So, today is my three-year blogiversary.
I've explored the library industry, and reflected on my own personal experiences in various sectors. And as much as I enjoy rambling and occasionally ranting about libraries, I feel like I've pretty much said everything that there is to say here.
I've reached my destination. It's not quite where I expected to be, three years ago (although I would love to quit librarianship and become a folk singer). However, I feel like I've said everything that needs to be said about being a new librarian.
And so, it's time for a new direction. I need to challenge myself a bit more with my blogging and writing. Talking about libraries is easy for me. It's everything else in the world that's hard. I'll be trying to make sense of it all in my new blog, Mr Begin-Again.
But, for all of you loyal bibliophiliac readers, fear not! I have also joined the team at Libraries Interact, and will be contributing semi-regular library-related posts there. I couldn't give up biblioblogging completely!
And so, dear readers, thankyou. Especially those of you who have been reading all the way from the start. It's been fun!
I'll see you all on the other side (of the reference desk).
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Careering into the future...
The time has come, once again, for another Library Careers evening, which will be held at the State Library of Victoria, on May 25th, from 5:30 to 7pm. I was there last year, wearing my ALIA New Graduates Group convenor hat, and I plan to be there again this year. It was an excellent opportunity to chat to members of the public, and offer some advice and insight to those who would consider becoming a librarian.
So, in an effort to polish up my elevator pitch to future librarians, here is some advice that I would give to a prospective information profession:
1. Learn something else first. Librarianship is an excellent second profession. So you're a qualified teacher / architect / lawyer / nurse / engineer, but your heart's not in it anymore? Perfect! Get your MLIS, and there's a guaranteed job waiting for you, where you won't have to work overtime. For the Arts and Science Graduates, librarianship is the perfect profession for somebody with a generalist tertiary education. However, I would NOT recommend librarianship for school leavers. You need to find and develop your passion first, before you put it into the context of library work.
2. It's an ageing profession. This means a few things. Firstly, when you apply for jobs, you'll be up against 30 and 40 somethings, who might have much more experience than you. Especially if you're in your mid-20s. So you might have a challenge getting a permanent job. (It took me ten months last year after relocating to Melbourne). It also means that you might have to deal with being generationally isolated in the workplace, so be aware of this. It can be hard. The upside, though, is that if you start young, you'll be sure to go a long way once you do the hard yards.
3. It's not just all about books. There are plenty of people who still do not realise this. However, it's also not notabout books. Anybody who tries to tell you that the age of books in libraries is over is quite mistaken. If you're a literary fanatic, librarianship can still be very much your idea of a dream job.
4. You won't be in it for the money. However, the salary is more than sufficient to live comfortably. And really, in the scheme of things, librarianship can offer some excellent work conditions. There's something very zen about working in a library, I find. When I'm feeling a little anxious, I can wander the shelves, and I feel okay again.
5. Finally, librarianship is simply a qualification, recognising a particular set of skills. The thing that will make it awesome is YOU. Ignore everything that anybody says about stereotypes of conservative shushers and shy bookworms, or self-proclaimed knowledge superheroes and information freedom-fighters. You don't have to be any of these things. But the great thing about librarianship is that it can also give you opportunities to work your strengths and shine in the community for the awesome person that you are. And we're a pretty diverse bunch.
So, that's what I'll be telling people. What kind of advice would you offer to somebody who was considering becoming a librarian?
So, in an effort to polish up my elevator pitch to future librarians, here is some advice that I would give to a prospective information profession:
1. Learn something else first. Librarianship is an excellent second profession. So you're a qualified teacher / architect / lawyer / nurse / engineer, but your heart's not in it anymore? Perfect! Get your MLIS, and there's a guaranteed job waiting for you, where you won't have to work overtime. For the Arts and Science Graduates, librarianship is the perfect profession for somebody with a generalist tertiary education. However, I would NOT recommend librarianship for school leavers. You need to find and develop your passion first, before you put it into the context of library work.
2. It's an ageing profession. This means a few things. Firstly, when you apply for jobs, you'll be up against 30 and 40 somethings, who might have much more experience than you. Especially if you're in your mid-20s. So you might have a challenge getting a permanent job. (It took me ten months last year after relocating to Melbourne). It also means that you might have to deal with being generationally isolated in the workplace, so be aware of this. It can be hard. The upside, though, is that if you start young, you'll be sure to go a long way once you do the hard yards.
3. It's not just all about books. There are plenty of people who still do not realise this. However, it's also not notabout books. Anybody who tries to tell you that the age of books in libraries is over is quite mistaken. If you're a literary fanatic, librarianship can still be very much your idea of a dream job.
4. You won't be in it for the money. However, the salary is more than sufficient to live comfortably. And really, in the scheme of things, librarianship can offer some excellent work conditions. There's something very zen about working in a library, I find. When I'm feeling a little anxious, I can wander the shelves, and I feel okay again.
5. Finally, librarianship is simply a qualification, recognising a particular set of skills. The thing that will make it awesome is YOU. Ignore everything that anybody says about stereotypes of conservative shushers and shy bookworms, or self-proclaimed knowledge superheroes and information freedom-fighters. You don't have to be any of these things. But the great thing about librarianship is that it can also give you opportunities to work your strengths and shine in the community for the awesome person that you are. And we're a pretty diverse bunch.
So, that's what I'll be telling people. What kind of advice would you offer to somebody who was considering becoming a librarian?
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Where does advocacy lie...?
Public libraries in the US are closing or having their funding slashed at a rate I find horrifying. And those of you in special libraries will still remember the debacle of the (US) EPA library closures several years ago. Contrast that to the WA good news story of last week. Unrelenting campaigning by Labor and local libraries saw the Government restore the 40 per cent funding cuts it made to last year’s libraries budget.
What makes the difference between folding and flourishing? Advocacy!
ALIA are soon to run sessions in Australia's major cities, entitled "Every member an advocate", designed to give practical skills to advocate for both the library and the profession.
Personally, I think this is a great initiative, responding to the feedback from members that ALIA could provide more in the way of advocacy services. I think it's vitally important for every librarian to have their own personal "Elevator Pitch" down to an art. Part of being a professional is about knowing where one's strengths lie, and being able to sell their services.
But, when I read the above statement about the closure of libraries, and how lobbying from public libraries has helped restore funding in some instances, it really makes me wonder:
Are librarians really the most appropriate people to advocate for libraries?
I mean, if there is the perception in the community that there is lack of relevance and value in the services that libraries provide, then it would appear very much like librarians are simply serving their own interests by advocating for libraries. After all, libraries keep them in a job, and provide them with a professional status.
Whereas, the most powerful advocate that a library can really have is its community - the people whom the library serve. Libraries need to provide a service that the community as a whole feels is absolutely vital. The kind of service that evokes a personal and emotional connection to its constituents. The kind of service that they will miss and ask questions about in the case of budget cuts.
And it's here where librarians are vital in fostering advocacy in the community. By providing an awesome service, and pointing the community in the right direction when the service gets cut, and they demand an explanation. But they need to want it first.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
The end of librarianship...
So, after three years of blogging about librarians and libraries, how do I feel about my journey as a new librarian? What does being a librarian mean to me and the people around me? How has it changed?
In the first 20 months of working in public libraries, I was pretty much obsessed with that moment of "becoming" a librarian. I studied by correspondence on top of full-time work, and as much as I hated the stress of it all, there was the motivation of gaining my qualification and being an accredited professional.
In the following three and a half years, I've been intensely proud of my profession. It's something I've promoted as being innovative and on the cutting-edge of information and communication technology. I've explored the worlds of academic, public, state, and school libraries. I've voiced my strong opinions on filtering, censorship, and copyright issues, using my qualification as a librarian as my voice of authority on the issue.
Over the last few years, my career has been everything to me. Every major decision I've made has been for the sake of progressing my experience as a librarian. I took a major risk moving to Darwin for a job, and I still don't know if the time I spent there was worthwhile. I could be on a working holiday in the UK or Canada right now, but I chose to stick it out, and watched my 30th year fly past, knowing that I was better off staying put for the sake of my career.
My career always came first, because the very idea of being a librarian was important to me. I wanted to be accomplished as possible as a library and information professional, because I felt that it was at the heart of my very identity. I was a librarian.
So, here I am, in a job that I've worked towards for the last five years. It's the job that I've dreamed of. And all I can think is "Is this it? Is this all there is for me?"
And it's recently hit me. The realisation:
I am not my career.
Why?
Because librarianship in itself is not important. Not at all.
Librarianship as a profession is merely a means. The ends are what are important. And it's these ends that are different for many librarians.
For some, it might be about exploring technology, developing databases, working with children, working with the elderly, working with academics, engaging in a particular industry, being a control freak, or it might be plain old "just a job" that one doesn't necessarily invest emotional attachment to, and is purely a financial source so that they can support family, or personal passions.
For me, personally, it's about enriching communities, creating social equality, freedom of thought and expression, celebrating literature, fostering a love of reading and learning, and just generally making the world a more enjoyable one to live in.
I've come to realise that it is these things that are important to me, and not librarianship itself. In fact, I don't even have to BE a librarian to achieve these things. It's just that librarianship is the currently a fulfilling way to do this. It's what I'm doing right now.
But will I always be a librarian? I doubt it. Life is short enough, and there are plenty of other avenues ahead that still lie unexplored. For all its general appeal, the library industry has many frustrating barriers and limitations, and once I've found my own feet, I shall find a better way of achieving the things I want to do with my life.
Because, one day, once all libraries are gone, there will still remain the dreams on which libraries were built. And on those dreams will be something even more glorious and inspiring.
In the first 20 months of working in public libraries, I was pretty much obsessed with that moment of "becoming" a librarian. I studied by correspondence on top of full-time work, and as much as I hated the stress of it all, there was the motivation of gaining my qualification and being an accredited professional.
In the following three and a half years, I've been intensely proud of my profession. It's something I've promoted as being innovative and on the cutting-edge of information and communication technology. I've explored the worlds of academic, public, state, and school libraries. I've voiced my strong opinions on filtering, censorship, and copyright issues, using my qualification as a librarian as my voice of authority on the issue.
Over the last few years, my career has been everything to me. Every major decision I've made has been for the sake of progressing my experience as a librarian. I took a major risk moving to Darwin for a job, and I still don't know if the time I spent there was worthwhile. I could be on a working holiday in the UK or Canada right now, but I chose to stick it out, and watched my 30th year fly past, knowing that I was better off staying put for the sake of my career.
My career always came first, because the very idea of being a librarian was important to me. I wanted to be accomplished as possible as a library and information professional, because I felt that it was at the heart of my very identity. I was a librarian.
So, here I am, in a job that I've worked towards for the last five years. It's the job that I've dreamed of. And all I can think is "Is this it? Is this all there is for me?"
And it's recently hit me. The realisation:
I am not my career.
Why?
Because librarianship in itself is not important. Not at all.
Librarianship as a profession is merely a means. The ends are what are important. And it's these ends that are different for many librarians.
For some, it might be about exploring technology, developing databases, working with children, working with the elderly, working with academics, engaging in a particular industry, being a control freak, or it might be plain old "just a job" that one doesn't necessarily invest emotional attachment to, and is purely a financial source so that they can support family, or personal passions.
For me, personally, it's about enriching communities, creating social equality, freedom of thought and expression, celebrating literature, fostering a love of reading and learning, and just generally making the world a more enjoyable one to live in.
I've come to realise that it is these things that are important to me, and not librarianship itself. In fact, I don't even have to BE a librarian to achieve these things. It's just that librarianship is the currently a fulfilling way to do this. It's what I'm doing right now.
But will I always be a librarian? I doubt it. Life is short enough, and there are plenty of other avenues ahead that still lie unexplored. For all its general appeal, the library industry has many frustrating barriers and limitations, and once I've found my own feet, I shall find a better way of achieving the things I want to do with my life.
Because, one day, once all libraries are gone, there will still remain the dreams on which libraries were built. And on those dreams will be something even more glorious and inspiring.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Impending blogiversary...
I always get at least a little anxious in the time approaching my birthday. I find myself reflecting upon the previous year, and attempting to glean a sense of achievement since the last one. I also tend to reflect on my attitudes back then, and how they've changed with time.
So, in a couple of weeks, I'll be coming up to my third blogiversary for Librarian Idol. Yes, I've been writing this blog for three years, and it's interesting to look back over those years...
Back in the beginning, I made the statement:
This was made in the context of realising that librarians weren't seen as important or relevant within the various information industries, in spite of the inspiring and progressive work that many librarians were doing.
One year later, I was attending the CBCA Conference in Melbourne, and made the observation that
That week, I also debuted my cabaret show Librarian Idol at the Butterfly Club, to sold-out audiences (Okay, it was a 50-seat venue, but that's still GOOD). The premise of the show reflected my initial aim of this blog - put simply, "To return librarians to their respected place in society." It was very tongue-in-cheek, but also strangely earnest - the more that librarians try to take themselves too seriously, the more absurd they come across to people outside the industry. The sentiments expressed in the show were very honest, but in writing the show, I came to realise how flawed they actually were. You can't fight stereotypes, mostly because they're based on truth, and if you do want to change them, then perhaps you need to inspire and motivate those who perpetrate the stereotype in the first place by doing your job well. That's what I'd figured by then, anyway.
In the year that followed, I worked, for the most part, at the Northern Territory Library. It was here that I learnt exactly how awesome a good collection could be. I learnt how to use microfilm newspaper collections, perform local history and genealogy, and witnessed some innovative usage of the NTL space, for live performances, exhibitions, and lectures. It still remains to be the most stunningly beautiful places that I've worked in, purely because of the views of the tropical greenery and Darwin Harbour from the reference desk.
I blogged about awesome things I found in the library. I also started to realise that I didn't want to be in Darwin anymore. This opening quote from Love like water really said it all. Melbourne didn't feel like home anymore, but Darwin didn't feel like home yet. I felt the same way about jobs - I knew I was a librarian, but I didn't know where I belonged. I had a pretty good idea about the direction, though, especially when I was asked later that month to be a judge for the Inky Awards. I started to realise that, whilst librarianship was about having a set of particular skills and knowledge, it was also about attracting people to the collections, and inspiring them without them realising that they're being inspired. It's about developing them as readers and as an audience to our cultural heritage. And to do that, you need to eradicate all possible barriers, such as negativity, rules, complicated processes, or culturally elitist attitudes. The library should meet the needs of the user, rather than patronise the user by telling them what their needs really are. Inspire. Entertain. Discuss. Share. Enjoy.
And then, a year ago, I was back in Melbourne. It was obvious, one day, that the time had come to leave Darwin, and when I did, it felt right.
But more importantly, on my 2-year blogiversary, I made this statement about being a librarian. I was very proud of my profession, and felt that my career and my identity were one and the same thing.
Ironically, at that time I was actually working in a non-librarian role at the State Library of Victoria. It was refreshing to be working in a related area of work, but doing things that I would not have been able to do as a librarian. Similarly, my work at the City of Boroondara later that year, gave me further insight into the administrative side of public libraries. All of this certainly fleshed out my perspective on the library industry.
I also went on a trip to Vanuatu, visiting my friend Romany, and experiencing some good old traditional Melanesian culture.
Interestingly, after returning to Melbourne, I blogged far less frequently. I don't know if it's because I wasn't working as a librarian, or because I was too busy enjoying Melbourne - I suspect both played a part to these ends.
Finally, in December, I got my new School Manager job. And so, everything is different again, but strangely familiar. The library professional is still undervalued in the wider industry. It's still supposedly moving away from being "about books", and yet most libraries aren't resourced with impressive tech, and are generally full of books.
So, three years later, how do I feel about where I've come with this blog, and my own personal journey to finding my own professional identity as a librarian? Has the professional profile of librarians changed at all in the past three years? Will they ever change?
I'll answer these questions in my next post.
In the meantime, I will share this video that I made back in 2007 - my "vision" of libraries in 2010 (for a LINT competition in Library and Information Week). Did I get it vaguely right? Where did you think libraries would be in 2010?
So, in a couple of weeks, I'll be coming up to my third blogiversary for Librarian Idol. Yes, I've been writing this blog for three years, and it's interesting to look back over those years...
Back in the beginning, I made the statement:
I want to elevate the status of the librarian in society so that it takes its proper place as a recognised profession in information science, both within the wider information industry as well as within popular culture.
This was made in the context of realising that librarians weren't seen as important or relevant within the various information industries, in spite of the inspiring and progressive work that many librarians were doing.
One year later, I was attending the CBCA Conference in Melbourne, and made the observation that
"...we need to do more than just fight for teacher librarians. We need to *produce* teacher librarians to actually put into schools. I often thought about upgrading my qualification to teacher librarianship, but there just isn't any incentive..."
That week, I also debuted my cabaret show Librarian Idol at the Butterfly Club, to sold-out audiences (Okay, it was a 50-seat venue, but that's still GOOD). The premise of the show reflected my initial aim of this blog - put simply, "To return librarians to their respected place in society." It was very tongue-in-cheek, but also strangely earnest - the more that librarians try to take themselves too seriously, the more absurd they come across to people outside the industry. The sentiments expressed in the show were very honest, but in writing the show, I came to realise how flawed they actually were. You can't fight stereotypes, mostly because they're based on truth, and if you do want to change them, then perhaps you need to inspire and motivate those who perpetrate the stereotype in the first place by doing your job well. That's what I'd figured by then, anyway.
In the year that followed, I worked, for the most part, at the Northern Territory Library. It was here that I learnt exactly how awesome a good collection could be. I learnt how to use microfilm newspaper collections, perform local history and genealogy, and witnessed some innovative usage of the NTL space, for live performances, exhibitions, and lectures. It still remains to be the most stunningly beautiful places that I've worked in, purely because of the views of the tropical greenery and Darwin Harbour from the reference desk.
I blogged about awesome things I found in the library. I also started to realise that I didn't want to be in Darwin anymore. This opening quote from Love like water really said it all. Melbourne didn't feel like home anymore, but Darwin didn't feel like home yet. I felt the same way about jobs - I knew I was a librarian, but I didn't know where I belonged. I had a pretty good idea about the direction, though, especially when I was asked later that month to be a judge for the Inky Awards. I started to realise that, whilst librarianship was about having a set of particular skills and knowledge, it was also about attracting people to the collections, and inspiring them without them realising that they're being inspired. It's about developing them as readers and as an audience to our cultural heritage. And to do that, you need to eradicate all possible barriers, such as negativity, rules, complicated processes, or culturally elitist attitudes. The library should meet the needs of the user, rather than patronise the user by telling them what their needs really are. Inspire. Entertain. Discuss. Share. Enjoy.
And then, a year ago, I was back in Melbourne. It was obvious, one day, that the time had come to leave Darwin, and when I did, it felt right.
But more importantly, on my 2-year blogiversary, I made this statement about being a librarian. I was very proud of my profession, and felt that my career and my identity were one and the same thing.
Ironically, at that time I was actually working in a non-librarian role at the State Library of Victoria. It was refreshing to be working in a related area of work, but doing things that I would not have been able to do as a librarian. Similarly, my work at the City of Boroondara later that year, gave me further insight into the administrative side of public libraries. All of this certainly fleshed out my perspective on the library industry.
I also went on a trip to Vanuatu, visiting my friend Romany, and experiencing some good old traditional Melanesian culture.
Interestingly, after returning to Melbourne, I blogged far less frequently. I don't know if it's because I wasn't working as a librarian, or because I was too busy enjoying Melbourne - I suspect both played a part to these ends.
Finally, in December, I got my new School Manager job. And so, everything is different again, but strangely familiar. The library professional is still undervalued in the wider industry. It's still supposedly moving away from being "about books", and yet most libraries aren't resourced with impressive tech, and are generally full of books.
So, three years later, how do I feel about where I've come with this blog, and my own personal journey to finding my own professional identity as a librarian? Has the professional profile of librarians changed at all in the past three years? Will they ever change?
I'll answer these questions in my next post.
In the meantime, I will share this video that I made back in 2007 - my "vision" of libraries in 2010 (for a LINT competition in Library and Information Week). Did I get it vaguely right? Where did you think libraries would be in 2010?
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The case for Teacher Librarians
Disclaimer: Whilst I do work in a school library, the below assessment doesn't necessarily reflect my own work conditions, but rather the situation of school libraries at large.
So, at the moment, there's a call out for submissions to a Senate Enquiry into School Libraries and Teacher Librarians in Australian Schools.
For those who don't know the story:
Once upon a time, it was mandated that all school libraries should be managed by at least one Teacher Librarian - that is, a professional who had dual qualifications in both teaching and library information management. This had the positive effect whereby the librarian could understand the function of the library in terms of supporting school curriculum, as they could also think like a teacher.
I'm also told that it also had the unfortunate result whereby the librarian was also often required to close the library whenever they had to teach, in situations where they were the only librarian present.
Something happened to that requirement along the way, because over recent years, there has been a substantial decline in the employment of qualified Teacher Librarians managing schools. Especially primary schools. I'm told that, in many cases, this was because it was necessary to have a staff member spend a full-time load managing the library, and if they weren't actually teaching classes, it seemed unfair for them to be paid the same wages as a teacher who was. After all, teaching is bloody hard work, compared with managing a small library.
And so, it came to pass that many government schools would instead employ somebody as an Education Support (ES) Officer to manage the library. They are employed on a renewable ten-and-a-half month contract (beginning in late January and ending in Mid-December), and paid for 40 weeks a year.
Sometimes the position description will specify the need for a professional qualification in librarianship. Sometimes it will settle for a library technician role. Often it will vaguely refer to "appropriate qualifications".
However, even in cases where they specifically request a qualified professional, with a strong knowledge of children's literature, collection management and cataloguing experience, team management skills, substantial budgeting experience, information literacy training ability, and sufficient interpersonal skills to engage with teenage kids from 8am in the morning - even then, they will only offer them a salary that is less than that of a graduate teacher for the first three years.
A suitably skilled librarian would be earning a minimum of $60k in most other cases. No self-respecting library professional would take up such a role, unless they were really passionate about young people and young adult literature. Certainly, no qualified teacher librarian would stoop to such a role.
The solution? Schools need to accept the fact that if they want to attract highly skilled librarians to schools, then they need to offer positions that are competitive with the rest of the industry, in terms of salary and work conditions.
I daresay that government schools cannot afford to do this.
Alternately, they need to provide opportunities for their teachers to gain qualifications in librarianship, and consider a career change into libraries, as a Teacher Librarian, whilst maintaining their interests (and salaries) as a teacher.
Because whilst some schools are fortunate enough to be able to attract qualified library professionals who are prepared to take a paycut to pursue their passion for youth services, they are also shooting themselves in the foot by alienating professionals who know exactly what they're worth, and won't get out of bed for less than $30 an hour.
But Teacher Librarians, on the other hand, have the best of both worlds, and are on a teacher's salary, which is much better value for money than paying a non-teacher librarian the recommended salary for a seasoned librarian with specialist knowledge and management experience.
So, to all the Senators out there reading this. My recommendation is that you either legislate that non-teaching library professionals get paid a comparable salary to the rest of the industry, or else just bring back Teacher Librarians. It might put me out of a job, but even I know that it's the best option.
So, at the moment, there's a call out for submissions to a Senate Enquiry into School Libraries and Teacher Librarians in Australian Schools.
For those who don't know the story:
Once upon a time, it was mandated that all school libraries should be managed by at least one Teacher Librarian - that is, a professional who had dual qualifications in both teaching and library information management. This had the positive effect whereby the librarian could understand the function of the library in terms of supporting school curriculum, as they could also think like a teacher.
I'm also told that it also had the unfortunate result whereby the librarian was also often required to close the library whenever they had to teach, in situations where they were the only librarian present.
Something happened to that requirement along the way, because over recent years, there has been a substantial decline in the employment of qualified Teacher Librarians managing schools. Especially primary schools. I'm told that, in many cases, this was because it was necessary to have a staff member spend a full-time load managing the library, and if they weren't actually teaching classes, it seemed unfair for them to be paid the same wages as a teacher who was. After all, teaching is bloody hard work, compared with managing a small library.
And so, it came to pass that many government schools would instead employ somebody as an Education Support (ES) Officer to manage the library. They are employed on a renewable ten-and-a-half month contract (beginning in late January and ending in Mid-December), and paid for 40 weeks a year.
Sometimes the position description will specify the need for a professional qualification in librarianship. Sometimes it will settle for a library technician role. Often it will vaguely refer to "appropriate qualifications".
However, even in cases where they specifically request a qualified professional, with a strong knowledge of children's literature, collection management and cataloguing experience, team management skills, substantial budgeting experience, information literacy training ability, and sufficient interpersonal skills to engage with teenage kids from 8am in the morning - even then, they will only offer them a salary that is less than that of a graduate teacher for the first three years.
A suitably skilled librarian would be earning a minimum of $60k in most other cases. No self-respecting library professional would take up such a role, unless they were really passionate about young people and young adult literature. Certainly, no qualified teacher librarian would stoop to such a role.
The solution? Schools need to accept the fact that if they want to attract highly skilled librarians to schools, then they need to offer positions that are competitive with the rest of the industry, in terms of salary and work conditions.
I daresay that government schools cannot afford to do this.
Alternately, they need to provide opportunities for their teachers to gain qualifications in librarianship, and consider a career change into libraries, as a Teacher Librarian, whilst maintaining their interests (and salaries) as a teacher.
Because whilst some schools are fortunate enough to be able to attract qualified library professionals who are prepared to take a paycut to pursue their passion for youth services, they are also shooting themselves in the foot by alienating professionals who know exactly what they're worth, and won't get out of bed for less than $30 an hour.
But Teacher Librarians, on the other hand, have the best of both worlds, and are on a teacher's salary, which is much better value for money than paying a non-teacher librarian the recommended salary for a seasoned librarian with specialist knowledge and management experience.
So, to all the Senators out there reading this. My recommendation is that you either legislate that non-teaching library professionals get paid a comparable salary to the rest of the industry, or else just bring back Teacher Librarians. It might put me out of a job, but even I know that it's the best option.
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