I Work In a Library, But I'm Not a Librarian Study Notes

Introduction to Library Staff Roles

  • Misconceptions about library staff

    • Common assumption: Everyone who works at a library is a librarian.

    • Reality: Most staff members are not librarians but perform essential roles in libraries.

Personal Experience in Libraries

  • Speaker Introduction

    • Incident: Introduced as a librarian by a friend at a party.

    • Intent to clarify: Speaker mentioned they are not a librarian despite working in a library.

    • Appearance: Wear glasses, read a lot, and often seen in a cardigan, aligning with librarian stereotypes.

Definition of a Librarian

  • Professional background

    • Definition: A librarian is a trained professional in information science.

    • Educational requirement: Usually holds a Master's Degree in Library Science.

    • Community discussion: Ongoing debates in library Facebook groups regarding the necessity of a Master’s degree.

Speaker's Role in the Library

  • Speaker's job title: Event Planner in a metropolitan library system.

  • Responsibilities of an Event Planner

    • Coordinate, facilitate, and promote events specifically for adults across the library system's branches.

    • Other duties: Creating digital content related to events.

    • Event types: Author events, writing workshops, cooking and fitness classes, lectures, crafts, movie showings, parenting classes, community conversations, etc.

Library Staff Composition

  • Overview of roles in library systems

    • Smaller libraries: Responsibilities of event planning might be combined with librarian duties.

    • Larger library systems: Segregation of roles, event planners are distinct from librarians.

    • Hierarchical structure: Four event planners in the speaker’s department, none are librarians.

  • Interaction with patrons

    • Most public interactions are with clerks or shelvers (not librarians).

    • Example situations:

    • Checking out books

    • Locating books or facilities

    • Reserving computers

Phone Interactions

  • Library system's phone answering

    • Staff answering calls are knowledgeable but not classified as librarians.

  • Internally-focused librarians

    • 25% of non-manager librarians in large libraries don’t interact with the public; focus on collection development.

Other Departments in Libraries

  • Breakdown of additional support roles in libraries

    • Roles that may not be filled by librarians in smaller libraries but are covered in larger systems include:

    • IT departments

    • Book processing

    • Facility maintenance

    • Custodial work

    • Marketing and website management

    • Technology training

    • Human resources

Challenges in Public Perception

  • Misunderstandings about library roles

    • Common confusion when patrons refer to various staff as "librarians."

    • Lack of identifiable name tags and differentiation between staff roles.

    • Importance of clarity in roles for public understanding.

Personal Attachments and Professional Identity

  • Implications of role confusion

    • Emotional impact on librarians and support staff regarding policy decision influence, budgeting, and pay rates.

    • Acknowledgment of specialized skills held by librarians that society often undervalues.

Conclusion

  • Speaker’s stance on professional identification

    • Emphasis on the importance of distinguishing between different library staff roles.

    • Clarification to others: "I work in a library, but I'm not a librarian."