As you might expect, librarians tend to love books. But that doesn't mean
they spend their days reading!
"If the perception that librarians sit around reading all day persists,
it's very, very wrong," says library director Ed Goyda. "The introverted stereotype
has also been inverted -- people skills are among the most valuable things
I look for when hiring."
Librarians have a wide range of duties. They develop, organize and maintain
library collections and help library patrons. They perform manual and online
reference searches, arrange inter-library loans and supervise other library
employees, such as technicians, assistants and clerks.
"Modern librarianship is an exciting and dynamic career," says librarian
Joanna Aegard. "Libraries are moving away from being static collections where
people obtain knowledge to [being] dynamic community spaces where people get
together to create new knowledge."
Some librarians specialize in particular collections. Others work in information
management areas, where they maintain websites or provide training in Internet
resources.
In smaller libraries, one or two librarians may have a wide range of duties.
In larger libraries, librarians may specialize in one or more areas. These
librarians often have different job titles, such as reference librarian, electronic
services librarian or instruction librarian.
"An orientation towards public service is critical," says Goyda. "Other
qualities can vary depending on where people are headed in the profession
-- management skills for administration, abilities to work with children for
children's services, attention to detail for technical services."
Sometimes books don't get returned, or come back damaged or destroyed.
When this happens, librarians record the titles of the books and reorder the
same title or a similar publication as a replacement.
Librarians also order newly published books. Before they complete the order,
librarians read review journals or ask patrons what books they would like
to see in the library. The librarian then has to choose which books the library
can afford to buy according to its budget.
Librarians are in charge of a variety of other tasks, such as overseeing
cataloging and re-shelving books. They also attend meetings where they decide
on new orders, make category changes and organize literacy promotion events
in the community.
There are challenging aspects to the job. Libraries have rules that need
to be enforced.
"Public libraries are open to everyone, and occasionally someone's behavior
requires me to confront them and enforce our behavior policy," says Aegard.
People skills are essential. "It doesn't matter how good you are at finding
things or cataloguing books, you need to be able to interact with people,"
says Chris Taylor, a library director in Ohio.
Computers have become essential research tools, so librarians must keep
up with advances in technology. They must know how to keep the computers
running and be able to show patrons how to use them.
"I get a great deal of job satisfaction when I help someone
learning something new," says Aegard. "For example, I spend a lot of time
helping people download ebooks, and also provide Facebook coaching."
"The ability to provide the digital content our users expect is a major
challenge for us," says Ryan Livergood, a library director in Arlington, Massachusetts.
"Technology is emerging at such a rapid pace that it is difficult to accurately
predict future trends, but what is almost certain is that future librarians
will need the skills necessary to deal with these rapid changes."
Experienced librarians often become library directors. This makes them
responsible for managerial issues such as budgeting and staffing.
There are many types of libraries. Librarians might work in public, government,
corporate, university or school libraries, or in private collections or
bookmobiles. Some of these libraries are large enough to contain millions
of books and miles of shelving. Others contain only a few stacks of books
to serve a tiny community.
All of a librarian's work is done indoors. Library directors usually work
in an office, while reference librarians usually work at the reference or
information desk. Other librarians may oversee the circulation desk or work
at a computer terminal.
Library directors, and others who don't work in the public service areas
of the library, generally work from 9 to 5 Monday to Friday. Reference librarians
usually work one evening per week and one weekend per month.
It is possible for a physically challenged person to work in a library.
Librarians should be good communicators. They need to be comfortable answering
questions and helping people. They also need to be able to explain clearly
where a patron can find certain information.
Aegard offers these suggestions for a young person considering a career
in librarianship:
- Get to know the staff at your local library.
- Take a librarian out for lunch and ask them about their job.
- Look into free educational opportunities offered by library associations
-- there are a lot of free webinars and other online learning opportunities
available.
- Read blogs written by librarians, follow them on social media and join
the conversation.