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April 12, 2008
From Andy-- a 'twenty something' librarian
Library staff badly paid or wrongly employed?
The advent of new technology, greater centralisation and better sharing between services mean there is a significantly reduced need for ‘cataloguing, information retrieval, classification and professional skills’. Therefore fewer professionals are required and yet public library services continue to restrict posts to professional staff that do not require any of the above skills. They end up paying over the odds for staff who are simply not equipped to do the jobs.
If libraries want to engage with the community, try hiring staff from it, not middle aged middle class bookish white community librarians. Open up these posts and find enthusiastic skilled staff from a variety of different sectors and without the need of ‘professional’ salaries. Even the much vaunted children’s librarians could easily be replaced by nursery workers, ex teacher etc. the love and knowledge of children’s books does not get taught in library school it is passion not a professional qualification.
Libraries are meant to promote equality of access and strengthen communities and yet they have for decades wasted valuable staff by providing no training or career path other than expecting staff to take a year out and invest £10k in a course that reflects very little the modern world of public libraries.
Councillors should look at the ‘professional posts’. Do they require library skills (some will i.e. reference librarian, cataloguer) many will not (community librarian) look at where and how these are advertised (chief librarians complain of always getting the same candidates, try advertising beyond CILIP and target the staff you want).
Having worked a year in a library I was then able to apply for and gain a senior role within a library managing resources, events etc. with no experience on the basis I had just achieved my library qualification and therefore 90% of existing staff or 99% of the rest of the population were not eligible.
A twenty something librarian about to achieve the Charter mark (well if you give a dog a treat he will jump through hoops).
Posted by Perkins at April 12, 2008 5:12 PM
Comments
I think I pretty much agree. Books became my passion but I spent 15 years being condescendingly lectured at about computers and jumping through hoops like a little doggie for Chartership and associated rubbish, only to recently learn that there are few professional posts to be had - probably anywhere. I'd gladly throw my useless qualifications away for a job as a library assistant but I doubt anyone wants an overqualified fortysomething!
Posted by: James Christie at April 13, 2008 11:53 AM