Monday, September 22, 2008

Status of the Profession

According to the 2008-2009 Occupational Outlook Handbook http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm “employment of librarians is expected to grow by 4 percent between 2006 and 2016” as a large number of librarians will reach the age of retirement, as more than 2 out of 3 will be over the age of 45 years old. Although factors such as the increased use of technology and the potential decrease in public and governmental funds may impact the hiring of in certain sectors, there is a continued need for librarians in educational environments and in the private sectors. We have decided to look at several factors that can impact the status of the profession. The areas we are focusing on include retirement and MLIS graduation rates, non-traditional staff members in the library setting and how the use of para-professionals impacts the librarian status, and the ever-lingering librarian image problem. Non-Traditional librarians are quickly becoming a regular fixture in many professional settings.

One hot topic of discussion among librarians today is the aging of the librarian workforce and the apparent lack of replacements. A result of both the Baby Boomer generation nearing retirement age and the use of the MLIS degree in nontraditional careers, there has been talk of a severe shortage of librarians within the next decade. However, recent information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook suggests otherwise. Librarianship is expected to grow at 4% between 2006 and 2016, slower than average for the job market as a whole. It is true that a large number of current librarians are preparing to retire in the next decade or two, but there have actually been recent increases in enrollments in MLS programs. Additionally, traditional librarian jobs may actually be decreasing with technological advances and increased user independence, although jobs in nontraditional settings will grow the fastest. Perhaps there is less reason to be worried than previously thought.

The PALINET Leadership Network, a network designed to foster communication among library leaders, conducted a peer panel on this subject in May 2006 ( http://pln.palinet.org/wiki/index.php/Impending_librarian_shortage:_Real_or_not%3F ). As future library leaders ourselves, I believe we can contribute to this discussion in our own forum on this blog. Please post your own comments, concerns, or questions regarding this issue that will potentially affect us more than anyone else in the library profession.

Librarians, as professionals, are charged with numerous duties. This includes but is not limited to circulation, reference, collection development and weeding, technical service work such as cataloguing and administrative oversight such as budget, grant, and fundraising along with performing many other library operations. With increasing budget constraints, increased cost of benefits, increased use of technology sources combined with high retirement rates of current librarians, many libraries and library boards are increasing the amount of paraprofessionals and technology available. This has created a shift in job duties, as librarians have redefined themselves to fulfill new roles. How do you think the increased presence of paraprofessionals affects the roles and duties of a Librarian with an MLIS?

Christine Schutz (2005), as a graduate with an MLS, remarks on her new appointment, “Now the only professional librarian at the college (which has about 800 students), I have a staff of three with over 30 years of combined library experience and a willingness to get their hands dirty” (p. 50). These non-degreed workers have begun to adopt the moniker of Paralibrarian (daSilva 2005). More and more with deteriorating budgets, the Paralibrarian is assuming traditionally held degreed librarian tasks in order to keep an information organization running smoothly, but receive lower salaries and respect for doing the same work as that of a degreed librarian (Kutzik 2005).

As new graduates with either an MLS or MLIS assume managerial positions within an information organization’s hierarchy it is important to be aware that many of the individuals working for the library will be Paralibrarians. Decisions must be made in regard to the treatment of Paralibrarians within any given working environment. In Jennifer Kutzik’s article, “Are You the Librarian?” (2005) she interviews Irene Shown, a Paralibrarian working for New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, who laments, “You don’t get paid for the work you do – it’s very demoralizing… Even after 20 years, I don’t make what an entry-level librarian starts at” (Does Loyalty Pay? section, para. 2). Respect for colleagues and regard for long term peers is essential in a cohesive, productive working environment. A paradox has arisen in the recognition due those persons who achieve educational success and those persons who have vital working experience within the same information organization for extended amounts of time. Each brings with them invaluable knowledge and know how, but how each group is perceived by society and working colleagues is vastly different. Ultimately, as information professionals, it is most important to determine to employ individuals who will provide the best service to library patrons.

Shhhhhh! I am conjuring up an image of a librarian… What do you see? A man in a business suit? Oh, I know…. a woman smiling with a fabulous hairstyle wearing the latest fashion? Were they shushing? Or providing a valuable service? In 1946, the classic movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” hit the big screen. The main character George is taken back to what life would be like if he did not exist. One snippet revealed that his girlfriend, Mary, would be reduced to a sad- looking librarian and an old maid, too! Flash forward fifty-five years to the Hogwart’s librarian, Miss Pince. She is described in this way,” a thin, irritable woman who looks like an underfed vulture.” (Wikipedia) The New York Times reports that 1.33 million Harry Potter books are in print. That is true mass marketing. And even Wikipedia has turned on us, further stating,” From the very little description of who she is, we can guess that she is very impatient, and stereotypically we would guess her to have small glasses on her nose, which would probably be pointy.” These stereotypes of the librarian’s image run rampant in books, movies, television and in the minds of people around the world. But does this frequent and long-running negative imagery have an impact on us or our profession? Will it actually influence our children’s feelings towards librarians and/or libraries? Rachel Singer Gordon has an interesting take on this topic: Find Your Image Between the Extremes. Perhaps you believe the stereotyping of librarians needs to be challenged; in which case what steps could be taken to change the view of libraries and the profession?

References
daSilva, A. (2005). We are the Paralibrarians.(Letters and Comments)(Letter to the Editor). American Libraries, 36(4), 28(21).
Kutzik, J. S. (2005). Are you the librarian? The face of quality library service depends on drawing a wider circle in our profession.(Cover Story). American Libraries, 36(3), 32(33).
Schutz, C. (2005). Making the big decisions.(a young librarian's reorganization of an academic library; narrative). Library Journal, 130(12), 50(51).

18 comments:

Liz Drewek said...

I have heard a lot of comments on how a librarian is supposed to look. It has been mentioned, in jest, to me that I will need a whole new wardrobe full of ankle length skirts, cardigans, and sensible shoes to go along with the glasses perched on the end of my nose and my hair in a bun.

When I tell people I am going to be a librarian they look at me as if I have 2 heads. They ask, "Why would you want to do THAT?!?" I always answer, "Because I love books and learnind and I want to help others nourish their own love of these things or help them to discover it." I think that as a profession we will have to work hard to overcome the stereotypes that are associated with our field but I don't know if that is ever going to be possible. People still think of nurses and secretaries as being female and if a man fills one of those roles he is looked upon as unsusual. I think one way we can work to undermine this stereotype is to present ourselves as professionals and show people through our actions that we aren't what they think we are.

Lambchop said...

Bravo, group one! I am especially interested in your report on the roles played by paraprofessionals, that they do the same work as an information professional, without the degree and for less money. I wonder, how similar is this to immigrants who work in the United States for less money and, thus, remove job opportunities from Americans with higher necessity-based standards of pay? Paraprofessionals and information technicians pose a direct threat to future (that's us) and current librarians. Rather than focus on how to maintain a healthy work environment through respect for your coworkers, MLIS students and librarians should be concerned with differentiating themselves as professionals from the house-keeping roles of information technicians and paraprofessionals, for the sake of getting their time and money's worth as professionally trained individuals.

Lambchop said...

I want to add, concerning librarians' reputations, my experience confirms group one's report of the irritable, decrepitating old woman with specs on the tip of her nose - this image has been engrained in my mind as the stereotypical librarian. She often is perceived as being better than everyone. I believe, as an aspiring information professional, that the information profession/al does surpass the elements (historical, philosophical, existential) of our time. My appeal to the profession has also been a hyperbolism, where I am surrounded by stacks of books, directing awkward patrons without looking up, my nose in a book of choice. We need to ask ourselves what our appeal is or once was to librarianship; I think most of us might find a spec of superiority in our vision of world-wide information control, organization and access (right in the palm of our hands!). What is wrong with assuming the authority librarians have as professionals of knowledge?

Anonymous said...

Liz summed up what I was feeling as well. I find it interesting the first blog post mentioned the "It's a Wonderful Life" character of Mary, the librarian. I've always hated that movie's stereotype and it was on my mind when I was looking over the power point slides. I too have had my family and friends do a double-take when I told them what I was planning on being!

The link to Gordon's article was quite interesting to read as well!

MG said...

Librarians can change the way they are viewed by interacting with their patrons. The caricatures in the media, as you so greatly mentioned, portray librarians as people that distance themselves from clientele demonstrated by their hushing sounds or disapproving looks. The poor representations stem from the librarians’ emphasis on the materials rather than the people. There should be a shift from a bibliographic paradigm to one that revolves around the public. Librarians must get involved with their communities. A good example is the Detroit Public Library’s H.Y.P.E program where teens can interact with librarians in fun ways rather than receiving dry instruction. Programs that consist of a librarian’s interaction with the public in a less authoritative manner helps chisel away at the negative images of the past.

Nate Palmer said...

The library profession has had a lot of negativity especially with stereotypes. I have been reading Rachel Singers book “Nextgen Librarians,” she mentioned how that many next generation librarians are reluctant to say they are librarians, because they feel that they will not be taken seriously. She also wrote about how there are stereotypes within the profession. Younger librarians see older librarians as unwilling to change, and older librarians see younger librarians as wanting to change everything. I think that we need to start working together and learn from one another and to put aside our stereotypes—this will help us to combat over the stereotypes that the world sees.

Nate Palmer said...

I know that one other issue that was brought up was the aging population of the librarian workforce and the lack of replacements. It was mentioned that the Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook expects the profession to grow about 4% within the next few years. I really wonder if that is true. With budget cuts and a poor economy, it seems like libraries are hit the hardest. Some libraries have had to cut back even close their doors. I hope that communities realize the importance of a library and the information that can be obtained from them.

Orion Hazard said...

I too receive varied responses when I tell people that I am getting a master’s degree in library science. My husband thinks I am crazy and that library jobs will be a thing of the past within 10-20 years. He feels that the increasing use of technology and the decrease in people requiring help with on-line research will result in many jobs being staffed by paraprofessionals or simple cut from the budget.

Others often say, “Wow, I didn’t realize that you needed a master’s degree to be a librarian!” Someone even said to me once that she thought it was “stupid” to have to have a master’s degree to be a librarian. She felt she could do the job just as well with a high school degree.

Because I am a high school librarian, and I must maintain a valid teaching license for my job, my decision to obtain my MLIS degree was to broaden my opportunities if I ever decided to make the change from being a teacher or media specialist to being a professional librarian. I can’t imagine that a MLIS won’t be beneficial at some point down my career road.

Somehow I think we are in for a change that perhaps some have expected. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next decade. Here are links to 2 articles that I saw online regarding the recent changes after budget cuts for the City of Mesa Public School District and what this means for their school library media specialists. Taken from eschoolnews and azcentral.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/news-by-subject/index.cfm?i=55239

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2008/09/02/20080902librarians0902.html

Beth Williams said...

Library operations are becoming increasingly technological, and I think librarians will inevitably be required to step up their role in managing the technical aspects of operations, such as maintaining databases, digital storage, copyright law, digital information security, etc. Traditional responsibilities of acquisitions, cataloging, reference services maintaining holdings, etc. will likely shift to paraprofessionals. Katie Buller, states in the article entitled “Us versus Them: An Unscientific Assessment of Union and Nonunion Educational Benefits in Libraries," (Journal of Education for Library and Information Science states, Vol. 36, No. 1, January 1995, pp. 42-45.), “Some industry analysts believe that in the future, professional librarians will be found mostly in administrative positions, while paraprofessionals will perform tasks now associated with professional librarians.”


On a personal note, I am often subjected to the “us and them” attitude from degreed librarians. I work with an archivist who has a master’s degree and is a published author. The fact that I do not yet have a master’s degree does not prevent me from doing the same type of collections work that he does. In fact, I have more experience in many of the technical aspects of the job, but I am certainly not a threat to him or any of the other librarians on the job. In fact, a couple of them truly enjoy reminding me that I am not yet a “real librarian.” Perhaps that colors my perceptions of the issue at hand. I think it is unfortunate that restrictions keep paraprofessionals on a lower professional rung in terms of status, compensation, and promotion. Evolution in any profession is difficult, and I think that innovation in library services will make it essential to break the barriers created by the “us and them” attitude. It is a difficult situation for all involved. Just as professional librarians often feel the need to defend their honor in being called “librarian”, the term “paraprofessional” carries a somewhat negative connotation, even though they are often as knowledgeable as the degreed librarian. Why shouldn’t paraprofessionals be successfully integrated into the library environment? I do not condone doing away with professional librarians for the sake of cheaper labor (I plan to be professional librarian in the near future). I certainly agree that it is very important to respect the hard work and dedication that earning a master’s degree commands and our graduate education means that we will have a deeper intellectual understanding and commitment to the profession than some paraprofessionals might have. However, I think that it is short sighted to waste time shoring up the walls of the internal divide between professional librarians and paraprofessionals. Technological innovation is not slowing down, and I think that it is more important to realize the commitment to continuous learning the library profession demands, and figure out how we can work together to build and promote a future for the profession.

Beth Williams said...

Here are a couple of additional interesting resources on the topic of changes within the profession:

The Library Futures Quarterly. It was started by John Guscott to track technological, social, political, and economic changes that could affect public libraries and offer tools and strategies for systematically building a vibrant future for a public library. The Whole Digital Library Handbook (Kresh, 2007) explains Guscott’s Library Foresight System to “monitor changes in technologies, lifestyles, demographics, and community needs, to make sure libraries will meet community needs by being ready for the next new thing.”

Sharon Gray Weiner, “Resistance to Change in Libraries: Application of communication Theories,” Portal: Libraries and the Academy (January 2003) 69-78
Weiner talks about discontinuous change, which means that a “distinguishable break with past practices” has occurred. She says that “Those in the profession need to think about ways of transforming the library into an effective institution that will continue to play an important role in society. Libraries can survive in a world characterized by relentless change by adding value for the customer.”

Amy D said...

I've also gotten mixed comments when mentioning I was going for the LIS degree. People are not shy to question you as to why, or if they feel there's no need to get your masters...someone even told me once they were surprised I even needed much more than a highschool degree! I think the stereotypes of the musty old librarian come from our culture's lack of excitement over books and learning. The librarian must be anti-social because why else would they want to sit around reading books? If a librarian can create programs to help the community get excited about the library and what it can do, I think people's attitudes can change.

Barbara Hooker said...

A lot of great research and thought-provoking questions! I liked the mental imagery with the stereotypical librarian. Most interesting to me, however, was the discussion of the increased use of paraprofessionals in the library setting. I tend to agree with Beth William's assessment of the situation. In many other fields, experience often trumps the level of degree, or is considered at least as important. Being newcomers to the field after we earn our degrees, we are most likely going to be learning the ropes from these paraprofessionals.

As far as job security, I think that professional librarians with advanced degrees will always be necessary, even if in fewer numbers. But I also believe that we will be in administrative positions and less hands-on with patrons than librarians typically are now. But I agree that paraprofessionals in the library system should have the opportunity to advance in their field and be compensated for their experience and dedication. Technology has broken down many barriers in corporations already and it's time for libraries to catch up.

Carin Monticello said...

It has been very refreshing reading through these posts that I’m not alone in receiving these types of strange reactions from people when I tell them I’m returning to school and will be working towards my master’s degree in Library and Information Science. One reaction I received was someone asking me what exactly I would do with that degree. While I was surprised with that reaction, it made me think that a lot of people may not fully understand the profession. It seems like most stereotypes develop when something unfamiliar to a group of people. Since many stereotypes of librarians depict an old, unfashionable, unfriendly, woman, I think it is important for those of us going into the field to really throw ourselves out there. Reaching out not only to the patrons that visit the library, but also reaching out to the community in hopes of touching someone who may have previously shied away.

Tracy Carlton said...

One of the references used in the blog discussed the term "paralibrarian" (daSilva 2005). I can fully understand that concept as someone who essentially fills that role. The key is to get to the next level - Management - a MLIS degree is necessary. As the Boomer generation begins to reach the retirement age, there will be jobs in the critical area of management. This is where the theory is relevant, and decisions are made on different scale.

So overall, I think the librarian profession is going to be more administrative/managerial, especially considering the choice between funding for technology versus employees. It sometimes comes down to a choice: 1 Circulation Librarian and 1 database or 1 electronic service OR 2 circulation clerks and 1 database or 1 electronic service.

Alicia Dyer said...

In thinking about stereotypes of librarians, I cannot help but think that these are furthered, at least in part, by images we see in movies in television. So I started to think back on librarians I remember seeing in movies. I thought of two, okay, three if you think that two were in the same movie. So the first librarian image that came to my mind was the movie Ghostbusters. You probably remember the sweet, old librarian who was scared in the beginning. Okay, she is old and seemed timid aside from screaming. Do you remember the actual library ghost though? It was exactly the same image described by our host bloggers-the older woman, hair in a bun, with these Little House clothes. Interesting. Then I thought of another librarian in a movie. Complete opposite. The movie is Major League and the librarian in that movie is played by Renee Russo. So of course she is beautiful, attractive, young in appearance. She is also assertive. You might remember her screaming at Tom Berrenger's character about having a better body than the woman he cheated on her with. I found a link on an article actually discussing the stereotypes of librarians in movies: http://wings.buffalo.edu/publications/mcjrnl/v1n1/image.html

Interestingly, the article points out that there are indeed librarians that do not fit this sort of sterotypical image with have come to associate with librarians.

Also interesting to me is the fact that this topic coincides with paraprofessionals. If our staff that are serving the public live up to these stereotypes in some way (quiet, inaccessible, look to busy to help) and the librarian is not getting out there to meet the needs of the clientele, I think there is a good chance for the stereotype to continue.

That being said, I don't know how much we can expect from paraprofessionals. It is true they earn less and get dumped on a lot of the time. It is similar for paraprofessionals in the legal field. I had the thought that perhaps there me be some socio-economic underpinnings for the treatment of paraprofessionals-there is an assumption that they lack a 7 year degree (not always true). But I would just have to say with more money comes more problems. When it comes time to face the piper or make on-the-spot decisions that are going to have consequences no matter what, that it when you realize the need for the professional as opposed to a para-professional. For the record, I find it important to treat all members of the staff with respect, regardless of their position, pay scale, or education. I feel we can all work together better that way.

Jeehan said...

In reading what this group wrote as well as reading other sources I found it extremely interesting that many students in MLIS programs are older than their 30's.In an article from arl.org the following was said,
"The low number of younger people is also associated with the unusually high age of library and information studies students relative to those in other professional programs." This was something that I never thought of. I assumed that most students of a MLIS program would be in their mid 20's to late 30's at the oldest. I was wrong. One reason they mentioned was that was, " Career choice is a complex matter, but money is one compelling explanation of why librarianship might be attractive to those in mid-life and relatively unattractive to young people." I do not agree with this because to me, I do not see librarians as making a lot of money. That is one reason that Librarianship is not viewed as a prestigious career. I know that the difference in salary is not great between having a teaching degree and a MLIS degree. Or maybe I should be specific I would not be making that much more compared to a refernce librarian or a Media Specialist. Does anyone agree? Disagree?


http://www.arl.org/resources/pubs/mmproceedings/127mmwilder.shtml

JimV said...

On the topics of traditional vs. non-traditional librarian jobs: the BLS projections can be further "mined" to see what industries the job growth will occur in. Most of the growth in librarian jobs between 2006 - 2016 is expected to occur in:
- Elementary and secondary schools (+3402 jobs, or +5.4%)
- Local government (+467 jobs, or +1.1%)
- Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions (+264 jobs, or +36.2%)
- Health care (+198 jobs, or +11.4%)

...which might be considered traditional librarian positions. However, there is also more modest job growth in a variety of industries which strike me as less-traditional, including:
- Professional, scientific, and technical services (+599 jobs, or +18.3%)
- Religious, grantmaking, civic and professional organizations (+256 jobs, or +18.5%)
- Administrative and support services (+196 jobs, or +28.6%)

I thought it odd that the one clearly non-traditional field cited in the BLS survey had a projection of job shrinkage between 2006-2016:
- Internet and other information services (-82 jobs, or -1.4%)

Meghan said...

I am not concerned with typecasting when it comes to this profession. I may not look like a stereotypical librarian, but I can perform as one. I really believe that is all that counts.