resistant to change, call in sick all the time, always in some meeting, etc. This tactic Sno-Isle uses is merely a weed out process, so they don’t get stuck with more dead weight. Rest assured, if you’re a strong, intelligent, hard working employee, you’ll quickly get moved up — they won’t want to lose you! This is only the problem for people they don’t want. If you’re complaing and you think poorly of this — maybe you’re the dead weight!!

By: Steve B.

Steve B. — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 01:35:53 +0000

I’d go for that job, as bad as it might seem. In the 9+ grueling years at OCLC (all waaay post-MLS), I never saw a wage range like that!

Now I’m one of the many downsized staff and am halfway through my 2nd Master’s. I will be back in customer support by Thanksgiving, granted I can secure one of the $12/hr jobs. A 16-hour work week is still enough to bolster your resume credentials. No, I’d apply and work hard just to get that particular job.

By: Kim

Kim — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 17:36:36 +0000

WNY, this so called “job” can’t be gravy on the side. Note they want you to work whenever so you must have no other employment so you can fill in at a moment’s notice, whenever someone gets sick. This could be fine for a young graduate, trying to get experience while living in or near a big system. I know someone who started that way years ago and eventually became head of an entire public library system. Now this job truly classifies up there with the sucky non-jobs. They want experience; they want the degree; the person has to be able to do anything at any time (meaning doing nothing well), and of course have no life. How many retirees want that?

A few of you commented about this beautiful area in Washington, and the fact that people want to live there so badly that they will do anything with little expectation of realizing a decent return. I have an underemployed friend who lives in that part of Washington and confirms what you say. Shesays it’s across the board, not just in libraries and not just in bad times. A great deal for employers.

The post about library jobs going unfilled sounds along the line of the world coming to an end in 2012.

By: carol

carol — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 17:16:43 +0000

messed up in above comment — ALA must be out of touch if they are really doing this —

The 916 number is a general number from Sacramento PL.
Denise Davis left ALA to take over as deputy director of Sac PL — would someone in this position really be fielding multiple employment calls? They should send this around to all the library schools >wicked grin<

By: carol

carol — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 17:12:41 +0000

>>>The awful thing about the above comment, and the email above sent to listservs, is that you can never REALLY be sure it’s a hoax. ALA is that out of touch.<

By: Rebecca S

Rebecca S — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 17:03:41 +0000

Yes the job isn’t ideal, and I can’t imagine why they are requiring an MLS. The library I work at uses subs to cover when we are short staffed but we train our subs in each department they are on call in and don’t require a degree. Our sub pool consists of a lot of the same people who are in the school district substitute teacher pool.

But if you are a librarian who is out of work and wants to keep your foot in the door this job is at least better than volunteering (which a lot of unemployed librarians do).

By: Resisting the Coverup

Resisting the Coverup — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 14:43:22 +0000

The awful thing about the above comment, and the email above sent to listservs, is that you can never REALLY be sure it’s a hoax. ALA is that out of touch.

By: carol

carol — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 05:05:24 +0000

I am posting this here as I don’t see another topic to put this under, but since one of the overall topics here is employment and librarians, I received the oddest email from a listserv group, claiming that there were unadvertised positions and that by calling, you can access these listings — part of the email is below:

“The ALA office of Recruitment Statistics is increasingly aware of unadvertised positions that need to be filled as soon as possible. Denise M. Davies, former head of ALA’s Recruitment Statistics, has joined forces with the Sacramento Library to compile a list of unadvertised library jobs across the country and in your community. These are jobs that need to be filled so quickly that the libraries simply don’t have time to advertise and the ALA can’t post them fast enough.

Unemployed and underemployed librarians are asked to call 1(800) 209-4627 or 1(916) 264-2770 and ask for Deputy Director Denise Davies. New opportunities are opening up daily, so call frequently until you are successfully placed.

Phone calls only, please. No calls after the project ends on December 31st, 2020.”

includes a web link to a study: http://www.ala.org/ala/research/librarystaffstats/recruitment/lisgradspositionsandretirements_rev1.pdf

I have not tried the number, but I’m curious to see if it’s for real. Somehow I suspect this is a hoax but if anyone wants to access these numbers and try, hey, it might be worth it(?)

And apparently, you don’t have to be in a hurry as the service will be there until December 31st, 2020(!)

By: Not actually $40k

Not actually $40k — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:59:15 +0000

Keep in mind this is a city/government job…$40k gross is not take-home pay. I used to work for $40k a year at a public library but only saw about half of that… So the person who takes this job may not even see the full $26 or so an hour…