May Live Chat Recap
By Peter Brunette
A growing number of librarians are coming out of library school and can’t find professional work, or full-time work. The promise of “there will be a lot of retirements soon so jobs will open up” has been heard for a long time, and often, when that time comes, full-time jobs become multiple part-time jobs or are eliminated completely. Likewise, many mid-career part-time librarians, as well as people entering the profession from other fields, struggle to find work in an uncertain economy. As the unemployment and underemployment issue worsens, what can organizations like ALA, as well as library graduate programs, do to tackle this issue?
On May 25th, several librarians participated in a live chat on twitter on this subject, ranging from job hunters and paraprofessionals to part-time and full-time librarians in a variety of different libraries. Participants recognized several barriers to talking about unemployment and underemployment in librarianship, such as that it goes against the narrative perpetuated by library schools that jobs are available if you relocate, which many people can’t, and that there will be a mass retiring of librarians, which in many areas of the country aren’t happening. In the current state of librarian employment, the decades-old myths of mass retirements coming and the importance of relocation are ones that library and information science students and job seekers can’t afford, especially when taking upon possible debt when obtaining a master’s degree in LIS. And for those librarians who are willing to relocate, they may be disappointed when libraries only higher locally.
Overall, there are more librarian candidates applying for coveted full-time professional jobs than jobs actually available to those candidates, particularly in areas with a library school, making competition for jobs remarkably tough regardless of how much experience or skills a candidate may possess. Additionally, with an MLIS, many librarians be seen as overqualified for paraprofessional work, and hiring committees may assume that librarians with an MLIS may not stick around for long once a better job comes along. A recent article in Public Libraries Online describes how part-time jobs are the new norm for librarians. Therefore, those candidates must do what they can to survive while obtaining that perfect job, which may mean using library skills in a non-library setting, taking up internships and volunteer work, or finding other ways to generate income until a paying library job comes along.
Meanwhile, many struggling librarians may find it hard to confide in fully-employed librarians because full-time librarians may not understand why it’s so hard for others to find the same opportunities they discovered. Coworkers may not be optimal confidantes because employers may know that MLIS librarians working part-time may be looking for full-time work elsewhere. Similarly, job hunters may not want to be perceived as that person who’s always talking about their job hunt even in a supportive environment. However, the only way that others can be aware of the unemployment and underemployment situation is by discussing it, making it known that higher organizations can find a solution. Finding supportive supervisors or mentors can be helpful for job hunters in keeping up with the job hunt, providing advice, and reviewing resumes and cover letters. Additionally, commiserating with other librarians on social media, such as Twitter or Facebook’s Library Employee Support Network may be helpful when job hunting.
Additionally, participants in the live chat made several suggestions in regards to what library schools can do to better prepare students entering the workforce. Library schools could cap off the number of students entering a program to help with the glut of qualified librarians looking for full-time employment. Students could be required to do an internship at their preferred library type (public, academic, archive, school library, et cetera) so they can begin to gain experience before graduating, learn practical skills such as presenting and instruction through their coursework, and participate in a mentoring program connecting students with professional librarians. While library schools most likely provide statistics on current job statistics, such as Library Journal’s Annual Placement and Salary Survey or the ALA-APA’s Occupation Resources and Occupation Fact Sheets, they should be honest with potential students about the current job market as well as that statistics can be skewed by the percentage of librarians who answered the survey or who didn’t answer. Likewise, library schools should open up students to other potential avenues of employment outside of libraries where those LIS skills can be useful. Students should be aware of the opportunities available to them locally, whether that be local library organizations, state conferences, or free professional development.
In an age of uncertainty, librarians need to ditch the myths of mass retirements and focus on the facts of what’s actually happening with librarian unemployment and underemployment. While no one answer will solve this issue in librarianship, the more we talk about and recognize it, the more we can discover what we can do to improve the situation together.