Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with librarian

Library-Related Trivia?

Jaybo — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:48:28 -0800

Library-Related Trivia? I'm helping to plan a fun, informal gathering for the professional librarians who work at my mid-sized Canadian public library system. For one activity, I'd like to have some library-related trivia questions.

These don't have to be 100% accurate. For example, Q: Anecdotally, this is the most stolen book in public libraries. A: What is "Sex" by Madonna (I would also accept "Joy of Sex"). Another one is "This is the most written-about historic figure in public library holdings." Who is Jesus.

The main thing I'm looking for is questions that most librarians would have a reasonable shot at answering. (I'll avoid the "What's the Dewey number for books on Platypus mating habits?")

Give me an AskMe career shakedown!

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:49:18 -0800

CareerFilter! Help me to "diagnose" why I'm so tired of my career and which directions will lead to more satisfaction in future! Patient history, current symptoms and potential therapies under the fold (neatly organised but very long!!!). The how and the why:
====================

After a very confusing life I have finally reached a point where I feel quite secure and can see myself moving steadily along through life, work, and relationships.

However, right at this point I've realised that I'm very dissatisfied with what I actually acheived (apart from the basic stability and predictability).

I previously asked about this here:

http://ask.metafilter.com/130330/How-to-prioritise-many-urgent-important-issues

...but I felt wanted some more specific feedback and so if I give some more specific outline one or two posters might be able to diagnose my situation more clearly than I can and suggest constructive approaches! Hence:

The (shorter!) lifestory:
=========================

1.

My family moved around a lot when I was young - we lived in 3 different (non-English-speaking) countries before I started primary school (that's elementary for US people!). I think this made me feel pretty much an outsider; my folks raised me to be very academic and bookish and this helped contribute to my different-ness through adolescence. I've always had very few friends. Even so I did extremely well in secondary (high) school and had heaps of interests (music, literature, computers). I think I lacked confidence (maybe because my dad pushed me a lot to pass exams, his sole definition of success!) to actually do anything methodically for myself so none of them lead to concrete results that are with me today :(

2.

At my top-league university I still did very well academically, but became increasingly "worn out" and a bit depressed / low self-esteeming until by the end of it I was pretty much burnt out (at 22!).

3.

After graduating I went through the motions of trying to get a job but I'd only had very basic retail experience in my summers, and basically bailed out even of the interviews I did get. Classic depressed self-sabotaging.

So unable to stay in the big city any longer I returned to my folks' place in their Medium Town. I no longer fit into (to cut a complex, painful story short!) had no career plan, and became steadily more depressed. I moved out into awful shared housing, did grindingly menial work, lost it, moved to my parents again, and got more basic office admin work (repeat cycle a few times!).

4.

Finally a friend helped me get a basic job in a school in the Big City, depression faded with my folks' faces. I had a few girlfriends who helped me get more confidence and crucial presentation skills. After, say, the 3rd painful breakup, I got an lirbary job (fast-paced Pharmaceutical info centre), did OK, so committed to that 100% - I did another year as a "graduate trainee" in a (more relxed) Department, then took a Masters in library/info management (US: MLIS).

5.

Sadly I chose to do the Masters back in Medium Town at my folks' to save money (I could have got another job and done it part time, but... confidence!). Another year of depression, and counselling this time. So I passed the Masters of course, worked in unqualified roles at the uni library and eventually moved out.

Point 6. is basically now, as in my earlier post. I have a "senior assistant" level job , basically entry-level qualified academic librarian. I earn slightly more than £20k pa, which in UK terms is somewhat below average, and just enough to live on in Big City, but not luxury. I rent a tiny room on the and have to take long train rides to see my friends.

The education:
==============

As I said I got top marks in everything academic. 9 A grades at GCSE and 4 A's at A-Level (that's the final high school exams). I specialised in Maths, Physics and German, plus 1/2 Further Maths because I tried (and failed) to get into Oxford to do Physics with Philosophy.

My real love at school was languages. My big regret has been not to just study German and French then modern languages at uni, because it would have been pure pleasure and I would have aced it!

Instead, trusting my dad's vague ideas of untold millions as a nuclear scientist I took 4-years of undergrad Physics (with a side of German as a concession) including a year in Germany doing Masters level research. I emphasise that this "vague idea" was the closest I every was to any plan! Due to being very capable but barely enthusiastic I got 2:2 (just under the 2:1 cut off that UK employers use to skim off the top grads).

I thought about being a teacher (I still enjoy teaching per se) and got accepted on a good course to teach Physics but lost my nerve at the last second. Hence the brief work at a school to prepare.

While between library jobs did the ECDL which shows I'm competent in MS Office, Internet & file management.

The library Masters thesis was actually enjoyable (I liked being a humanities researcher with great(er) techie understanding) but the actual library content was mostly a grind. I got an award for top thesis of the year (it was on the cross-over of Web 2 and library instruction!).

The current crisis!
===================

While studying for my Masters last year I sent out CVs for some obvious Physics-grad jobs (IT mainly) and was terrified to get immediate interview offers. The whole assessment centre thing, and getting back to programming after 5 years of basic admin and library stuff scared me and I put them off then turned them down.

My current job wasn't too hard to get and I have put 100% into it, but it's not an inspiring environment, has become boring v. quickly (it's cataloguing!) and I don't see any great promotion prospects soon.

Now I'm back on my own 2 feet, I keep meeting people who are say, 25 and ready to buy a house and I realise I could have just got some sort of financial job out of uni and been in that position by now. Makes me want to weep. I would love nothing more than to settle down in my own place, start a family...

Possible options?
============

1. Just continue with the library thing, get another professional qualification (CILIP for UK lib types) and take it easy - after all I just recovered from all that emotional pain.

2. Go for the IT / graduate training route - it'll pay more immediately, be challenging and build my confidence.

3. Go into accountancy / finance (as a careers advisor recently reccomended) - I'll have to start low again but eventual earnings will be big and it's transferable.

4. Can anyone suggest any ways to go from here? This is my main question! To me all the options look pretty sub-optimal and difficult but am I missing something? Are there any good directions I can go even though I've based my career more or less around survival???

Is it too late to go into a more lucrative career? What are the cost/benefits in terms of money?

Has anyone out there had a similar experience (I find it a bit doubtful) and could they share it?

SEC filings in MLA format

activitystory — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:07:05 -0800

AskMe librarians and other interested parties: how would one, in proper MLA format (6th edition), format a citation for a 10-K form or other SEC filing for a company? I'm unable to get my hands on a copy of the handbook (though I don't remember seeing it specifically in there anyway), and none of the online tools that I can find seem to have that type of source listed.

Libraries are awesome

serazin — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:11:52 -0800

I've taken responsibility for a very small children's library and I'd love your ideas for making it awesome. My kid is going to a tiny little school where every parent takes a volunteer job. I chose the job of managing the small library. I'm supposed to keep it organized and accessible, and to create displays and possibly events. I'm also supposed to coordinate a Scholastic book fair (I'm sure everyone would be open to some alternative to Scholastic - so suggestions welcome on that score as well.)

I don't have a ton of time, and the school doesn't have a ton of money. Given those limitations, I'd love to hear any ideas you have for making the library useful, attractive and vibrant.

(Note that I admire and respect librarians, and recognize that I am not one! I wish all schools had a paid librarian, but this school doesn't - it only has two paid staff people all together - so I hope to do my best with what's available.)

How to get an intro to computer sciences?

Mis-Information — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:14:12 -0800

Should I go back to school and take some computer programming classes? I've got my MLIS and work in Archives now, I'm sorta interested in Content Management but I have no useable computer knowledge. Would an introductory course help me see where my strenghts are and what I might possibly be good at? I'm not sure where to go from just having my Master's on top of the fact that I'm not sure I want to stay in the Archives field. I'm more interested in Records Management but I know I lack a lot of the tech experience

The Tortoise and the Ant and the ...?

Nonce — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:15:10 -0800

If you wanted a stable, boring (but really only boring in scare quotes), modest life, what career paths would you take? Emphasis on path; I want to come out of this post with a course of action. If you get a masters of library sciences, can you reasonably expect to get a job starting out in the high 20s/low 30s in a place where that's sufficient to be comfortable, with pay increases and advancement on the horizon? Or are there too many people competing for the same jobs for that to be the standard path? Is the digital age cutting funding for libraries, or increasing opportunity? Are archivists able to get work?

I'd love detailed responses from the perspective of work and life that is possible for a liberal arts (English lit degree) college grad who does not want to take on the world, but rather live in it, enjoy it, have space to be aware of his (feel free to substitute her) own thoughts, and avoid any races that center on rodents rather than on the sheer joy of running.

I'd really like special attention paid to practicality and stability. Also, interaction with the public is not a negative at all. In fact, I'd love to avoid interacting with a computer all day, as good at that as I may be. Light exercise and some sun could only improve the equation.

I'd like to assess myself, and my options, and then head in a direction that, barring any black swans, will bear steady fruit I am comfortable with while allowing me to grow in whatever direction it winds up I grow, rather than trading my mental and physical health for high pay.

Is there a way to cheat at life? To wind up doing something that refreshes your soul for eight hours a day, and leaves you more you at the end rather than less? Or at least pays the bills while you fill the rest of your time with art, literature, travel, and companionship (frugally, of course)?

I could see myself building trails, leading tours, researching, tagging, and photographing for the park service, and never feeling like I'd sold a second of my time doing anything I wouldn't have done for free. If I get a master's degree in conservation or forest management, would it be difficult to find a position in the park service a few years from now?

I cannot stress how much I don't want to gamble. Nothing is certain in this life, but there is a certain difference in job prospects between getting that MFA in creative writing so you can teach college and getting that state teaching certificate so you can teach high school. Not that taking a detour to get an MFA precludes anything else at all--but I'm sure you get the picture.

Or at least I hope you do, because I sure don't and I could use a hand.

Help Me Overthink this Plate of Job Titles

booknerd — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:56:43 -0800

Should I ask for a title change/promotion at my job? Due to the economy, no salary increases are being done, but my review this year was excellent and I don't feel as though my title fits my job. Lots of librarian-y details follow. I'm the "Assistant Librarian" at a small zoo library with three staff members. We have a half-time Research Specialist, and my supervisor is the Director of Library & Information Services, and has been here for 20 years. I've been here for 2.5 years, and started as Assistant Librarian while I was working on my MLIS, which I finished a few months after starting the job.

The director spends 60% of her time creating original news abstracts for a weekly news list she sends out to interested parties in our organization. The rest of her time is spent buying books (acquisitions) and taking care of various bureaucratic/managerial things like payroll, paperwork, meetings. She's well-known personally to many people here, so also has a lot of email to respond to, but usually forwards requests for articles/books/research/tech help on to me.

My job consists of basically all the rest of the library day-to-day operations. I do all of the cataloging, have input with her on our budget, maintain, update, design our web resources, provide tech support to anyone who comes in to the library (and to the other library staff, who are both older/non-techy). I manage our serials, online databases, do reference, maintain the collection, and basically any other tasks that need doing. I don't really understand the distinction between "Assistant Librarian" and "Librarian", but I feel like "Librarian" is more descriptive of what I actually do, and have a bit of resentment towards the "Assistant" Tacked on there, since I report to a Director, not a Librarian.

My boss likes to introduce herself as The Librarian though, and introduces me as The Assistant Librarian. I think this is her way of asserting seniority, which is fine. I'd still prefer if my resume/business cards/web site that lists her title as Director listed me as Librarian, but I don't know if it would be reasonable to ask for that kind of title change. With regard to pay scale and the bureaucratic/HR side of things, this Assistant Librarian position was somehow already in the system when she hired me, although I took over for a Technical Services Specialist who wasn't a Librarian (assistant, or otherwise). To actually create a new non-assistant Librarian position might be difficult if it's not already in place. Since raises aren't an option, the pay scale is irrelevant at the moment (which is, ugh, a whole different problem).

I wouldn't be opposed to a non-official change in title, without dealing with HR at all, with just acknowledgement of a title change within the library and on our materials. My boss would be a future reference for any job, so if she thought of me/referred to me as a Librarian instead of Assistant Librarian, that would be enough for me to be happier, at this point. Is this a reasonable request? If so, how do I best approach her to ask about this? If not, can you give me some perspective with regards to common job descriptions of Librarians vs. Assistant Librarians to help me feel better about this? Thanks in advance for any advice!

Creating a small library for a non-profit

andendau — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:29:18 -0800

Looking for resources on creating a small library for a non-profit company I am currently a MLIS student and for the summer break I found a volunteer opportunity with a non-profit to assist them in creating a library. I have quite a few texts but nothing that involves a step by step guideline to assessing a variety of media and organizing it. I am interested in helping this organization set up a scaffold so that material Is accesible and available through an OPAC and would make it easy for a novice to come in and add new materials. I found a few older threads that had similar information but mostly on the OPAC side and not on getting started. Any input would be welcome.

new MLIS student looking for some good reading!

ginagina — Fri, 29 May 2009 09:30:10 -0800

What are good blogs and resources for MLIS students? I just found out I was accepted to Drexel University for my MLIS with a nice fellowship. My background is mostly in law and psychology (looking to be a law librarian possibly), so I want to update my RSS reader with some new relevant blogs and resources.

Who should I be paying attention to? What websites should I live by? Anything else you can recommend to better prepare me?

Thanks I look forward to your responses!

How to cope with day job / school stress

bad grammar — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:53:26 -0800

Help me deal emotionally with a bad case of academic jealousy. As those who've read some of my previous posts, I am working on an MLS. after having received a Ph.D. in classical history (B.A. in classical studies). I failed at the job search for classicist/ancient history positions. I now feel at a disadvantage in my MLS. program because, not having studied library science in college, I am encountering most of these subjects for the first time. I also don't have time to get into subjects in the same depth as students who are not working, or working short hours on the campus. I work 30 hours a week and I commute to campus (about 60 to 90 minutes depending on the time of day).

I realize that the shoe is on the other foot and some students in my ancient history doctoral program probably felt the same way about having to learn ancient Greek, if they hadn't had it in college. In my doctoral program I had a fellowship and did T.A. work-study, but many of my fellow students were also working their way through their program by teaching or unrelated jobs. So I don't expect any particular sympathy.

I do need advice on how to manage my emotions. I have been stuffing them down, telling myself at my day job that it isn't about me, I am a merely ancillary person who can be let go at any time. The school where I am the MLS.-less librarian is a special education school and so the real work with the students has a heavy dose of therapy and social work. There is a high level of background chaos due to the students' problems.

I have no skills or training in therapy/social work/SE teaching and feel basically useless. I have done all kinds of things that were not in the job description per se in order to make myself useful, including applying for and obtaining grants for the library (many students are in a lower-income category), updating the nonfiction collection, and fixing the catalog. I feel both chronically guilty (that I am not a social work-type person) and underappreciated. There isn't any way that I could do my homework at work.

I did fine in my MLS courses last semester and one of them this semester. But a course on information structure (cataloging, but also databases and a heavy dose of information architecture theory) has left me feeling stupid, as if something bad has happened to my brain in the nine years since my Ph.D. I am good at reading, synthesizing written material, writing, ancient and modern languages, and recall. I do not have a particularly abstract or philosophical turn of mind; when I get abstract, it's political.

In the cataloging class I am feeling jealous (because the final exam and term paper are approaching and I'm stressed out) of those students who are getting the concepts better than I am, because they have been exposed to these concepts longer or have more abstract minds, even though many other students are also having trouble. I am getting worried about my future library job search (it's the end of my first year). I thought I wanted to work in an academic library, but now I am afraid that the competition will be too stiff.

In short, I'm feeling psyched out and burned out. I am afraid to take some time off either from my day job (because I can't count on getting another) or from the MLS. program (past the prerequisites, you basically have to take the courses as they are offered and can't count on them being offered again soon).

I need emotional self-management tips and especially on managing feelings of perfectionism, jealousy, and anger. I apologize for turning AskMe into therapyfilter, but I don't have a personal therapist and I can't vent most of this to my parents or to other students.

Records Management speciality - good idea for an MLS student?

onell — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:47:24 -0800

How's the field of records management / archives looking, for a new MLS? I'm a younger librarian with a job in public services, and someone working on her MLS recently asked me about records management as a specialty. I don't know much about it -- my library school didn't really focus on it, and it wasn't something I pursued. I think she's surveying her options and wondering if it would be an in-demand avenue for her new degree. I would guess so but don't really know. I confirmed that she's not interested in the special collections side of archives, and I know those jobs are hard to find and get. Thoughts?

Chicago library job help?

tinyfolk — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 06:53:37 -0800

Does anyone have advice for a graduating MLS student looking for a job, any job at all? Help specific to finding jobs in the Chicago metro area would be especially useful. I'm graduating from Indiana University SLIS this summer and am looking for jobs. I've checked just about every site I can find (ala joblist, lisjobs, careerbuilder, craigslist, etc.) and have applied for pretty much anything i'm even remotely qualified for. I don't have much experience other than two years at a student library job that paid $7.40/hr.

A call to the Chicago Public Library headquarters confirmed that there's a hiring freeze for all city public libraries (though some of the suburbs are still hiring). I realize it's just a hard time to get a job, but I'm being about as unpicky as it's possible to be. Next step is to start applying to Borders and Barnes & Noble.

How do I know if I want to be a librarian?

roxie5 — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 06:58:02 -0800

How do I know if I want to be a librarian? I have an undergrad degree in History, and that has led nowhere careerwise, so I've been thinking about going back to school. I've always loved academics and research, so I thought that being a librarian could be right for me. However, before I spend more time and money on more school, I'd like to be sure that this is a career that I'd really love. I don't want to base my decision on stereotypes of what everyone think librarians do, but rather what they really do....

I realize there are many different types of librarians... In today's economy is it better to specialize in school or get as much general knowledge as you can and then be flexible? How much IT is involved in librianship? Customer service? If you're a librarian, what's your daily routine? What are the most important skills and traits you need to love the job and do it well?

I've been accepted to San Jose State University's program. If I decide to pursue this, I would take advantage of their online classes for the first year and maybe even the whole way through my degree, as I can't afford to move right now. Any specifis SJSU information would be appreciated as well.

Thank you if you're still reading this and for any information!

No longer Madame Librarian?

Anonymous — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:07:36 -0800

LegalEducationFilter: I have been a law librarian for 10 years. Of late, I have become far more interested in teaching and developing a law school curriculum than in librarianing. I'm not sure yet, but I think I'd make a good law school academic dean someday. Does anyone have any insight into this career goal? How can I leverage my legal research and teaching background into a legal education management career? If it makes a difference, I spent 7 years in law firms, and 3 (so far) in academia. I'm primarily interested in working toward a curriculum that emphasizes practical legal skills.

seeking check-out cards for a communal book collection at work

intermod — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:20:39 -0800

Attention librarians: please help me find check-out cards for a book collection I am setting up at work. I am creating a tiny library of reference materials for my colleagues at work. Right now it's literally one shelf of books. What I need are cards that get inserted in place on the shelf when the book is removed by someone. The person taking the book writes their name and the date on the card and then sticks into the shelf of books in place of the removed book. The card is LARGE, the size of a book and large enough to poke out slightly beyond the books.

I used these at a similar collection at a previous job, but every time I search for this, all I get are hits for the little cards that go into pockets in the back of the book. That's not what I'm looking for. What I'm looking for is more like the size of a manila folder, with a grid on it that people write on to check out books.

I know it exists, but I'm just not searching on the right term. I even cruised through several library supply catalogs! Hope me!

A job for my partner...

Anonymous — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:55:55 -0800

Asking for my partner: What to DO if you live in a country where you speak the language quite well but it's not your mother tongue, but have 1:1 English literature degree, a fair bit of life experience and common sense, are interested in working with people but the idea of another crappy office job almost brings on a panic attack? This is the situation my fiancée finds herself in. She's worked for a year in a low-level government office job but hated it. Now she works and lives with people with learning disabilities and loves it. The problem is the lifestyle, living WITH the mentally disabled, is totally all-consuming and very draining. What she could do is this as a day job, somehow, not a life.

But is this it? Are these her options now? When she was younger I'm sure she dreamed of working in publishing (she's a bookworm), I could see her as a jessamyn-style librarian etc...
But she's been so put off by the experience of office-life that she had that she is now convinced she's not cut out for that kind of job. As I said she likes people and making a difference etc, so what kind of jobs are open to her? Are there any other people on Metafilter like her? Her confidence is not so high but most things she turns her hand to she shines at.

Really appreciate the help.

I'm also aware that people will read between the lines "I could see her as..." "I'm sure she dreamed of...".
Yes I am suggesting my own dreams for her here - but as I said, she currently lacks the confidence to aspire to this herself.

Abstract my wife, please

baggers — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:43:25 -0800

My good lady wife is looking to get into abstracting and abridging; any pointers? Background: my wife is a recent library science graduate who is looking for a new job. She's thinking about acquiring skills or looking for a job that involves abstracting or abridging. Does anybody have any specific pointers for how people get started on this area, or any suggestions on how she can get work in this area?

call numbers or regulations

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:12:30 -0800

Looking into graduate school. With my skill set and interests, would I be better off in urban planning or librarianship? I speak English and Russian fluently, and French on an intermediate level. I am really into details and planning/organizing things. I like to research one aspect of something extensively, resolve it, and then move on. On good days, I even enjoy explaining things to people. I like interacting with people and public speaking. I also like cooking, yoga, and biking but I don't think those are relevant.

If I went into urban planning, I would want to focus on environmental/sustainable issues or on (public/bicycle/pedestrian) transportation. (This school sounds appealing.)

If I went into librarianship, I do not know what I would want to focus on but I would want to ideally have a job that had some sort of international component so that all of my language knowledge won't just be for naught. (I know that the government sometimes hires....)

Either way, I do not want a job that forces me to be alone at a computer for 9 hours a day with no human interaction. Also, ideally, I want a job sometime after graduation. (Er, and I want to go to a grad school that offers some sort of funding and that will help me get internships during school?)

I have a degree in Slavic Language&Literature and have work experience in IT (help desk) and in teaching English (in France). I am going to take the GRE in early November, my undergrad GPA was around 3.15 (though, 3.85 in Junior/Senior hours).

Best way for a lawyer to become a law librarian?

GPF — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:02:18 -0800

After practicing law for six years, I'm very interested in becoming a law librarian. I'm struggling with the jump; especially the decision to go back to school. All the good advice about library schools on the green encourages me.

I worked in the law library throughout law school as a research assistant and loved it. After the ups and downs of small-firm and solo practice, I think I'd like to get back into the library. Going back to school for a library degree seems like a good next step.

Is an MLS or other library degree, in fact, a good next step?

If so, how will my choice of school and program affect my prospects? I'm close enough to the University of North Texas that it is my first choice out of pure convenience. Should I consider other schools based on the specialty concentration of law librarianship?

I would also appreciate your thoughts on part-time vs. full-time and distance vs. classroom programs, especially as they relate to what I perceive (and correct me if I'm wrong) as a specialized interest in library school.

At the risk of being too open-ended, I would also love to hear success stories or cautionary tales from anyone who has made the transition from law practice to law librarianship.

What is a good career for an underemployed librarian with Aspergers?

gtaylor — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:35:35 -0800

What is a good career move for a 40ish guy with an MA in literature, an MSIS in general library work, and a work history that does not reflect his real skills because recently diagnosed Aspergers was holding him back a lot? My very intelligent husband has an MA in Literature and an MSIS in general library work. He is nearly 40, and was last month diagnosed with Aspergers. That, combined with that library hirings are shrinking in his area, has generally been a major obstacle in his finding work that was as good as he is (he's often ended up as a bookstore clerk). He is also in a very rural area where his opportunities to improve his technical skills are being interfered with by possibly senile parents (which is another problem entirely). He wants to do meaningful work in a team environment. He has broad knowledge of classical music, 20th century literature and narrative development in animation and comics, and pulp novels. (Yeah, none of those are big job grabbers, I know.)

He is very much the slightly bewildered Oxford don type from Wodehouse, except that when he is in his element he is _extremely_ capable. He has not built up a very good social network, done internships, etc, because of Aspergers noise, and even now that he knows more about his trouble, has not been very successful reaching out to past professors, mentors, etc (he has a lifetime of unseen obstacles to come to grips with). He is seeing a psychologist and going for State vocational training but is in general having something of a professional crisis. For various reasons it is very important that he find a fairly decent job soon, although I also lean to his getting his PhD and teaching hipster media courses. He also showed a latent, incredible ability to pick up 3D Studio computer animation (he learned more in two weeks than my brother's biz partner did in two years, no exag) but is lukewarm about a career in making cartoons (versus watching them, which he is very into).

Suggestions?

MLS overqualifies for Assistants or Technicians?

codswallop — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 22:09:05 -0800

I'm a Library Assistant who will not leave the Pacific Northwest - if the only jobs I can get are non-MLS, will having an MLS hurt my chances? I'm thinking about going on and getting my MLS even though I know how strong the competition is for jobs in this field. I'm not leaving the area. If I need to leave my current Assistant job and can't nail a proper Librarian position, would I be dismissed as over-qualified for other Assistant/Technician jobs?

I know librarians are *ahem* touchy about the value of an MLS and could see them not hiring one as a tech because it might seem to devalue the degree. Am I wrong?

First Shot at Full-Time Librarianship

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:08:51 -0800

Attention Librarians (preferably of the public variety): PLEASE help me not blow my best shot at my first full-time Adult Services gig! Long explanation inside, sorry... I love my current job as a reference librarian at a small public library (my first job out of library skool, been there two years now). Trouble is, it's only half time, and the job market in this town is super-tight. After searching for supplementary work elsewhere in vain, I reluctantly began to apply for full-time positions that would require me to relocate.

So I recently got a phone interview for a great opportunity in a much less-saturated job market few states over. The phone interview went swell, from my perspective, and I got a call back the next day for a second interview. They're paying my way to have me out, putting me up in a room, etc. The position sounds great-- it's right up my alley, I'm experienced in the right ways, pay is good and benefits are great, and the system, its director, and my prospective boss seem awesome. It's also much closer to my family. In short, I'd love to take the job.

I really want to shine in this face-to-face interview. I know the second interview tends to be more about demonstrating how you'd fit in with your prospective colleagues (right?), but as a half-timer I'm a little intimidated. While I'm confident in my abilities and my experience as far as they go right now, I want to show that I'm ready and able to hit the ground running full-time.

Also-- in addition to launching a full-time career, I'd also be moving into a differently-structured system. Current library system: about 25 small branches, with one big main library and a separate administrative entity. My branch is funded almost completely by our small town, is autonomously run by our branch's director, and our focus is on just the community our branch serves. Prospective library system: much smaller-- only three branches of roughly equal size, county funded, all three branch managers under the direct control of the system director, and the focus is on MLS librarians from each branch forming inter-library committees to get most of the system stuff done.

While I like the prospect of the different setup, I want to make sure I'm up to par on best practices, preparatory readings, etc. I do all the typical stuff now: read the literature, go to professional development workshops, go to conferences, etc.; I guess I just want to stand the best chance against the other two candidates, about whom I know nothing.

Finally, I'm not worried about the collegiality piece during the interview; I consistently get praise from employers that I'm engaging, respectful, and diplomatic in my relations at work. I'm really looking for the rest of the puzzle, some "read this!" or "here's what helped me!" tidbits.

So career public librarians: what can you tell me? I have about a week to put my best foot forward, so thanks for any advice in advance!

Help Me Identify a Story About A Pool Party Bomb

burnmp3s — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:08:18 -0800

TeenAngstFilter: Can you help me identify a short story about a student who blows up a pool? When I was in 6th or 7th grade (somewhere between 1995 and 1997), a mean librarian from New York came to work at my school in the Midwest. The first day, she read a fairly disturbing short story about a violent high school student, which she described as her "favorite story". I have never heard of the story before or since then, and I remember most of the plot but not the title or author. I think she read it out of a book of short stories, but I'm not sure.

Plot Description:
A nerdy high school student is picked on mercilessly by bullies. The story starts with the nerdy student getting a "swirlie". In order to get revenge, the nerdy student invites everyone from his class to go to a pool party in a high-rise building. He invites the girl he has a crush on, but does not tell her that it's a pool party. He secretly sets up a time bomb at the bottom of the pool. During the pool party, he and the girl he has a crush on do not wear swimsuits, so they are not in the pool at all. The nerdy student, the girl, or both are thrown into the pool as a joke, just as the bomb goes off. It blows a hole in the side of the building, and creates a giant whirlpool. The nerdy student manages to save the girl, but he himself is sucked out through the hole and out the side of the building. The story ends with him falling to his death.

Other details:
- I think the story takes place in New York City.
- The nerdy student makes the bomb using fireworks that he buys from some kid on the street. I think the kid is described as having a mustache.
- The girl he has a crush on wears a dress, and when she is in the pool it floats around her in a big circle.
- I think other people besides the nerdy student are sucked out of the pool, but I'm not sure.

Can anyone find any more details on this story, and possibly direct me to where I can find it?

JobFilter

bad grammar — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 16:25:06 -0800

Should I accept this job? I've been offered a part-time librarian position at a special education school for junior high and high school kids with behavior and emotional disorders. I've worked as a library assistant there for about seven months (not continuously), being hired to help overhaul and set up the school library. They sometimes have had a full-time teaching librarian, and otherwise have hired a traveling consultant who was my immediate supervisor.

Though I don't have an MLS, I've done everything that a full-time librarian would do to maintain the collection, including entering new items in the computer catalog, processing new books, shelving, inventory, weeding out unsuitable books, etc. But I don't have experience teaching the students, and it isn't clear that I'm being hired to teach them. I don't have a degree or any experience in special ed.

Should I accept this job? I would prefer library work elsewhere, as this school is a depressing place to work in, and the full-time librarians seem to last as long as teachers of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. Furthermore, they'll probably be looking for a full-timer, though they haven't said so.

The students are mostly minority, and I am white / Asian. I can see that this might be a problem. I don't think of myself as racist, but I would like to avoid possible conflict. Of course my parents are afraid that someone will go VT/Columbine one day (it is a place where the students are searched as they arrive for the day).

I am also looking at law library assistant positions, which are more what I would like to do, but I don't know if I'll get any offers. If I take the school job for now, I feel bad because either I am stuck with it or because nobody (neither the school nor myself) is committed to it.

Is it really that hard to get a job in Portland, OR?

lulu103 — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 16:35:18 -0800

Is it really that much harder to get a library job in Portland vs the Bay Area? How long do you think it would take for me to get a job after moving up there? I am a librarian (with MLS and experience), and although I love the Bay Area, I can't realistically imagine myself being able to buy a home and have a grown-up life here on my wages in a neighborhood I like.

I want to stay on this coast (my family is in the B.A.) and would like to move north to Portland, but I have been scared after seeing some of the Metafilter posts about jobs. I'm thinking of saving some money for the next 6 months while I work in San Francisco and applying for Portland library jobs. If no job materializes in 6 months, I'd like to just move up there and try it in person.

So my question is...is it really that much harder to get a library job in Portland verses the Bay Area? How long do you think it would take for me to get a job after moving up there? I'm trying to figure out how long I could live there without one during the job search.

I'm especially interested in the experiences of MLS librarians (as opposed to paraprofessionals) applying for jobs in the area, but I'm interested in everyone's un/employment experiences as well. Thanks!