My local public library system, Pima County Public Library, has recently proposed shrinking the downtown library and closing branches due to “chronic staffing shortages and financial strain.” The draft proposal is worth reading; it describes the challenges public libraries have been facing from an expansion of duties, the rising cost of materials, a customer base under extreme distress, and a (long-anticipated) national shortfall of librarians:
Since 2020 the profession has seen a tidal wave of retirements and people leaving the profession as part of the “Great Resignation” as the crisis of need in libraries escalates. By 2023, only 146,552 librarians remained, a loss of 44,955 over five years. There is also an additional level of challenge with librarian positions and hiring. Unlike some library positions that do not require a Masters of Library Science (MLS), librarian positions often do have that requirement, so the potential for recruitment is limited to those who have an MLS. At a time when we need more people to do the same work safely and effectively in libraries, we have fewer staff and less institutional knowledge than ever before, as well as a smaller pool from which to hire.
During the same year I moved myself to Tucson, I had to move two relatives into senior facilities. I took over as POA for both, sold their homes, and handled all their other paperwork. Needless to say, wrangling with all the private and public entities required to move all three of us left me tearing my hair out. Almost nothing went smoothly, and my inquiries were often routed to call centers in the Philippines. I can’t imagine how much worse things will get if those call centers transition to AI. As it is, voice recognition almost never works for me, and I inevitably end up yelling into the phone, “AGENT. AGENT. AGENT. GET ME AN AGENT.” Last year Tara Henley published a piece that captured my frustration well.
With two-factor authentification requirements and the like, I don’t know how various people (the elderly, immigrants, people with limited access to technology, etc.) manage. In-person assistance is desperately needed to help people navigate rapid technological change, and libraries are one of the few entities that can provide it.
During my year of turmoil, the Pima County Public Library System was a bright spot. The staff at my local branch was always helpful and friendly. I was in there often, scanning and printing documents. It is a small branch with several computers and a small book collection, but it suited my needs. I could easily place books on hold or order them through ILL and pick them up there. And while I am not in need of a cooling center, when it is 105 degrees outside, it is nice to have a place to go to escape your own four walls.
Because my branch is closed on Saturdays, I visited a larger branch this past weekend. It was bustling. Children were listening to stories in the youth area while adult patrons were using the computers, reading and studying, and browsing the shelves.
It sounds like from their report that PCPL is looking at redesigning services to match customer needs; I hope there is more rethinking of services than general curtailing of them. Some locations may be in greater need of staff that fall outside of degreed librarians. Regardless, libraries are one of the few places people can rely on during this period of crisisification.
Credentialism. It's a problem. In my opinion, it's one of the biggest problems with our public education system. Those who control the credentials control the narrative and those who distribute it. I was in public school in the sixties, before they had such a thing. The quality of my teachers ranged widely. But the best of them - the very best of them - would never in a million years be found in a public education environment today. They didn't have the credentials. I'm talking about the kind of teachers that are so good - so inspiring - that it changes the direction of your aspirations and makes you rise to challenges to be much better than you had any idea you could be.
I was triggered in your article about shortage of library staff, when you said that in most cases librarians had to have a masters degree these days. I am retired and we moved from the west coast to Florida recently, to be near our daughter. I have a lot of time on my hands. One of the first things I did was check in with the local library, offering to volunteer. Surely, a retired mathematician and engineer could be useful for something, I thought. Not really. I lack the proper training for the openings they have. And - maybe I'm projecting here - but, while I maintain a strict passively apolitical public face, I got the impression that they are really hoping for younger help more aligned with their politics. Older people are probably risky in that way.
We have two library systems available to me here. The county system and the city library (I have cards at both). After reading Mulhern's article of a few weeks ago I wrote a query engine for both of them and ran his list of books with each. The county system (which has about ten locations) had about three times as many of the books in his list as the city library did (almost none of them). This was the list of books that conservatives think are being censored by librarians through purchase decisions. Conversely, when I ran the ALA's lists of both 10 and 100 most challenged books (presumably by right-wing fanatics), the city library had nearly all of them and the county library system was sparse. Seems to be a useful metric. And I found it amusing that based on this metric, the city library here in Florida is even more radical than our previous library on the outskirts of the metro-umbrella of Seattle (which was somewhere in between the two).
That was slightly off topic, but I think related in that libraries are in many cases subject to the same political capture that has been going on in all our institutions, and because of it, they are losing the interest of at least half the population, which, of course, includes who applies for jobs at them.
The MLIS requirement has been under question for all sorts of reasons over the decades but more recently due to equity reasons. I cover that debate in the piece I linked to at the bottom. My feeling is that the degree requirement has a purpose for librarians but that libraries could use a variety of staff outside of credentialed librarians now due to all the different roles they are filling. You should offer to start a chess club at your library! I would love to have one near me (the one branch that has one is a long drive away).
I can’t believe that, given your professional credentials, your local library wouldn’t even take you on as a volunteer. Obviously not knowing all the facts, that seems crazy to me on the surface. My advice would be to not give up, though. Someone with your passion and expertise would be a boon to most any public library and its patrons. My local public library almost suffers from the opposite problem, in my opinion. TOO MANY volunteers!🤣 Good luck and stay positive.
In my state, volunteers cannot duplicate the labor of civil service employees. What they can do is work with the Friends of the Library groups, who do all kinds of things from running fundraisers to producing newsletters/blogs/social media posts to planting a community garden.
Another thing to keep in mind is that supervising volunteers is work--which may involve training, scheduling, oversight, and evaluation, to a greater or lesser degree. In a library with a staffing shortage, this may not be a priority.
Credentialism. It's a problem. In my opinion, it's one of the biggest problems with our public education system. Those who control the credentials control the narrative and those who distribute it. I was in public school in the sixties, before they had such a thing. The quality of my teachers ranged widely. But the best of them - the very best of them - would never in a million years be found in a public education environment today. They didn't have the credentials. I'm talking about the kind of teachers that are so good - so inspiring - that it changes the direction of your aspirations and makes you rise to challenges to be much better than you had any idea you could be.
I was triggered in your article about shortage of library staff, when you said that in most cases librarians had to have a masters degree these days. I am retired and we moved from the west coast to Florida recently, to be near our daughter. I have a lot of time on my hands. One of the first things I did was check in with the local library, offering to volunteer. Surely, a retired mathematician and engineer could be useful for something, I thought. Not really. I lack the proper training for the openings they have. And - maybe I'm projecting here - but, while I maintain a strict passively apolitical public face, I got the impression that they are really hoping for younger help more aligned with their politics. Older people are probably risky in that way.
We have two library systems available to me here. The county system and the city library (I have cards at both). After reading Mulhern's article of a few weeks ago I wrote a query engine for both of them and ran his list of books with each. The county system (which has about ten locations) had about three times as many of the books in his list as the city library did (almost none of them). This was the list of books that conservatives think are being censored by librarians through purchase decisions. Conversely, when I ran the ALA's lists of both 10 and 100 most challenged books (presumably by right-wing fanatics), the city library had nearly all of them and the county library system was sparse. Seems to be a useful metric. And I found it amusing that based on this metric, the city library here in Florida is even more radical than our previous library on the outskirts of the metro-umbrella of Seattle (which was somewhere in between the two).
That was slightly off topic, but I think related in that libraries are in many cases subject to the same political capture that has been going on in all our institutions, and because of it, they are losing the interest of at least half the population, which, of course, includes who applies for jobs at them.
The MLIS requirement has been under question for all sorts of reasons over the decades but more recently due to equity reasons. I cover that debate in the piece I linked to at the bottom. My feeling is that the degree requirement has a purpose for librarians but that libraries could use a variety of staff outside of credentialed librarians now due to all the different roles they are filling. You should offer to start a chess club at your library! I would love to have one near me (the one branch that has one is a long drive away).
Great advice!🤙
I can’t believe that, given your professional credentials, your local library wouldn’t even take you on as a volunteer. Obviously not knowing all the facts, that seems crazy to me on the surface. My advice would be to not give up, though. Someone with your passion and expertise would be a boon to most any public library and its patrons. My local public library almost suffers from the opposite problem, in my opinion. TOO MANY volunteers!🤣 Good luck and stay positive.
In my state, volunteers cannot duplicate the labor of civil service employees. What they can do is work with the Friends of the Library groups, who do all kinds of things from running fundraisers to producing newsletters/blogs/social media posts to planting a community garden.
Another thing to keep in mind is that supervising volunteers is work--which may involve training, scheduling, oversight, and evaluation, to a greater or lesser degree. In a library with a staffing shortage, this may not be a priority.
Self-inflicted. I looked into library jobs not long ago, and the requirements are ridiculous.