Librarians Talk Future of Libraries on Reddit

In library school, a professor shared with the class a conversation he had with his son. "Dad," his son said, "here's why we no longer need libraries. G-O-O-G-L-E."

Many believe that with the rise of Google and increasing accessibility to digital sources of information, libraries and librarians are becoming obsolete. Indeed, this belief is common enough that it was addressed during a Reddit AMA chat with four library and information professionals.

Titled "We are librarians and information professionals interested in scholarly communication. Want to know more about the future of libraries and digital information? Ask us anything!," the Reddit chat featured Rick Anderson, associate dean for scholarly resources and collections at the University of Utah's J. Willard Marriott Library; Amy Buckland, e-scholarship, e-publishing, and digitization coordinator at McGill University Library; Michael Levine-Clark, associate dean for scholarly communication and collections services at the University of Denver Libraries; and Catherine Mitchell, director of the eScholarship Publishing Group at the California Digital Library.

These library and information professionals were inevitably asked: "With digital information, why do we still need libraries?" Buckland replied, "Because libraries aren't just book warehouses. Librarians can help you find the right digital information from all the tons of junk that's out there. We also work to ensure access to information for our communities, and figure out ways to make sure that you can get to the quality stuff that you want." In response to Buckland's answer, Reddit user trashaccount12345 asked, "Doesn't Google Scholar do that? I've never had a librarian help much more than typing search terms into a database query for me." Fellow Redditer Hanmertime addressed trashaccount12345's question:

"I would say you're not necessarily going to get access to everything that's out there through Google Scholar. Libraries can give you access to certain databases they subscribe to, or work with you through ILL or some other method to get your hands on an article that you may not otherwise have access to. Also, don't forget about the digital divide. There seems to be this attitude more and more lately of, 'I have access to what I need, so everyone must have access to what they need, too.' Lots of people - regardless of what's available online - are still dependent on libraries for help. And to go even further, it's not as though librarians are only helping people find research information. They are a community hub. They could be giving someone directions to somewhere local, offering tech help to someone else, helping a high school student figure out how to apply to colleges, and so on."

Good answer, Hanmertime! I would like to add that today's libraries are also art galleries, makerspaces,  crafts centers, punk and zine archives, and much more.

In the same chat, the library and information professionals also talked about CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act), strategies used for data loss prevention, ILL (interlibrary loan) as it pertains to e-books and digital subscriptions, government budget cuts' effect on libraries, the value of an MLS (Master of Library Science) degree, and how well today's library schools are preparing students for the real world of library work. For the professionals' opinions on these topics and more, see the complete Reddit AMA chat at THIS LINK.

MLIS Grad Openly Doubts Job Prospects on Reddit

On Reddit, a recent MLIS grad expressed frustration at finding a full-time library job. Starting a thread on the popular online discussion board, the grad asked: "Do any other MLIS people doubt they will actually ever find full-time work?"
 

Some MLIS grads wonder if their help is really wanted.
Image via Tumblr

  
The MLIS grad, whose Reddit handle is LionOfBabylon, continued: "I've applied for jobs in 3 countries and about 15 states. One on-campus interview. They hired a local." The grad has had "one assistant job and two internships. I'm very lucky to have an assistant job at the moment. It's 14 hours a week, but it at least keeps me fed.... It's a shame. I love my job. I love helping patrons. I just apparently am not good enough to contribute and am starting to think I never will be."

This MLIS grad's obvious weariness generated 72 responses. Immediately, the discussion veered toward records management (RM), with respondents suggesting LionOfBabylon consider it as a career. "I made the jump," said Ashliek, "because I couldn't get a library job in the area where I'd just moved. I miss working in a library setting, but getting double the pay makes it worthwhile!" Agent_Peach chimed in: "Totally agree. I'm in records management for a gold mining company and I love it. Great pay, benefits, security, and I'm at least using some of the knowledge from my degree. And I was hired about 3 months after graduating."

When not recommending a career in records management, respondents offered their own job search stories and encouraged LionOfBabylon to not give up. "It took me two and a half years, moving across the country and back for a temp position, countless applications, and interviews with no response. I was unemployed for 18 months. I was terrified I'd never work in a library again," revealed rarcke. "Then one day I got three phone interviews. One hired me. That was five years ago. It's going to happen to you eventually. Stay strong and have faith." Fish_whisperer said, "It took me over half a year and over a hundred applications before I got three phone interviews and two on-campus interviews. Now I have a full-time job at a university and live halfway across the country. Keep your chin up."

In their response to LionOfBabylon, some Redditors were less than encouraging, however. "Please, save yourself tens of thousands of dollars and a lot of work," said saintstryfe. "Don't waste your time. There's no jobs, no security, and there's no hope of improvement." Ashliek went after the naysayer: "I totally disagree. There were no less than 10 records management jobs posted to recordsmgt-L this week." Saintstryfe countered,"Half of which are postings for jobs where they already have someone in mind, another group where HR people have put insane requirements up, and that last group of attainable jobs will be so inundated with requests that any real applicants will be lost. Also, while related, records management is not archival work." 

One respondent, Exlibrarian, even crunched the numbers: "From 2004-2014, we have roughly 7,000 new graduates per year. So that's 70,000 new MLIS grads in the past 10 years for what is around 120,000 librarian positions. Given the limited/nonexistent growth in this period, you'll need at least 50 percent of all librarians to retire in the period to make room. And next year there will be another 7,000 MLIS holders." Exlibrarian continued, "The math just doesn't work that it's even possible for all new MLIS grads to get jobs, there simply are not enough jobs, and despite what the BLS says, both public libraries and academic libraries have shown no growth. It needs to be crystal clear that it is currently not possible for all new grads to get jobs, and it will continue to get worse."

Nevertheless, others strove to keep the discussion positive. "Spread your wings," urged JimmyHavok. "There are places you might not have thought of, like legislative research bureaus. That's a pretty popular place for MLSs to spend some time in my state." Macjoven offered up some encouraging straight talk: "I'm not going to say, 'Don't give up.' You can give up if you want to. You can keep throwing 'can'ts' in front of you that stop you cold, and keep listening to people who confirm your fears and and pessimism. But it won't help, and you won't feel better. Go do what your passion demands and know that regardless of job title, or even industry, you are already a library professional."

For the full discussion thread for "Do any other MLIS people doubt they will actually ever find full-time work?", go to Reddit at THIS LINK.

Librarians Get Real About Salaries on Reddit

Last week, library workers took to Reddit to talk about something that's rarely discussed in public: salaries. The question "Librarians of Reddit, what is your income and how many years of experience do you have?" elicited more than 70 responses. Under the cloak of online anonymity, librarians and library workers in the United States and beyond got real about what they make.
 

Image via www.jillianditner.com

The majority of those who responded to the question posted on Reddit work at academic libraries. The next sizable percentage work at public libraries. Others are employed in law libraries, corporate libraries, school libraries, or special libraries, such as the librarian/archivist who works at a fashion company. It seemed that most who participated in the online discussion are in the Midwest or live along the East Coast of the United States. There were a noticeable few who joined in from Canada, and at least one Australian added to the discussion.

Judging from the discussion thread, those who make the most are library directors (big surprise, huh?) and library managers. Those who work in the academic sphere are among the top earners, followed by those who work within a corporation. Respondents whose library job involves a digital component or an element of IT (information technology) rake in big bucks as well. Those at the lower end of the earning spectrum were part-time workers and library pages.

In the thread, many bemoaned their low pay, which seemed to be due to salary freezes or salary cuts. This reply, from bibliothecaire, was typical:

"I have an understanding supervisor as well. It sucks because I like my co-workers, my library, and the college. The pay is simply too low and there's little chance of a raise unless a faculty librarian position opens up. I've been here nearly 3 years."

Another factor that affects salaries is where the library job itself is located. A "recent grad from Canada" named MalarkeyTFC began by saying:

"I have been looking into jobs in the States, and the discrepancy in pay between different states is mind blowing to me. The farther away from major urban centres (or from major university towns and what not) you get, the salaries just seem to tank. I've seen jobs in St. Louis that for all intents and purposes were identical to jobs in Boston or New York, and they got paid 1/3rd of their counterparts. This is funny to me almost because in Canada, it's the opposite. The farther away from urban centres you go, the higher the salaries tend to be because no one wants to live in butt fuck nowhere during the middle of winter."

(This is something I did not know until now - that if I were to go to Canada for a library job, I would have to live far from where the action is in order to get higher pay. It's kind of a fascinating dynamic actually, considering it is the complete opposite here in the States.)

Replying to MalarkeyTFC, others pointed out that the cost of living is substantially higher in major urban centers in the United States. As a result, salaries tend to be higher in order to (ideally) cover the cost of living in an expensive urban center, such as New York or Chicago. However, in smaller towns, in the suburbs, and in the country, library workers' salaries tend to hover in the low-to-mid 30s. So geography, as well as the type of company and the library worker's position within that company, can make a difference in take-home pay. 

Another factor affecting pay is the years of experience on the job or in the field of librarianship. The years of experience among those who participated in the Reddit discussion ranged from those newly graduated from library school to those who've been employed in the field for decades. In fact, one respondent said they've worked "22 years total as a librarian," with 17 of those years spent at their current employer! Of course, that person is earning quite a bit, "making mid-90K."

Admittedly, I'm not entering librarianship for the money. But it is interesting to note what the reality is when it comes to personal income for those in the field. For further insight into what librarians and library workers earn, and the factors affecting this income, check out the Reddit discussion, "Librarians of Reddit, what is your income and how many years of experience do you have?", at THIS LINK.