WILL UNWOUND #135: “Librarian Anger is Real” by Will Manley
June 7, 2010Our library news sources (print and online) have done an excellent job of reporting the carnage that budget cuts have made to libraries of all types in the past two years. You cannot open a library magazine without reading a news story about hours being cut, libraries being closed, services being curtailed, and librarians being laid off. To those of us who feel strongly that libraries are as important to America as police and fire departments, this news is tragic.
What the library news sources have not covered, however, is the human toll that these cuts are making in the lives of librarians and ultimately what it may be doing to our profession.
Our group therapy discussion last Thursday, which focused on the devastating personal effect that the cutbacks have had on librarians who have been laid off or who are on provisional layoff lists, hit a national network of nerves. Since Thursday, I have been inundated with e-mails from librarians who did not want to leave comments on our blog for fear of reprisal from supervisors and managers.
Personally, I think that fear is completely unwarranted, but on the other hand, many of these librarians at risk are in a very edgy state of dread. Some are moving toward the dark abyss of despair and despondency. There’s a lot of anger, paranoia, frustration, confusion, and depression out there. I really can’t see supervisors and managers combing through this blog to see the names of staff members who feel the need to vent or even rage about their feelings.
It just doesn’t make sense. Yes, this blog has thousands of readers, but those who have been laid off or who are on a lay off list are clearly entitled to vent their feelings. It’s perfectly understandable and can be very therapeutic for at risk librarians to use an interactive blog format to get out feelings that are not being reported in the library press. Managers and supervisors certainly understand this need.
Or do they? One of the main sources of anger for librarians on the layoff bubble, is that their managers don’t seem to care about them or their feelings. Skilled and experienced librarians are outraged that after years of loyal service to a library, the library seems not to care about their feelings. What are those feelings?
Let’s start with fear. Many of these at-risk librarians cannot bear to contemplate the future. One of the saddest e-mails I received was from a man who has been left dangling on a provisional lay off list for several months. The fear and uncertainty about what will happen to him and his family have taken their toll on his emotions. He’s had a series of anxiety attacks at his reference desk but is afraid to tell anyone at work about them. He is now under the care of a psychiatrist, and is on a Xanax prescription.
He basically said that his whole life is falling apart. He has been a librarian for 15 years, and knows that he won’t able to find another job because of all the layoffs in his state. One of the things that infuriates him the most is that his admin only seems to talk about numbers: revenue numbers, expenditure numbers, and layoff numbers. No one in his library is talking about HUMAN BEINGS (his caps). He then ended his e-mail by writing: I AM A HUMAN BEING. I AM NOT A SEARCH ENGINE.
There are other stories that will break your heart. There are many newer librarians who have worked hard to get a degree and an entry level job and who are now in an unemployment line with no prospects in sight. They are forced to make a decision as to whether they should spend time to search for a non-existent library position or just abandon librarianship all together and start their young professional lives over.
There are older librarians who are being pressured to take retirement incentive packages but who do not have the money to pay for retiree health insurance premiums. Add guilt to their range of emotions. They are terribly torn between making room for younger librarians and retiring prematurely. As one woman wrote: “I don’t want to end up living in trailer park because I had to sell my little house to pay for health insurance.” She added that she was certain that if she did retire they would just cut her position and not replace her with a younger person.
I even received e-mails from new MLS graduates who are resigning themselves to the fate that they will never get a truly professional entry level job. These librarians are angry at library school administrators and recruiters who painted a rosy employment picture for them to get them to plunk down their tuition money.
The angriest librarians, judging strictly from my e-mails, however, are those who are in mid-career. They are too old to start their professional lives over but too young to consider retirement. They have been loyal to their libraries, and now they feel betrayed and abandoned. They are angry and resentful and do not know where to turn.
The fundamental importance of a job and a career to a person’s sense of self worth and value cannot be overemphasized. Jobs can be the meaning of life for many people…especially in this country where the American work ethic is so strong and people identify themselves by their work. When you strip a person of his/her job, you are stripping that person of not just a means of economic support but of psychological strength. This is especially true in cases where people have dedicated their lives and devoted their energies to a single organization. It can be beyond crushing to discover that the loyalty given is not reciprocated and within a day or a week someone is expected to dump their personal belongings into a glad bag or cardboard box and head home with one’s tail between one’s legs. It’s humiliating and debilitating and can definitely lead to the dark abyss of mental illness. People are not numbers.
Reactions, anyone? If you are afraid to reveal your emotions or speak your mind, don’t be. Simply use an anonymous name. It’s very important for the library profession to begin talking about this issue. Exercise your freedom of expression. Speak your mind.
Here are some questions that might spur your thinking:
1. Are you starting to see anger and frustration among the people you work with?
2. Aren’t some librarians being a bit paranoid when they say that are afraid to express their opinions on a blog?
3. Do you worry about the future of our profession as it becomes marginalized by layoffs and cutbacks?
4. When administrators are put in the terrible dilemma of making cutbacks, are they right in divorcing human feelings from the cutback dilemma? Shouldn’t they focus strictly on dollars and sense and the fiduciary responsibility they have to taxpayers to balance their budgets?
5. Whom do you feel worse for: new MLS grads, entry level librarians, mid-career librarians, or librarians entering the retirement zone?
6. Do you feel that Library School enrollments will start making a sharp decline?
7. Anything else you’d like to put on the table?
REMEMBER THIS BLOG IS A GROUP EFFORT. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP. LIBRARIANS CARE ABOUT PEOPLE.
One of the dirty little secrets of librarianship is that our workplaces are neither positive, nor supportive, nor humane. This has everything to do with leadership. Library leaders, with a few rare exceptions, tolerate criticism, ideas, and opinions from their staff members poorly. They do not lead but rule. Many are egotists and petty tyrants. They hold frontline workers in contempt. Fear of retribution isn’t an overreaction, Will, but a justified response to the circumstances in many library workplaces. The pink-slipping is done by supposed “rules,” but it is the troublemakers and gadflies who are getting targeted. Unfortunately, they are often the smartest and most competent.
Joe, this is exactly the sentiment I am hearing. Thanks as always for expressing it in such direct and honest terms.
And most utterly devoted to their patrons.
Sadly, most of this is a direct statement of my experience. I would add that the leaders I am familiar with install a wall of opacity the likes of which prevents any light of reality and reasoning from crossing between management and staff and vice-versa. No one knows what the other side is doing, or more importantly why they’re doing it. From my side, it feels like a game of Battleship with earplugs: management tossing out coordinates blindly, hoping to hit something that works, but not listening to whether the previous shot was a hit or miss. Staff tossing coordinates blindly back, hoping to behave in a manner that accomplishes the goal while making procedural issues obvious to management without appearing to actually be the issue.
Anonymous, your metaphor here is actually quite comical and chilling at the same time. Thanks for sharing.
No, I do not think that librarians are being paranoid to fear putting their feelings on a blog. I think it is unfortunate but reasonable caution.
I feel extremely sorry for everyone laid off. I feel especially sorry for the near retirees and those who have health problems that prevent them from being insured at any price because with the U.S. health care system a layoff can be an actual death warrant if the people cannot get necessary health care. I am also sorry for the people in this country since we need our librarians and our libraries and without them we are truly and forever sunk.
Thanks, Anonymous, for speaking your mind.
I believe the first man who posted a comment has hit the nail on the head in re all library leaders I have seen or heard of. Most of the ones I have any familiarity with don’t seem to have sympathy or empathy for anyone and the ones I have seen are the biggest reason why I have chosen not get a library degree and become a librarian.
Again, thanks for speaking your mind, anonymous.
Keeping your head down and your mouth shut when layoffs are looming is self preservation. Having lived through round upon round of layoffs several years ago it helps to be silent and invisible. Yes, the axe finally came to me but they got the “difficult” employees first. Those three years in limbo helped my finances a bit. I was very very fortunate to get another job but at half the pay and the benefits aren’t nearly so generous. But I do enjoy this job much more.
I feel for mid-career and near-retirement librarians. Finding a job in middle age is hard; taking retirement when there is no medical safety net in this country and when retirement savings have taken massive hits over the last couple of years is a terrifying proposition.
As for library schools continuing to recruit – they should be ashamed but so should ALA. I believe it was last summer they ran a story in American Libraries about the great job prospects, looming retirements, etc.
By the way, today’s Post Secret has a secret from a library worker that many of this blog’s readers might relate to.
http://www.postsecret.com/
Ellen, that *is* timely. Great site.
Ellen, so the lesson is be invisible. That’s why these stories are not getting into the mainstream library media. Kudos to you for surviving 3 years of layoff hell.
I was fortunate to find something better for my physical well-being and happiness. I’m afraid those caught up in today’s layoffs may not be so lucky.
That’s a big part of the angst. There’s nothing out there for them to move into.
The library where I worked for many years before I retired is facing massive layoffs. The administration managed to stave off layoffs for a while by offering buyouts over the last 8 to 10 years, which provided an incentive for the higher paid, more senior employees to leave, and left more money to pay for entry level staff. But the economic downturn has now hit all those recently hired staff, and, since we are unionized, “last hired, first fired.”
The front-line staff has complained for years that the library is top-heavy with management. It is very hard for them to understand why, in the face of impending layoffs, yet another high paid management person has just been hired.
What I find difficult to understand is the apathy of the staff – the unions have organized rallies and demonstrations, and very few of the library staff show up – and those mostly people who have enough seniority not to be in danger of layoffs. Other city unions, including professionals like the teachers, show up in great numbers. Our staff does not. Some of the younger staff have complained that they, with all the energy and recent training, are the ones who will be laid off, implying that the staff with more seniority are generally old fogies. They agitated for more rallies – but when there was one, only two of the younger people showed up – the rest were people with more seniority and at no risk. In this case, administration supported the union’s efforts – they had common interest in saving jobs – so there should have been no fear of reprisals.
And in any case, our union has always fought to protect the members from any kind of retaliation for protests, and any dismissals that lost on appeal were for well-documented reasons.
Birdy, the librarians at risk of layoff may be too intimidated to speak out at or even attend a rally.
They may be intimidated, but when there was a recent union meeting, they didn’t show up there either – and they wouldn’t have had to speak. And the recent rallies were supported by the administration and local politicians, who attended and made speeches trying to rally public support for the libraries. Administrators even asked for union participation, since we were all working toward the same goal of preventing layoffs.
For that matter, there were quite a few out-spoken people when I was working – and now – and none of them were or have been fired. But even when people were not in danger of being laid off, most were very apathetic or fearful. They’d complain about management injustices but wouldn’t be willing to sign grievances. When a few people did have the courage to do so, management was forced to change its ways.
This, by the way, is in no way excusing the petty tyrants who exist in libraries as well as in other government offices and private business. Yes, they exist, and yes, they can make your life miserable in the short run (and certainly in some circumstance in the long run). But as with most bullies, they don’t improve with time unless people stand up to them. Admittedly, in a small agency, there are fewer checks and balances to limit their abuses of power. In larger systems, though, there are usually routes of appeal, whether in or out of the agency. Unfortunately, many staff leave themselves open to discipline (which can be retaliation in disguise) if they don’t follow the rules themselves – frequent lateness or long lunches, for example, can make them vulnerable, even if “everyone does it.”
I used to believe in that “last hired, first fired” rule for unionized employees, but apparently it can just be ignored if administration deems it necessary. We also had a union contract stating that we didn’t have to work on Sundays, but then spent a year working on Sundays. I’m confused, but apparently everything has been legal.
Elissa,
“Last hired, first fired” is more a union principle than a rule, unless there is a written agreement between management and the union. There were several layoffs in the years I worked. Because the relationship between the two sides was more positive then – both saw issues as problems to be solved by working together rather than fighting over them – they were able to formulate a plan that tried to be as fair as possible, and that agreement is still in effect. With the current administration, I doubt that would have happened.
birdy,
well, i’d assume a union principle would usually be followed, but apparently that’s not the case. i will never feel secure in a job again, and maybe that’s not such a bad thing, but it’s a bitter pill to swallow. our union president sat in on the whole 3-hour “transitional meeting” yesterday. she was more knowledgeable than our head of HR about a few things, and she felt absolutely awful for the 24 or 25 of us (out of the 40 who were laid off) who were there, BUT it was obvious that she was completely powerless. it was disconcerting, and obvious that she hadn’t been brought to the table at all about these layoffs.
Fortunately or unfortunately (according to which side you’re on), there are certain management rights, and unless other procedures are spelled out in a contract/letter of agreement or are covered by labor law, administrators are not restricted in any way as far as what they can do.
We were very lucky that at the time of our first layoffs many years ago, management and the union were in agreement as to how to make the cuts as fair as possible, and were at that time willing to sign a letter of agreement. Because it was attached to the contract, it has continued to be in effect.
The current administration is much more of a corporate mentality, and probably would just love to lay off the trouble-makers (by their definition) first. Actually, seeing that cuts were in their future, they began cracking down on staff with disciplinary issues a few years ago. Where that was unfair, the union fought them, and in most cases won. Where management was able to document real problems, some people lost their jobs. Unfortunately, some staff members are their own worst enemies.
Our union still has problems getting management to communicate effectively (obviously they didn’t learn from their own staff-training classes), so they’re occasionally blind-sided as your own union president was.
It’s really in the interests of management to follow a fair and equitable system, because it makes the survivors of the purge more likely to respect their decision. Otherwise, people will have very differing opinions about who should go and who should stay, and I’ll bet that they won’t agree with all of management’s choices.
birdy, this is very helpful. thank you for taking the time to write this! your explanation really does help me to wade through the confusion…
I’m sorry about the union head. I assume that the union would actually check to make sure it is legal. Our union is far too cozy with Admin for my comfort. But for her to be kept out of the whole layoff issue makes me wonder what shenanigans admin were up to. This is my own ignorant opinion, based on no knowledge of your situation but you have to wonder why they kept the union out of the process. I’m sorry that the results were pretty obviously upsetting and probably not very useful. Hang in there Elissa!!!
Thanks, Joan! I am! I got to sit in my yard with Anina tonight, which was nice. It’s a beautiful night out. I made us vodka mojitos.
Perhaps librarians and others now facing layoffs will come to understand the plight of the steel workers and others in “living wage” jobs as manufacturing the US has moved offshore. Of course, that was 20 or 30 years ago. It’s not like this is a new thing. I saw this first in the early seventies when Boeing went from 125,000 workers to 35,000 in 18 months. There was a billboard in Seattle that said, “Will the last one to leave please turn out the lights.” Engineers were abandoning the equity in their houses and moving out of state. I happened to graduate in those good old days and wound up, quite luckily, working in a bookstore for minimum wage, living in a decrepit travel trailer with cockroaches on my toothbrush bordering I-75. One of the most striking series of pictures I was sent on one of those round-robin emails was several pictures of a vibrant city contrasted to one in complete decay. One group was of Hiroshima; the other was Detroit. Guess which was which? Whose fault is that?
Some of this will probably get me into trouble, but the thing is, I simply do not remember people wringing their hands with anxiety and running to the shrink for drugs. Nor do I remember employees feeling their supervisors had to sit down with them and a box of Kleenex to say how sorry they were or otherwise they were cold-hearted management laughing at the distress of others. These days the “Drama Queen” sense of entitlement accentuates to the point that people actually believe the world owes them a job. Everybody is subjected to PTSD for seeing a dead possum on the side of the road, for which they want to be compensated. It is ALWAYS “someone else’s fault.” I’ve been laid off more than once, as has my spouse. It’s not fun, but damn! Get over it!
I’ve been on the management side of things when employees expressed paranoia, and all I have to say is, “Bull Shit!” There may be an occasional manager who is truly a bad, vindictive, narcissistic bastard or bitch, but quite frankly I’ve seen very few of these kinds of folks in my career, but I HAVE seen a few, so I’m not discounting it entirely. But this paranoia of posting is just self indulgence. Get over yourselves. Do you seriously believe your supervisor is reading Will Unwound in an attempt to ”catch” you? Puhlease! Do you think they would use the information posted here to initiate “termination” proceedings against you? That would go over well with employment law. Get some cajones, will you? Who do you think these library leaders ARE? They are YOU, with the same experiences and the same training, a few years down the road. What? You think your library leaders come from some different profession or something? Look in the mirror and add a few wrinkles, and that’s who your supervisors are. Are YOU vindictive? Well, neither are they; they just have more responsibility than you do. That’s why they make the Big Bucks.
Librarians tend to look upon their profession as a “calling” and libraries, ideally, are one big happy family where we all get along. Kumbaya and all that. We will, we will rock you! Insofar as you can stay insulated from the real world for your entire career, good luck with that. It simply isn’t so in the world of lawyers, or the military “family,” or in the “cruel” world of business. The rest of the working population deals with this all the time. Librarians get subjected to it and you can cut the angst with a knife. It’s sick.
I do feel particularly sorry for mid-career people who are faced with finding something else in middle-age. I don’t have as much sympathy for folks who did not adequately research options. This whole thing did not suddenly materialize between enrollment and graduation. If you were seriously taking an objective look at options, why DID you major in English, History, or Anthropology? Surely you didn’t think you could “get a job” as an anthropologist, did you? Librarianship was a Hail Mary pass in an attempt to recover from a bad decision. Well, that didn’t work either. Sorry. I invested in Level 3 Communications when it sold for $80. Now it’s worth $1.25. I screwed up, too. It was my decision. I pay the price for my “optimism.” And so should you.
In terms of library school enrollments, what the HELL is San Jose State thinking by enrolling 5,000 students in their program? I think this is completely irresponsible and an attempt to collect tuition by ‘promising’ a great career. Why don’t they just print off a diploma to anyone who sends them a check? It amounts to the same thing. As I told you previously, my wife hired six new librarians last year. She says she won’t even look at a SJSU graduate. These students are being fed a line by this school. That the students are dumb enough to believe it is one issue. That the school is doing it at all is a travesty. You want liability? I think they are liable. The other side of this coin is we in libraries who get someone with a B.A. working on the circ desk (one of those English majors) and encourage them to apply to library school. “Hey! You can do it distance learning!” and then virtually promise them a job. Besides, it’s an easy Masters! What a crock! How about some reality checks here?
The plain fact of the matter is that today in the USA over 50% of the productive power of individuals is going to pay taxes (Federal, state, local). That’s a fact. 50% of the households in America pay no income tax at all! That’s also a fact. This is untenable. It cannot work. This is what is happening in Greece today. Spain is next. Then, maybe, us. So public service workers are going on strike? So what! What don’t I get? I’ll tell you, read any newspaper comments section and listen to what citizens are saying any time taxes come up. They are NOT HAPPY, and the people they are not happy with, are us. I used to think our library tax allotment was our divine RIGHT! I was wrong, completely wrong. The rest of the world doesn’t think that way. One person here said something like. “I’ve been replaced by Google.” That is basically correct. I know we all think there is a quality issue. No one else does. Besides, we use it, too.
If we, as a species, are really valuable and viable to our society, then we need to PROVE it to those with the purse strings, including those in power, and the public. That is our responsibility—no one else’s, and so far, we have not done a particularly good job of it. The library profession is going through some “redefinition:” right now. That is as it should be. It’s our fault (mine, too) that we got here in the first place. So how about of we stop blaming other people and figure it out?
Mick, thanks for taking the issue head on. A few things. First people are upset about taxes but they don’t want entitlement programs to go away. Entitlement programs (social security and medicare) soak up a big chunk of that 50% you were talking about. It just kills me when people scream for tax relief and you ask them what to cut and they don’t have a clue. They want police, fire, parks, and yes, they want libraries. They not only want libraries; they are flocking to libraries. Ask any front line librarian how busy she/he is in these days of the Big R (Recession). They are being inundated. This is why they are so confused and frustrated and angry. They have never been busier and yet they are on the chopping block. Parents are screaming for better schools and libraries for their kids. So you lay off a whole bunch of librarians and the folks who didn’t lose their jobs are working harder and harder but don’t complain because they are scared. If libraries weren’t so busy, I could agree with some of your points, but libraries have never been busier. Librarians are doing a darn good job under pressure and to get whacked just does not compute with them. Many of these people do see librarianship as a calling. They are willing to work for less; they are even willing to spend their own money and burn their own vacation time to go to conferences. What they expect in return is some job security. They knowingly made that trade off. Now they discover that job security doesn’t exist. That is a traumatic thing and I’m sorry…it can lead to panic attacks and anxiety pangs and visits to the shrink. These are people who chose a profession they love. Here’s the other half of the angst: they don’t see any prospects for the future. The job market looks dead for a long, long time. Too many politicians have bought the argument that librarians can be replaced by computers. Unfortunaely it’s an argument that many librarians have actively advanced. Bottom line, Mick, you are right. No one is immune to job insecurity, but librarians thought they were different. Now they are finding out that they are not….and that is very traumatic especially with the future job market so bleak.
Mick, take a gander at this “Annoyed Librarian” column from last October:
http://tinyurl.com/2cwtu5m
The Annoyed One cites these numbers garnered from a couple of sources: 21,400 enrollees in online MLIS programs nationwide; 7300 new MLIS degrees awarded; 1800 jobs (just north of 60 percent of them full time).
And the data cited are for 2008. You’ve got to know the imbalance between supply and demand has gotten much worse since then.
MLIS programs must make money for their institutions. Good for the institutions. 7300 new degree holders chasing under 1800 jobs is probably good for libraries, since it exerts downward pressure on salaries and benefits, which are typically 80 percent of any public library’s budget. Good for libraries, then. (And what is it like now? 7300 chasing a couple hundred jobs?)
Not so good for librarians, though. If you’re one of the 7300 new grads, not only will you compete with your cohort, but with the still-seeking from a year or two ago, plus with all the experienced librarians who have been let go.
Why would anyone pick librarianship for a career under these dire circumstances?
I like my odds for winning the PowerBall better. Or for being struck by a meteorite. If I were 25 and job hunting right now, my chance of stepping outside and getting clocked by a rock from space would be much better than my chances for ever working full time in a library.
Library Journal said that up until 2010 there were 5,000 graduates for 4,000 jobs per year. I’ve seen that figure one other place, but I can’t locate it today. I wouldn’t doubt that it is lower today, particularly for entry-level positions.
As far as library schools needing to ‘make money’ for their institution, most all the schools are in public universities that are subsidized. At a public University tuition pays for 25-33% of the actual cost. In private schools it is closer to 75%, the rest being made up in donations and endowments. So they aren’t making money as much as they are trying to keep their school open.
I agree that libraries are busier during a recession. I also agree that citizens have a schizophrenic attitude about services received vs. taxes paid, but in Real Politik mode, they are still angry about the taxes they pay and when you say, “It’s only one latte a month.” they get even angrier. So the bottom line is, yeah, they’re illogical. If you can put together a campaign that’s good enough to convince the electorate to pass a tax increase, that’s great! But the days of depending on voters to always pass a levy lift because they ‘like libraries’ is long past.
The real bottom line here is that, by and large, libraries are run by tax money. The mood of the country is a feeling that government has become too large and inefficient, and even contradictory to the needs of the nation. The government starts up a Dept. of Education and educational attainment falls. The government starts up a Dept. of Energy to make us ‘energy independent’ and they have utterly failed. WE are a target because we are lumped in there with the other failures of government.
I personally feel libraries give an excellent Return on Investment. A typical library’s ROI is 8:1 when you add it all up. So plan your campaigns around that instead of, “We’re good people and love our jobs, so vote for us.” The Fire Department is going to come back and say, “Next time your house catches on fire, call the library.” and wipe you out at the polls.
In terms of the anger and angst displayed against ‘vindictive’ supervisors, for God’s sake get out now! If you really are being picked upon that badly you owe it to yourself to seek alternatives. They may not be able to fire you all that easily, but you can quit in a heartbeat.
The other side of that coin is a bunch of passive-aggressive librarians who have forgotten what professionalism means and think it’s perfectly acceptable to call you an asshole behind your back, who want infinite raises and cadillac benefits, but who can’t see why not coming to work on time is such a big deal and what’s so bad about throwing a temper tantrum at a fellow employee. After all, it was justified.
And when you suggest a change in behavior and attitude might be productive, you’re greeted with a sneer and a veiled threat at a lawsuit. Too many people enter librarianship for the wrong reasons. Because of their stressful jobs they seek a counselor who says, “Well, you like books, don’t you?” And that’s how we get the people we do.
I put my money where my mouth was and left early. Yes, it DID cost me. Of course, they didn’t replace me with a librarian.
It’s just that I grew so tired of the constant whining.
And Mick, I think you’ve been lucky with the library managers you’ve worked under. Good for you. I think reprisals for speaking your mind, online or otherwise, are a pretty common occurrence in the library workplace. Happened to me. (And discipline wasn’t sufficient. I had to be humiliated in front of my colleagues, too.) But, hey, that’s the Great American Workplace, except it’s worse in libraries. (I worked 22 years in the private sector as well as my 21 in the public one.) Most of my librarian friends have experienced the joy of reprisal and humiliation. I almost think it is a requirement for membership in the Front Line Service Club.
A quick review of my finances – 50% is NOT going to taxes. Were that the case I would be living in poverty and I’m comfortable. If they put it toward Social Security and Medicare, the governnment could keep the near $1,000 they return to me every year. I happen to like the prospect of medical care at 65, schools, libraries, roads, highways, the United States military, etc.
Having been a worker bee my entire life (I had no interest in being a manager) the sad fact is there are far more bad managers than good. That is one area where the Peter Principle works beautifully – a good manager is a wonderful thing and they come around once in a blue moon. Idiots running things into the ground, terrorizing their underlings, swanning about on the wings of their “importance” and generally being dopey is way too common.
Ellen, do you think the library schools should be putting more emphasis on management courses?
We had a required “administration” course but it taught us nothing about managing human beings, Will. There were no courses in interpersonal relations or communication, both of which are vital to good librarianship.
My best bosses have been quick to recognize ability, provide feedback (positive and, just as important, negative), guide gently when that was the best approach, and act decisively when needed. I’ve worked in libraries/library situations for 30+ years and I can identify but a handful of good managers. One when I was a para, one in the corporate setting and our current library director. I had other bosses that were OK nothing to rave about but there were too many over the years who wanted the title and the money but, take your pick amongst the following: 1) lacked the talent to manage, 2) lacked the backbone to do anything that required some spine , 3) refused to delegate responsibility and/or authority, 4) micro-managed, 5) played favorites, 6) belittled employees publicly and privately, 7) could not or did not listen to employee concerns, 8) took credit for the ideas/work of their employees, 9) didn’t believe the old “good for the goose good for the gander” adage, 10) etc. I’ve found that the absolute worst bosses had the highest opinions of themselves. It is good to humble and Christ-like when one is placed in charge of others.
I apologize for the lunch-time diatribe. I guess I haven’t forgotten or forgiven!
I surely don’t know why there is a smiley face there instead of an 8 followed by a close parenthesis…
Some of this will probably get me into trouble, but the thing is, I simply do not remember people wringing their hands with anxiety and running to the shrink for drugs.
Mick, I’d like to take a second to speak up on behalf of folks with anxiety disorders. Like many, many others, I have an anxiety disorder that sometimes leaves me literally throwing up and shaking against my will. I hate it. It sucks. I work my ass off on preventative care, but sometimes, “running to the shrink for drugs” is the only thing that keeps me functioning.
By painting those who seek mental health care as entitled weaklings with poor coping skills, you’re attaching a stigma to seeking help. I’m right with you on being frustrated by attitudes of entitlement and irresponsibility, but I’d be grateful if you could express that frustration without making it even harder for anxiety sufferers to admit to needing help.
Jess is right. Recent studies have proven that anxiety disorders are a biologically-based disease involving the inability of the brain to correctly process different chemicals. That’s why they respond to drugs, in much the same way that Type 2 diabetes is caused by the body’s inability to correctly use insulin.
Our mental health is as important as our physical. I would far rather suffer another bout of pneumonia as depression. You can stagger about with the former but the latter? It can be completely debilitating and it’s as real as anxiety disorders.
In defense of SJSU grads – my daughter is one of the many who finished the program last month. I know she worked to get that degree. She earned it and took a wide variety of coursework. Unfortunately, in our field, experience is still the best teacher, IMO.
Now, though, with job hunting, she often drops the Master’s degree off her resume. If it’s not a library position, anyone else assumes she’ll leave them quickly when they see the Master’s. So she doesn’t mention it on non-library positions. It took her six months of searching to finally be offered any position that wasn’t Starbucks. It doesn’t need all the knowledge she has, but it’s full time, has benefits, and will pay the bills. That’s what she needs right now.
Vicki…maybe times will change and things will get better.
OK, I found this buried in your comment: “I do feel particularly sorry for mid-career people who are faced with finding something else in middle-age.”
I appreciate it. I’m 43, with 20 years in as a librarian. I deeply apologize for taking anything else you said personally. I had a hard day yesterday, which I realize is just an excuse.
Do you have any suggestions as to what we can do to start proving it to “those with the purse strings”? Maybe I’ll come up with something in the next few months, but right now I’ve got nothing. Again with the being polite, I’m not going to name the 2 library administrators that we were most angry with at lunch yesterday. I know that they had hard choices to make, but we still don’t understand those choices AT ALL! All part-time librarians, no matter how long with the system (35 yrs, 21 yrs, 20 yrs, 18 yrs–I’m only 11 yrs). Yesterday we also found out that we get a severance package. Mine’s 10K (nope, not afraid to post that here, but I think it may not be the best judgment ever). The head of HR could not adequately explain to us how they’re saving ANY money this FY, while they pay us admin leave for a month, all of our vacation time (most of us wouldn’t have used it all this FY–I have 80 hours, which is 4 weeks at P/T–one man had 240 hours!!), and a severance package on top of that!? I don’t care about the money. I just want my job back. The head of HR said that she understands how they’re saving money, but that she can’t MAKE us understand if we don’t already. Thanks. I’m not wringing my hands, I’m angry, as Will said in the title of this post.
Reprisals in libraryland for what you say online? Absolutely, and for laughably petty things.
I run a genealogy website where I once quoted a regular patron who said on a genealogy listserve that contrary to popular opinion, my library’s microfilms were not in poor condition. In other words, an nice, unsolicited effort to correct a bad image. So I quoted him at my website.
Nevertheless, it pissed off some administrator who couldn’t read past “poor condition” and comprehend the quote in its entirety. I got called on the carpet for it. I removed the quote. When I left that job, I put it back.
It was so bad there that one librarian colleague felt the need to get the department head’s permission before posting a question to a listserve as part of answering a reference question.
This just makes me sad.
Do I think it is paranoid to worry about blog postings? No way, I think it is only smart. Do I think my superisor is reading this and looking to see if I am writing? No but whatever I write today will be out there and can potential be used against me.
I see the profession becoming more marginalized and would not encourage anyone to get a degree unless they already had a library job they enjoyed.
After layoffs and retirements I will be left in charge of a small academic library. The school leaders see no value in hiring para-professional staff let alone professional staff. Those left are angry and frustrated.
And as others have said the last several retirements resulted in lost positions. No replacements were hired.
Sorry for the rambling post. There is so much to say in answer to your questions and so much I don’t want to say out of concern for my future employment. Thank you for a chance to say a little of what is going through my mind.
Anonymous, I hear you and thanks for speaking out.
Mick, let me respectfully say that you are being pretty tough on people going through a very hard time. I’ve heard of tough love but in my experience it doesn’t work well usually. You seem to be a pretty high powered person who will manage to land on your feet usually.
However, others are not so self sufficient. I’ve been a librarian for 18.5 years now. I would quit in a minute if I could. It isn’t the pension that is keeping me, it is medical care.
I don’t agree with you re admin. Our admin seem either heartless, clueless or both. At least one is definitely vindictive. I know this because she tried to get me fired but was stopped by higher up people who realized she was skipping about twenty steps in the process. No I wasn’t innocent, but I wasn’t doing something wrong knowingly. It also was not such a horrid crime. Once I was corrected, I stopped. At once. Earlier in my career it would have been a conference and I’d have been told no this cannot be done and you are making incorrect assumptions that others are doing it and that it is ok. Stop it. Case closed. Now it was let’s try to fire you! And btw she’d have LOVED doing it. As in enjoyed it. I was nominated for Employee of the Quarter for the period this happened. Needless to say, not by this supervisor. Before you assume it is paranoia I can tell you that the union admitted they were quite familiar with her name. I have since been marginalized in the area of work I do. I know but cannot prove that this supervisor is responsible for that because they won’t tell me who made the decision. A young recent graduate who has been in the system since October is getting the interesting part of the work. Is my attitude bad? Yes, you better believe it is! I feel betrayed and not appreciated for the hard work I put in on this. Oh did I mention that after 18.5 years of employment they are making me prove I have a serious hearing problem? I told them before they hired me (all those people are now gone) and the City Drs noted it when examining me before the job was offered to me formally. NOW they are upset when I tell them I cannot hear on the phone. Of course the implication is that I’m too lazy to bother with phone reference. PLEASE. I cannot hear much at all on my phones at home and try hard to do alternative forms of communication! The ones at work are of terrible quality and everyone will agree to that. Well, maybe not admin.
Someone who was working provisionally was stopped on the stairs by the Deputy Director and asked “Did XXX tell you you have been discontinued?”. Perhaps you can say that is bad hoof in mouth disease. Maybe but at her level of pay she should know how to phrase these things a tad more tactfully! That is presumably part of what she is being paid a lot for . The more likely story is that she has forgotten this person is a human and only sees that the library will have to pay this person for another day of work.
Mick, I do have lots of trouble with your comment that only now librarians understand the plight of steel workers. I have relatives in the Seattle area. I knew what was happening and was appalled. Then. I still think that was terrible. My attitude hasn’t changed because of my personal situation. I always thought that was outrageous. Just like I think all those people in Louisiana and other states now unemployed are in an utterly outrageous situation.
I will agree with you that places like San Jose State are being downright irresponsible.
One final thing. One of the administrators no one is happy about started a week before or after me. So much for more wrinkles and experience. I think she is looking out for number one and that means following the orders of the new Director of the Library. Not all admin is vindictive. I think we are all intelligent enough to realize that Mick. But a hell of a lot of librarians never had a single decent management class in library school and don’t have a clue how to manage. That plus being in a bad financial situation nationally is a terrible combination.
Mick, what a lot of people are asking is that admin recognize we are mostly very competent people who are being stressed out and worried about medical care, finances, etc. if we lose our jobs. Show some appreciation. Everyone knows times are bad and that in many cases admin have no choice but to do layoffs. But can’t you be decent about it? HELP those employees figure out what is the first step to take. Let them know it isn’t them and they shouldn’t take it personally. Will said he is getting lots of letters where people are taking it personally and feel that they have failed at a most important part of life. Help them to realize that it isn’t them who failed!
I’ve been a regular on this blog. I’m using initials that are not correct to protect myself. Yes, I realize that the vindictive person I have had actual experience with likely isn’t reading this blog. I’m not taking a chance!
JLF…thanks for sharing your story. It’s not easy to put feelings into words but you have done a masterful job. Whatever library you work for is lucky to have you. Good luck.
Thank YOU Will! You have made a big difference to me just by listening and being nonjudgemental!
And thanks for sticking up for those of us who don’t want to be browbeaten after we’ve been laid off, JLF!
Not that you needed me sticking up for you. You obviously are very dynamic and popular with your coworkers who realize what a loss you are to the system. Your admin. Maybe you have a better set than I do. I hope so, and I hope they end up hiring you guys back in a few months. I do intellectually understand what you mean, that the $$ are attached to a particular plan or program that they need before they can hire again, but it still makes zero sense emotionally. Maybe the high schools are hiring? Although I’m prejudiced against both partners working for one organization. Layoffs could get both of you in that case. Don’t leave this blog, whatever else you do (sky dive, etc.)! You’d be terribly missed. And not just by me I am certain!
I say let’s also look at library employees who are not librarians.
I happened to speak with one such person today. She expressed frustration that she does the exact same work as a librarian but gets less pay because she is not a librarian. Does this sound about right? Why does this happen?
On a separate matter, several librarians have asked me to publish information on my blog about their experiences as a librarian. And I will do so.
You ask, “Aren’t some librarians being a bit paranoid when they say they are afraid to express their opinions on a blog?” I don’t think so. Retaliation is a time-honored ALA tactic used to promote a political agenda. Consider the following from:
THE INTERNET AND THE SEDUCTION OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC LIBRARY, citations omitted:
This one word has led to hundreds of conflicts between communities (especially parents) and their libraries. But instead of deleting the word “age” from Article 5, the ALA has developed strategies for doing battle with the public.
The first strategy was to “interpret” Article 5 for libraries and to pressure them into obeying the will of ALA headquarters. During the anti-draft riots of the 1960′s, Congress had lowered the voting age to 18. College students had pressed for more personal and sexual rights, denying that colleges any longer had the right to act in loco parentis (in place of the parent). The ALA then moved to deny that librarians, who had been acting in loco parentis for children in the library for quite 100 years, any longer had that right. In the case of the colleges, students were rejecting established authority. But in the library’s case, we are confronted with the strange spectacle of established authority rejecting its own responsibility to children and their parents.
Article 5 of the Library Bill of Rights does not actually mention in loco parentis, but the Intellectual Freedom Manual lays down the new rules.30 Many libraries, used to a tradition of local control, continued separate card files for children and continued to act as authority figures responsible to the community. In response, the Office of Intellectual Freedom drafted an “Interpretation of Free Access to Minors” and sent it to librarians all across the country. (It was this statement that cut off the partnership between parents and librarians and caused what parents see as a betrayal of their trust.)
The Statement labels as “unprofessional,” any librarians who continue to notify or act for the parents. Librarians who do not follow the ALA line are accused of being “in violation of Article 5 of the Library Bill of Rights.”31 I asked Ms. Krug if librarians were legally bound to follow the Statement of Interpretation. “no,” she said. “It’s a philosophical statement. But 55,000 librarians adhere to it.”32
Will, I suppose you long ago settled into your role as the library world’s pre-eminent humorist.
When you started blogging, did you think that by June you’d be well on your way to becoming the library world’s pre-eminent therapist?
I actually didn’t realize how bad things were until Thursday night. Librarians are struggling with the “new normal.” There’s a lot of angst out there and it’s not being reported by the mainstream library press. Somebody has to start the conversation.
I am a school librarian whose job has been eliminated. Working in schools for the past 15 years has given me virtually no experience in any other venue. I am sick and tired of there being no job, low salaries and no respect for the profession. When is this country going to wake up? With all the information people are being bombarded with the need for librarians has never been greater, people think the internet is like the second coming of Christ, little do they know it will be the bane of their existence if there are no librarians to separate the wheat from the chafe. I love what I do and I am afraid I will not be able to do it any more with all the cuts.
School librarian…The destruction of school libraries is perhaps the biggest and most confusing tragedy in this budget cutting era that we are in. If anyone should understand the value of libraries it should be school administrators and school board members, but what is the first thing they cut? I owe so much to the school librarians of my past. They were the ones who made me want to go to school. Going to the library was the best part of my school experience. Hang in there. You are doing noble work.
I have been a public librarian for 20 years. In all that time, there have ALWAYS been cuts to school librarians, not just during this recession/depression. One of the reasons I never attempted to find a job as a school librarian is that there were never any positions open, and when they were, there was no job security in the position. I also never took any teaching classes in either undergraduate or graduate school.
I would like to refer all of us to a recent JL article where Ryan Deschamps challenges librarians to defend our professionalism:
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6727944.html
The following week, the same author posted his 10 top reasons “professional librarian” is NOT an oxymoron:
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6728382.html
Librarians have been defending our profession for decades, as you can read in library literature going back even to the 19th century.
Petal, I’m not sure exactly what a profession is. I have as much respect, maybe more, for a skilled plumber or electrician as for a skilled lawyer. But I do think that many librarians feel that librarianship is a calling with a special commitment to serve the best interests of society. We *believe* strongly in the importance of libraries.
I’m one of those folks preparing to begin my MLS degree program and, while not quite a Mary Poppins outlook of the future, was definitely given a rosier picture than the reality presented here. I’m struck by a number of things and would be grateful for some clarification. Are the majority of the jobs referred to in the above discussion in the public sector? Are librarians in private sector confronted with these problems to the same degree?
The one word I haven’t seen written yet, but seems to be at the crux of the matter for those in distress is ‘respect.’ Respect for others, respect for self. This is paramount if society is to survive (and not just the library society).
I consider myself still an outsider to this field and recognize and appreciate the valid concerns and arguments on both sides of the discussion. But when all is said and done, what do we do? By that I mean, what tangible, roll-up-your-sleeves effort can be had? Books are still being written, information by the gigabyte is still being produced…the need for librarians is still there. The WHAT hasn’t changed much, but the HOW has evolved exponentially. Do small private libraries replace public ones? Can there be a return to a 21st-century version of the independent bookstore on the corner with a few twists? Does everything become virtual? I have no idea, but this is what we need to figure out, and I expect the next ten years will be very telling.
I’m a freelance professional musician of 25+ years. Coming up with creative ways of doing things is part of an independent musician’s m.o. There is an interesting parallel between our fields–the larger, publicly-supported organizations are struggling on multiple fronts. In the world of music, symphonies and other large ensembles are realizing the status quo cannot sustain themselves. Smaller independent ensembles abound and more often are meeting with success because of their innovative programming. Sure, money is tight for them, too, but they are surviving. They stepped away from the (very) old and traditional ways of doing things. I think libraries are just entering this stage of ‘do or die’ and so, naturally, there is great concern and anxiety over the growing pains many are experiencing. The issue is not whether people still want classical music or books–of course, they do!–but the method of delivery must be updated.
We need only look at history for examples of perserverance and success that arose from times of strife. My hope is that the energy evident in these posts will generate a discussion of new possibilities. Best of luck to everyone. I look forward to furture readings.
Elizabeth…you have raised many, many questions. With regards to your question of public sector vs. private sector librarians, the vast majority of librarians are employed by public entitites…school districts, cities, counties, state universities. My guess is that libraries in private colleges are also struggling. How libraries are faring in the corporate world is not something I have much info on. Perhaps one of our readers will enlighten us. With regards to your point that perhaps we will create a new library paradigm, I am torn. Yes, we can do a great deal with technology, but folks in this blog always come back to the reality that libraries are being inundated with people. Patrons need human beings to help them. Personally, I feel that some in the library profession have gone overboard in advocating replacing people with machines. Now the chickens are coming home to roost. Hope this helps, and good luck with your career.
Thanks for your kind words, Will.
I didn’t mean necessarily “creat[ing] a new library paradigm”…that would be reinventing the wheel. I just mean asking ourselves how else can we use the wheel? Aside from pursuing an MLS for traditional purposes, I’ve always intended to apply it towards my work in music. And after reading this blog, I am even more dedicated to that effort. I suppose that’s what prompted my questions.
I agree with your statement that libraries are as essential as police & fire departments…they provide a haven to thousands, if not millions, of PEOPLE. Funny how the discussions keep coming back to the importance of PEOPLE, not technology, eh? But you’re right, technology is a fact we must deal with. The key is finding a way to balance technology WITH society instead of against it.
There is room for libraries as we know them and the new technologies that seem to threaten their existence. Here’s another parallel to music…innovations & inventions galore exist in music from the 20th century forward. Recordings are still a relatively new invention, music engineering, electronic music, etc. even moreso, yet the majority of folks still want to hear Mozart on real instruments whose designs are as much as 500 years old.
What a lovely observation about Mozart and 500 year old technology. You get a shout-out, Elizabeth!
So as not to post a book-length posting I’m only going to answer a few of your questions!
Are you starting to see anger and frustration among the people you work with?
In the library where I work the darkest days are not the current ones but actually occurred 11 years ago when the library was having funding difficulties, the proposed tax supported library district failed to pass with voters and the library closed.
The library re-opened in 2000 and only two people that worked here previously returned; I was one of those two people –so because we are in essence a newer library staff-wise, most of the staff hasn’t worked here more than five years, the anger and frustration due to the economic uncertainty within the library field hasn’t really permeated the staff as a whole. Having said all of that though, I agree with you that that the people in mid-career seem to be experiencing a degree of anger and frustration based on the current economic realities in the library field – that has been my impression too based upon conversations with other people who work in the library field in this region of New York.
In relation, you can count me among that number of mid-career library workers who are dismayed by the current state of the library profession in these challenging economic times. I’ve worked a total of 19 years at my public library in three different stints from 1984-1993, for a few months in 1998 until the staff was cut due to budgeting difficulties and from 2000 to the present.
Add to all of that the fact that it took me a while to decide I wanted to be a librarian – something I knew in my 30’s but not in my 20s, and with all that in mind… I just finished my Bachelors Degree and will begin my Masters Degree in September via Drexel University’s online ALA accredited program and well…mix all of those factors together and you could certainly say that I feel a degree of trepidation about the current state of the library profession.
I have the experience to do a great deal at my library but have hit that – you-don’t-have-an-MLS glass ceiling so I’m working to rectify that and while I’m working on that am also wondering if once I finish my formal education I’ll actually be able to obtain a promotion and/or simply make enough money to pay my student loans without having to work two jobs. And I just love the idea of that 25 year pay off plan for Stafford Loans – the payments are less than if you repay your loans over 10 years but if I choose that option and find I can’t pay the loans off early –I’ll be 70 by the time I have the loans completely paid off.
On the other hand, the glass is half full hand, at least I have a job in the field, I love the work and when I finish my MLIS in 2011 I’ll have 20 years of experience to go along with my MLIS.
In relation, the people I feel the greatest sympathy for are the new MLS graduates who don’t have experience as for them I think the job situation is rather grim; as my impression over time is that most library administrators looking for a candidate to fill an open position would prefer someone with both the degree and experience – and there seem to be plenty of librarians who are looking for work at the moment so those newbies to the field may have to find jobs outside the field.
Aren’t some librarians being a bit paranoid when they say that are afraid to express their opinions on a blog?
No I don’t think library staff or librarians are paranoid when they say they say they are afraid to express their opinions on a blog. I keep reading about workers who posted their less than complimentary thoughts about their workplace, boss etc on Facebook and either got themselves in hot water at work or actually got fired. With that in mind I think it is a good idea to not say anything in an online posting that you wouldn’t say in person to your boss or co-workers.
Do you worry about the future of our profession as it becomes marginalized by layoffs and cutbacks?
Yes. Like most people working in library land I am concerned about the profession because as you pointed out, those of us who work in the field know that libraries are in their own way as important as the Fire and Police Departments…but unfortunately, and all of us who work in library land know not everyone outside the profession agrees with that assessment.
Thanks Linda, for bringing up the Facebook phenomena re posts eventually coming back to haunt you. That is certainly in the back of my thoughts. Paranoid? Don’t I wish it were only paranoia! Will, think back to how astounded you were at the attention the sex survey got when you decided to run it. That is representative of how things can spread on the internet.
Linda, thanks for a very well thought out and effectively articulated point of view. You are a library veteran and you have seen many things. I admire your perseverance and your commitment to the profession. You have given me much to think about.
“On the other hand, the glass is half-full hand, at least I have a job in the field, I love the work and when I finish my MLIS in 2011 I’ll have 20 years of experience to go along with my MLIS.”
I’m in the exact same position … getting my MLIS after years of librarianship-sans-degree. In fact, the last 4 years have been in the first ‘support staff’ job since I entered the library field in 1992 — all previous jobs have been as head librarian for small and medium private colleges and high schools. Additionally, I’ve been involved with state and national professional organizations and find my network of colleagues to be extensive. The breadth of experience and level of skill those years have given me is humbling, but neither are being put to use in the narrowly-defined ‘support’ position.
I’m disturbed at the number of MLIS students/graduates flooding an already limited job market, but am profoundly piqued at the comments about San Jose State. I’m halfway through the program and have found it intellectually challenging over a wide range of important topics and issues. Distance education has been proven to be as, if not more, effective than face-to-face instruction. I think the bottom line of any library degree is in the area of experience — MLIS students should proactively seek internships and/or library jobs as part of their degree program. I can’t imagine a non-experienced recent MLIS grad from any program finding appropriate work, in this job market or any other. I’m glad that I have so many years of experience in public services, technical services, and library management to include with my MLIS credentials. But I’m still not overly optimistic that I’ll be able to move into a ‘librarian’ position after completing my degree. Depending on what the economy is like in two years, I may end up having to just stay in my ‘support staff’ job with the degree and just be content.
I hear you — I understand completely and agree. One of my main concerns is that once I obtain my MLIS I’ll be stuck in the same position I have now at the same rate of pay.
But I have to keep in mind the glass is half full as we are, overall, so fortunate in the U.S. that we tend to forget how well off we are compared to people living in other parts of the world – and it could be much, much worse.
For example, we don’t have bombs dropping on our heads or snipers shooting at us or members of our family as we struggle to obtain food and other essentials in an effort to survive while living in some of the most violent regions of the world. As compared to a living a life in that type of situation – I have nothing to complain about — thus the glass really is half full.
Two years ago after a long, long job search I left a toxic environment for one that was better and offered me training and new experiences. Despite a 20% pay cut & no job security I haven’t regretted it. Hang in there folks, the job market will improve for libraries in time. Sure my MLS profs did exaggerate some about job markets but we are all adults and take our career gambles in life. I welcome librarians venting their anger. And people still employed like me, lets step up and have at least the decency to have farewell lunches and meaningful appreciation of what the laid off or terminated staff have done. Showing you care is the important thing whether its donuts, a letter of reference or what ever.
Dee
Dee, thanks. What I find particularly interesting about your comment is that you have sacrificed pay for a healthier work environment. There is a lesson here for the profession.
I feel sorry for the people with bad bosses. I am a director. On my way up I had a few bad bosses. Most were bad because they were frightened. They did not feel confident or possess the skills they needed so they compensated for it by becoming bullies. All these years and I still strive not to be like those people and I don’t think I am. Do I sometimes make mistakes? Of course. Do I need to make hard decisions. Of course, including firing. But I try to be humane. Just this morning I agonized over telling an employee their request for vacation was denied. People work hard and earn vacation. Even though this person was clearing not be courteous about their request (not to get into details) I hated being in the position where I had to say no to it even though I did and because the employee knew I was not that kind of person they did get over their disappointment.
On the other hand, I’ve also know plenty of non-manager types. Some were fantastic caring people and some were real jerks who never tried or cared about why management had to do thing things they did. Some had a point, but for many it was me, me, me and I hate management because they disagree with me and everyone knows I am smarter than them. Sometimes these people were promoted and surprise, surprise, they changed once they saw the real big picture.
I guess what my rambling point is that some people are jerks and some aren’t. Some are in management and some are not. Is it disproportionate? Maybe some because management is a lot of pressure and that sometimes brings out the worst in people; especially those who don’t have the necessary skills. But sometimes it just seems that way because your view of what is happening is much narrower than theirs.
I should have said “was clearly not being courteous.” Sorry for the mistake.
Matt, thanks for the perspective. What you have written needs to be read and reflected on by all who peruse this blog. This is important stuff.
When I was little, I thought there was this really prolific poet named anon
1. I think nearly everyone is anxious, which sometimes leads to anger.
2. You do have to be careful what you say online, but to say how this is affecting you personally would not generally be the type of thing to get you in trouble as long as you are respectful. Going off on a rant about your SOB boss, on the other hand, is NEVER a good idea. Don’t burn that bridge. As for retaliation, much as management might sometimes like to target specific people for layoffs, usually the slackers who pass from position to position because no department wants them, most organizations don’t work that way. I’ve only worked at one library where everyone as an “at will” employee. Many organizations have policies about posting on blogs or Facebook when you could be construed as representing the organization, so everyone should be familiar with the local rules. That’s just a sad fact in these days of liability concerns.
3. Not really. The general vibe I get is that people still value libraries. We’ll never be seen as an “essential” service, but times will get better and at least some of the funding will come back to most libraries.
4. Every administrator I know has tried very hard to find that balance between retaining employees and providing the best possible service within their budget constraints. I only know one who is more concerned about themselves. Sometimes they are directed from above to eliminate staff – like the director told to cut her personnel costs in half, but don’t close any branches and don’t talk about it. Most of them do worry about what will happen to employees laid off or whose positions are outright eliminated. I know at least one who made an effort to find out if there would be any possible openings for her people within a 2 hour drive if the worst happened. However, when administrators talk about how they are dealing with the budget crisis, they have to be very careful – just like those who don’t want to publicly comment on this blog. Their CAO may have told them to talk strictly about the financials and they may have been advised to avoid certain topics out of liability fears. How some cuts are enacted may have been dictated by union contracts, but you rarely point that out because you have to continue to work with the unions. Anything you say could find its way into the local newspaper. Your every word is potential political fodder.
5. Mid-career people always have it the worst in these types of crises, especially the people who don’t want to be management and who have worked for one employer in essentially the same job for most of their career. It’s really hard to be forced to change paths at that point in your career.
6. No, people continue to major in History, English, Fine Arts, etc. and the job prospects there have always been even worse. I graduated from library school in 1983. The previous few years hadn’t been great for library jobs. Only one of my classmates had a job lined up at graduation, and she had been pre-med undergrad. Many of us eventually found jobs in libraries. Many who were tied to a specific city, found other ways to use their degree. A good MLS program teaches skills than can be sold outside the library world, but unfortunately the type of people who chose librarianship are often not the type of people who are good at promoting themselves. I do think it is irresponsible for an MLS program to enroll as many students as possible just because you are teaching online and don’t have to deal with physical classroom space.
7. There are some totally self-involved, petty library managers out there, but in my experience they aren’t the majority. There are a lot of library directors out there who are really agonizing over the decisions they are being forced to make. I also want to point out that library management has not been unaffected by this economy. Thankfully I’m not the person making branch closure/layoff decisions, but I am classified as senior management and I haven’t had a raise in over 4 years. There are unionized employees working for me who now make more than I do. Thanks to heath insurance costs, a local retirement fiasco, and now furloughs, my take-home pay has declined steadily every year. I know it beats being laid off, but to act like library managers are heartless banking execs, raking in bonuses while the masses take the hit, is not really fair. And if you don’t like the type of people becoming library managers, encourage the right people to apply for management jobs. While libraries get inundated with applications for every other job, the applicant pool for middle and upper level management openings can be sparse.
Anon, thanks for the comprehensive and very balanced perspective on this difficult issue. Thanks for pointing out that many libraries have policies about making comments on line.
anon anon – Point #7 well-taken. My region has several directorships and library consortia openings. We thought this would be a great time to get a good pool of applicants because of the economy, and were surprised when there were very few applicants. I will think more about encouraging those who I think would be good leaders.
As a library-type person who’s now been involuntarily retired twice, I’ll just toss in one semantic clarification:
There are lots of managers (including some directors) who aren’t leaders, just as there are lots of leaders who aren’t managers. Any manager who abuses his or her staff isn’t a leader, no matter the job title.
The short version: If people only follow you because you compel them to, or if they don’t follow you at all, you’re not a leader. (Jerks are, in general, not leaders.)
Thanks, Walt. How’s this for a book title: “Managers, Directors, Leaders, and Jerks?”
It’s good to talk about these things. Thanks for this post, Will.
1. I can’t speak for my colleagues, but I have no problem admitting that I feel angry and frustrated sometimes. This could just be part of my mid-life crisis, though – more evidence required.
I think it’s what you DO with those feelings that matters. I try to use them as problem-solving fuel. Sometimes it works. Sometimes I just have to put on some loud music and dance around the house for a while until I get over myself…
Seriously, I’m a little concerned about anybody, librarian or otherwise, who is NOT angry or frustrated right now. Have you LOOKED at the paper lately? We, as a species, have hella-lotta work to do…
2. I wouldn’t want to cast aspersions on people I don’t know, because everyone’s situation is different. I would say that IF attempts to resolve concerns in person haven’t worked, and were poorly received, a person MIGHT have evidence that would justify their fears of saying anything online.
3. Yes. Yes I do. What is happening in libraries is symptomatic of a culture amusing itself to death, and misuse of technology has played a large part in that. I cannot wait to get my hands on The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing To Our Brains (I’m usually behind on your blog because I need LONG patches of “away from the computer” time, in which I do things like bake bread or spend time with friends).
But I digress: the perception that fewer librarians are needed rises when people believe that “everything’s on the internet now” and “anyone can find information” and “print is dying!” Society at large seems to want everything to be cheap, fast and easy. The notion that some things take time, or effort, or research, is anathema in our “gimme gimme gimme” culture of instant gratification. And, just in case I wasn’t clear enough, I freaking HATE that.
The future of libraries depends, I believe, heavily on getting the right people on board with our mission. The sustainability folks. The slow food people. The downshifters. The urban farmers. Anyone who’s looking beyond the next shiny thing.
(You can see why I don’t get invited to more librarian parties. I am No Fun, patent pending.)
4. HR law is not my strong suit – I would argue that the answer to this question, as with many things, comes back to having well-written policies. However you’re going to lay people off, it had better be airtight legal and fair. Ideally, a manager will have cultivated a good working rapport with his/her staff, so that if cuts of some kind are necessary, it is understood all around that it’s not personal. Realistically, well…better to be laid off from a toxic environment than be one of the ones who has to stay working for the jerk… (silently gives thanks once again for having the Best Boss Ever).
5. New grads, hands down. The rest of us knew what we were getting ourselves into, for the most part. I know when I realized libraries were where I wanted to be, I cussed a blue streak for several days running because it meant more graduate school and more loans. But, you pay a price for every choice you make. Sometimes the costs are up-front. Sometimes they’re hidden, and don’t manifest until later.
6. Yes. Which means library school faculty are going to be the next heads to roll, and more’s the pity. I had excellent teachers, and hate to think of anything happening to them…
7. “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” It’s all in Plato. Bless me, what do they teach them in those schools?
Tip o’ the hat, Leigh Anne. I may return to ramble later, but I really think I have discovered a Will Unwound shortcut: if I wait long enough, you’ll say a lot of what I was thinking and say it better than I would have.
Hey, R.A. Leigh Anne is fantastic, so are many others on this blog. BUT SO ARE YOU. I do look forward to your comments here as well. Don’t let others do all the heavy thinking
As for shortcuts, WILL THIS THING NEEDS A SEARCH ENGINE! You know that first line in the librarians do Gaga thing? This is getting very difficult to track down specific comments and threads!
Leigh Anne, I loved your final comment! I recognize the line, but cannot place it at the moment. Too early in the AM….
R.A., you’re too kind, but I’m glad you liked the comments. I hope you will add more later – I’ll keep this “marked as new” and peek back to see who else has something to say…
JLF, it’s from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – I should’ve cited.
LA…Thank you for bringing up “The Shallows.” I read an intriguing review of it yesterday in the SF paper. It raises some fundamental questions about the way we think and process info. The deep thinking that accompanies the reading of a substantial work of literature is certainly at peril. I do hope when you get this book and read it that you will share your thoughts on your blog. It has major implications for how libraries will deliver services. As always, thanks for your direct, honest, but sensitive comments today.
Jumping in with a correction, that’s Leigh Anne who brought up The Shallows — which I’ve just reserved for when it comes in, even though I expect to be depressed for weeks after reading it.
Sorry. I’ve corrected my mistake. Got my LA’s and RA’s mixed up, but now that you brought it up, from the review I read of The Shallows, you really have to wonder if serious literature (which includes most of the classics) will survive the new method of “reading.”
Arggghhh! Of COURSE, Leigh Anne, HOW could I have not recognized that??? I think I did mention I’m not a morning person. *Slinks away in shame*
It’s funny – I often feel that way when I get here “late” and read many of the other wonderful things you, Joan, Will, and others have to say.
Oh dear…I just had another one of my crazy ideas: is it remotely feasible that we could make “Unwinders” t-shirts and start selling them with the goal of creating a temporary fund for out-of-work librarians? Good grief, do I know how to make more work for people, or what?
Leigh Anne, extremely nice thought! I think there are fairly easy ways to make the shirts online. I don’t know how you’d dole out the money, though. Personally, as I’ve said a few times, this is not about money for me, but I know that it would be all about money for younger librarians. When I lived in NYC in my 20′s, if I had been laid off I would have been in deep s**t!
And to JLF, just use Ctrl-F to find a word on the page. My 12 yr old had to remind me of that the other day.
DUDE. T-shirts. Yes. Any designers out there? I max out my designing talents with crooked iron-on letters, alas.
Trust a 12 year old to know their way around a computer! Thanks Elissa! That may save a LOT of time!
Control F doesn’t do a thing. Any more advice from your 12 year old? Will, back to begging for a search engine…
Ctrl-F is working well for me. I just type in a word in the discussion I’m looking for, and it goes right to it. It’s working in both Chrome and IE. What browser are you using, Joan?
I use Safari Elissa. But I’ve used ctrl F on other things with Safari. On Macs it is command F but that isn’t working either. Oh well….
12 y.o. says “that is really, really weird”.
OK, if the 12 y.o. doesn’t know, I give up!
2. Aren’t some librarians being a bit paranoid when they say that are afraid to express their opinions on a blog? Maybe, maybe not. Everyone is blurring the lines more and more between professional and personal lives. I have had more than one conversation with my city manager that showed we had differing ideas of where the job leaves off and one’s personal life begins. This is why I don’t “friend” my work colleagues on FB. I don’t discuss work on FB anyway, but what I am up to isn’t the business of people I work with. So thinking that what you say online might eventually get back to your boss isn’t that farfetched. It’s just a new variation on gossip.
3. Do you worry about the future of our profession as it becomes marginalized by layoffs and cutbacks? It could enjoy a resurgence or it could go the way of the dodo. I don’t know. I don’t spend much time worrying about things of which I’m not in control. That may sound “easier said than done.” Believe me, it takes practice.
4. When administrators are put in the terrible dilemma of making cutbacks, are they right in divorcing human feelings from the cutback dilemma? Shouldn’t they focus strictly on dollars and sense and the fiduciary responsibility they have to taxpayers to balance their budgets?
I think a lot of people don’t know how to deal with negative emotions in any helpful way so they just don’t do anything to address their employees’ emotional needs. Listening to people talk about their fears, worries, and problems is hard work. Allowing them to vent and not take it personally is a learned reaction. Sitting with someone who is crying scares a lot of people; they feel helpless, often because there isn’t anything they can do to “fix” it and they don’t know how to just be supportive and listen. These things are generally not taught in library school or management school or really anywhere as far as I know, unless you also have a degree in counseling. Some people (managers) are just jerks; that’s inevitable. I think a majority of people just aren’t equipped to deal with the impact of such major, life-changing events.
7. Anything else you’d like to put on the table?
One thing I find sad is that so many people define themselves and measure their self-worth by something that other people can take away from them. I’m just speaking in general, not about any particular person (not you, Elissa!) There’s no logic in that and it is emotionally unwise. I’ve mentioned once or twice that my husband is disabled and can no longer work and that my son is autistic and will probably not be able to support himself independently when he grows up. By the standards of “You are what you do,” they would qualify as useless human beings. I don’t think anyone on this blog would agree to that statement. My husband’s and son’s disabilities aren’t something that they are in control of or that are their fault. Neither is being laid-off because the economy imploded and the people in charge didn’t plan for a rainy day so why lose your sense of self-worth over it? The financial aspect is another matter, of course. We live on one income and it is often tough. We’ve been tightening the belt so long that we don’t even think about it much anymore. Having to give up your accustomed standard of living is depressing and hard but you can make a game of it and find things to laugh about if you work at it. We looked for recipes we could use from an old cookbook called “Good Food for Hard Times.” Many of the recipes called for lard and cabbage figured in as the vegetable for a lot of dishes. (“This is adding insult to injury. We have to be poor *and* flatulent?”) Anyway, my take on the whole “my job is my life” part of your post based on my own experiences and not anything in the self-help section.
Stacey…great comment. First, you are very perceptive. It is important that we all understand people’s feelings about being laid off. Will that change anything? No. But we are dealing with human beings who do have emotions and who do cry and who do get angry. Sometimes I think that as libraries have become more mechanized we have forgotten the importance of understanding the human aspects of our librarians. I think you’re right that a course in counseling could be very beneficial. Your other point about self identity is also critical. Again it gets back to the human aspect of our being. It’s sad to think that we would identify ourselves with a job, but I can understand why librarians do this. Serving others provides an important purpose, a purpose that gives shape and meaning to life. It’s a tricky issue. Thanks for raising it.
Thanks, Stacey, I found this response very thoughtful and full of good perspective. With regard to number 7 in particular, thank you. I have a disabled son who will never be able to live on his own or “contribute” financially or professionally. He’s loved by his family and by others who know him, and he is a good and valuable human being.
Stacey, I didn’t take your comment personally, but thank you for specifically discluding me. I may end up not being a librarian by title when this is over, but I will always be a librarian in spirit. It doesn’t define me, but it’s part of who I am, and that part isn’t going away.
Thank you, Stacey for this comment. In some countries you never ask a person what they do for a living until you have known them for some time. Here it is one of the first questions people ask, which shows how much we think work defines a person. It shouldn’t be this way. I have a friend who is a dental hygienist. It wasn’t until she moved to a depressed area where having a job at all was considered an accomplishment that she realized she liked her profession. When she lived in a major city, too many people defined this witty, smart, kind, imaginative and creative person by her job, and wrote her off. Sad, but through her experience I am now more aware and try harder to look at each person as the whole of who they are.
1. LOL, I’ve never known librarians who weren’t angry and frustrated. I thought it came with the territory because craving a better world seems to be a universal librarian trait.
2. No. The search committee that hired me for my current job Googled me before inviting me to interview with them. I imagine they are not alone in doing so.
3. No, because worry won’t help. I focus on what I can do: forge meaningful relationships with my patrons and find ways to meet their needs while staying within budget.
4. I don’t think it’s productive to divorce oneself from feeling, nor to be ruled by it. Acknowledge it, respect it, then do what needs to be done. If I had to fire someone, though, I would definitely strive to do so in the most humane fashion possible. There’s no reason to be a robot.
5. Eh. It sucks for anyone who’s being forced to adjust to tough changes, at any phase of life.
6. God, I hope they do. “Librarian shortage” my arse. :p
Jess, thanks. You raise a very, very interesting issue on number two. As always, I get my best ideas from the comments. Your #2 is a great idea for a future post: is it ethical and/or effective to google someone as part of the hiring process? How do you know that the info googled is factual or even relates to you or someone with your same name? Thanks for giving me something to run with, Jess.
Good question, Will. Reminds me of when my husband applied for a job as a consulting economist. The firm asked his schools for his transcript. He received excellent grades (Phi Beta Kappa). Luckily, the firm was astute enough to realize that the school might have sent the wrong transcript. They sent the transcript of someone with the same name who was a Phys Ed major and got, shall we say, less than stellar grades. Oh, also, when he was a professor, he received a notice letting him know that his job as custodian had been terminated. As you have probably guessed by now, he has a very common name, which leads to lots of mix-ups. I won’t tell you what his name is in case a potential employer is trolling the Internet looking for him
Will, I’m surprised at you sometimes. We now live in a time when HR people scan social networking sites as an evaluative tool to see if applicants are a good fit. Apparently, you were a manager to long not to understand fear.
1. Are you starting to see anger and frustration among the people you work with?
*There is no doubt, stress is real and all things that come with it.
2. Aren’t some librarians being a bit paranoid when they say that are afraid to express their opinions on a blog?
*No, I received flak for personal opinion several years ago from an employer, it negatively impacted me.
3. Do you worry about the future of our profession as it becomes marginalized by layoffs and cutbacks?
No, I don’t. Our profession has been being marginalized since we did not seize the day when the WWW started to energize. Most people have been playing ostrich ever since. Darwinism lives – lol.
4. When administrators are put in the terrible dilemma of making cutbacks, are they right in divorcing human feelings from the cutback dilemma?
*terrible dilemma??? Bullhockey – THEY aren’t the ones prospectively going unemployed, losing their house, their car and any hope for their kids futures. No, they are not right, that’s what they signed on for and to avoid being human about it is just low, but unfortunately all to common.
Shouldn’t they focus strictly on dollars and sense and the fiduciary responsibility they have to taxpayers to balance their budgets?
*Mostly they don’t have that actual responsibility and receive those mandates from above. However, I do think they FAIL to contingency plan adequately in general. In addition, some are really bad at listening to anything from below their pay grade and seem to survive anyway by manipulating the system and climbing to success and high pay on the bodies and backs of the workers. Revolutionary enough for you? LOL.
5. Whom do you feel worse for: new MLS grads, entry level librarians, mid-career librarians, or librarians entering the retirement zone?
*I feel worse for new grads – who have been sold a bill of goods about their prospects and we mid-careers who have a substantive investment in time and skills accumulation and are in mid-stride.
6. Do you feel that Library School enrollments will start making a sharp decline?
*If they had any sense of serious professional responsibility they should reduce admissions, but they will not unless forced to do so. Students will cut the enrollment themselves by not applying when word of the lack of opportunities gets around.
7. Anything else you’d like to put on the table?
Yah Will, you need to get out and about more – lol.
Yes, you are right, John. I’m behind the times. I guess that’s what this blog is all about, an opportunity for me to learn. I do have major problems with employers combing the internet for info on job candidates. The accuracy of internet information is hit and miss, and how many John Berry’s are there connected with libraries. I know of at least 3. How do you know you are connecting the right info with the right one. I may need to get out, John, but I do not agree with that form of candidate screening.
Actually, some administrators do get laid off, especially when libraries and branches are closed. They are not immune although safer than others.
As far as the internet, I agree in general. However, some postings are egregious and harmful to the organization. 95% are not, but there are the 5% that do deserve to be in trouble.
Matt, I hear you. People need to be sincere and responsible when they post, which is what I have found to be the case on this blog.
Matt has a good point. Two school board members in our region recently got in serious trouble for things they had posted on their private FB accounts, both discovered by the local newspaper. One was pictured hosting a keg party for underage kids, and another was posting racist and homophobic comments, supposedly in jest, but do you want a school board member that jests about this? So while perhaps employers shouldn’t be combing the Internet for potential employee’s political opinions and hobbies, I think it is acceptable for them to look out for things like this that might later blow up in their faces.
I am one of those librarians who don’t fit comfortably in any box. I am middle aged and on my second career. I raised my family while working part time in the library for over 12 years. I went to SJSU (so I won’t be getting a job from Mick’s wife), but I am no less qualified than anyone else. Now I find myself as a single parent with only a part-time librarian job. I have years of experience, but 2 of the 3 men hired recently as management are young and have very little experience and they too graduated from online programs. The city I work for recently unveiled their new budget and there is an across the board cut EXCEPT for the library, who must cut TWICE as much as other departments. Don’t get stressed you say? I think the quote “A recession is when your neighbor loses his job, a depression is when you lose your’s”. Well, my friends we are in a depression despite the fake reports of recovery we are seeing in the news. People are losing their job in every profession-not just ours-and colleges are still enrolling students in all kinds of programs, not just library school. I don’t have a solution, but I am sure glad I grew up poor becasue I know how to stretch a dollar. I think I’ll be doing that for a while.
Book Chick, you almost gave me a ray of hope with that “except the library” quote. Getting double cuts…that’s just wrong. Sad.
I started off this thread with some pretty harsh words about library managers. I’ve also seen the phrase “angry and frustrated” in Will’s original post and in many comments. It seems, in my case, that anger and frustration do not evaporate immediately upon retirement.
I’ve had some bad experiences, and they have colored my thinking about managers. Worse have been experiences of friends and colleagues. When I contemplate their situations, I realize I’ve gotten off relatively lightly.
Though “my way or the highway” seems to me standard operating procedure in public libraries, I will admit here that my sample size is small — the libraries I have worked in or that friends and relatives have worked in.
Yes, there are good library managers out there. Encountered a few myself. If you’re one of them, I wasn’t talking about you.
In the current Time of Anger and Frustration, here’s a short and by no means comprehensive list of the traits I’d wish to see in a library manager:
1. Take nothing personally. Sometimes people just need to vent.
2. Keep a cool head. Step back, don’t just react.
3. Don’t hold grudges.
4. Praise in public; criticize in private.
5. Mean what you say and follow through. (I once worked in a place where the big boss grandly declared that he had an “open door” policy and than any employee at any level could come to him with a concern. One did. And she was reprimanded, both publicly and via letter of reprimand, for failing to respect the chain of command. She didn’t realize that the “open door” policy was just to make the big boss feel good about himself, not to be actually used.)
6. Listen to your staff. The front line employees will always have the best ideas about how to save money and time, and about how to keep patrons happy. You can work in some places for ten years and no one from the executive suite ever even asks.
7. Show up occasionally at a public-service point. Even if it is for no other reason that to show you’re interested in what happens there. Consider chatting with patrons as well as staff.
8. Don’t play favorites. Make the hard decisions uncolored by emotion or sentiment.
9. Explain what you’re doing. Employee anger and frustration, and paranoia, thrive in an atmosphere of ignorance. You’ll find most employees understand a budget crunch, understand hard decisions, and can follow your logic.
10. Communicate well and often. Both about good stuff and bad stuff.
11. Nip it in the bud. Don’t let a bad situation fester because dealing with it is unpleasant.
12. If there is any way you can pull it off, eliminate or at least reduce the emphasis placed on annual reviews of performance. These are demeaning to receive, even the positive ones, and excruciating to administer. They’re a colossal time sink. The American workplace would be vastly improved by their absence.
Is some of this stuff awfully hard to pull off? You bet. Making hard decisions free of emotion and sentimentality and being an empathetic listener aren’t exactly a natural fit.
My authority to say this stuff? Many years in public libraries as well as many years in the private sector. I’m also a guy who was a manager and who took a voluntary demotion back to the reference desk when he realized he wasn’t very good at the managerial thing.
Managing, much less managing in tough times, is hard and not often done well. Those who do it well have my admiration.
Joe…here’s the pressing issue: the “my way or the highway” philosophy becomes more prevalent and harder to fight when jobs become scarce.
Fear of job loss among employees certainly empowers bad managers.
Our budget problems are not going away, and now, like never before, we need humane and innovative solutions. Some of them will involve things both employees and patrons would rather not have to consider. In an atmosphere in which your best people are focusing on shutting up and staying under the radar, how do you come up with the right solution? (Of course, in such an atmosphere, you probably don’t care about your best employees’ ideas.)
Even in the presence of good management, there may be no such thing as “the right solution,” especially since there are conflicting ideas, on the part of both employees and the public, on just what the mission of the library should be.
Good points. For someone who is admittedly not good a managing you seem to have some good ideas. Listening to the front line is always important. Although, I wouldn’t say they always have the best ideas.
Thanks, Matt. I think my ideas about desirable managerial traits are good, since they have been derived from long experience in the workplace.
Having good ideas and executing them well are two very different animals, though.
Which is to say, you must have a managerial temperament, and they don’t teach that in any graduate school . . .
Born, not made, as they say, though I think with practice you can learn some of the good habits. But who do you practice on? Do you want the surgeon who has done the procedure ten times or the one who has done it 5,000 times?
Joe, I like Stacey’s point that a course in counseling could be helpful at times like this.
Leigh Anne, I love what you said! Especially #3.
Democracy and Other Neoliberal Fantasies is also worth reading.
And people think I’m crazy for not having my own internet connection the past five years.
kin, check out “The Shallows.”
Hi Kati (since you linked to your blog, I guess I can use your real name, right?, where do you use the internet? Not crazy, just not convenient. Then again, not owning a car isn’t that convenient in DC, either, but it’s noble.
Kati! Thanks for the title suggestion – and good for you for being able to give up internet at home!
Ex-library commune, anyone?
An ex-library commune is sounding pretty good to me right now!!
Do I have anger — no. I have resentment and frustration at the economic conditions that made my retirement necessary. I am enjoying my retirement, however in a perfect world do I wish I was still working? — every day! No people are not paranoid. If they are going to express true feelings they should be careful! Things you say can come back to bite you in the …. um er … can come back to haunt you. Yes, I practice what I preach.. my name is fictious.
Irene…enjoy your retirement and keep blogging! We need you here.
I have bitten the bullet. Today I notified my library and city that I will retire effective next Jan. 31.
I am tired of fighting. I am tired of being undervalued. I am tired of the anxiety and stress to which I have been subjected.
Item: I had a three-month disability leave two years ago. During the time I was on leave, NOT ONE PERSON from my library or city got in touch with me to find out how I was doing.
Item: Last year I spent a month in the hospital. NOT ONE PERSON from my library inquired about me.
Item: I have served on ALA Council for more than ten years. The library directors during this time never acknowledged my contributions to the profession.
As others have noted, administrators don’t treat workers as people. When they announce layoffs, they say, “There’s nothing personal in this.” Bullshit! When one is dealing with people, everything is personal.
A major problem is with the public’s frequent misunderstanding of government. They expect public agencies to operate like private corporations, but don’t understand the differences.
* Government is not here to make a profit.
* Everyone is a shareholder in the public sector. There’s no small group of shareholders (“small” in that the people owning stock in a private company are not as broadly-based as residents of a state, city, county, etc.) to please.
I’m tired of the people who believe that since they can run a large business they are equipped to govern. As California goes to the polls in the primary election tomorrow, one of the Republican candidates for governor has had no public sector experience. (And don’t get me started on Ah-nold.)
This has been a long rant. We are all walking in each others’ shoes. None of us can afford (literally) to be complacent.
Sue, Amen.
Sue, You have given them plenty of time to prepare for your departure. Don’t expect them to do anything about it. Don’t let anyone lay a guilt trip on you either. Prepare yourself to enjoy the rest of your life. Good Luck
1. Are you starting to see anger and frustration among the people you work with?
Well, I will start off by saying I’m very lucky compared to a lot of people. Our library, as I said in a comment on an earlier post, is not doing badly, and our department has another serious contender for best boss ever. When frustrations do arise, as far as I’m aware they center on the kinds of things that always lead to frustration: miscommunication or lack of communication, the perception of not being consulted or appreciated … things like that, the kinds of issues that are always going to arise in an imperfect institution made up of imperfect human beings.
I think there is some anger — actually I’m feeling a *lot* and doubt if I’m the only one — toward our state’s politicians who have so consistently dealt so badly with what has obviously been an untenable fiscal situation for years.
More under 7.
2. Aren’t some librarians being a bit paranoid when they say that are afraid to express their opinions on a blog?
Not for me to say. I can think of one library where, according to a friend who worked there, people were being fired for checking their personal email on work time. If I worked in such an atmosphere, I’d hesitate to express my opinions on a blog.
Even aside from that, I think we do have to remember that anything we post on a website is to some degree public speech. I intend to speak truthfully, I hope I can speak frankly, and in a friendly forum like this I’m going to speak from the heart and about some fairly personal things sometimes. But I’m not necessarily going to say *everything* I might say if we had known each other for years and were having dinner and a beer after hours at a conference.
3. Do you worry about the future of our profession as it becomes marginalized by layoffs and cutbacks?
Yes and no. I may have mentioned that I took a first master’s before going to library school. The original plan was to go into college teaching. Well, this was around the mid-seventies, when the bottom dropped out of the academic job market. (To their credit, by the way, my professors were frank about what was going on.) To make a long story short, like many other grad students in those days, I reconsidered my options. At the time, I might have predicted that the future of the professoriate was dire. Who in their right mind, and with other options, would go for a Ph.D., especially in the humanities? But 35 years later, people do, including some very smart and talented people, and there are still some jobs — not a lot, but some — for them to tussle for when they get out.
The layoffs and cutbacks will injure our profession, in some areas severely. What worries me more in the longer view is what will happen to the profession if our society continues on the track of devaluing everything except profit and of becoming ever more shallow and, frankly, dumb. But if that continues, the marginalization of librarianship will be just one of a number of ongoing disasters.
I basically think libraries will stick around in some form because there is a need and, despite many predictions to the contrary, a continuing demand. Certainly that’s true for public libraries, and I almost dare to hope that at some point communities will stop putting up with local governments’ willingness to gut library service. As for academic libraries, I know their role is changing and have seen some studies showing decreasing use by students, but — again — I find it hard to believe that students, especially advanced students, and scholars are going to let them fade away. You’ve remarked, Will, in response to various comments, on what a tragedy it is that school libraries are so neglected and undervalued, and I agree. I’d further say that’s a symptom of the way education is neglected and undervalued. If, as a society, we ever ditch the No Child Left Behind model (and I’m thinking not just of the disastrous law but of the whole mindset behind it) and start thinking seriously again about what education is and ought to be, we might then see school libraries and librarians valued and supported again.
4. When administrators are put in the terrible dilemma of making cutbacks, are they right in divorcing human feelings from the cutback dilemma? Shouldn’t they focus strictly on dollars and sense and the fiduciary responsibility they have to taxpayers to balance their budgets?
As someone else has remarked, one of the reasons leadership is so difficult to do well is that good administrators struggle with doing both. A good administrator does not cut staff as a first or second resort, and does not lose sight of human feelings even if the time comes when people must be let go. Easier said than done.
5. Whom do you feel worse for: new MLS grads, entry level librarians, mid-career librarians, or librarians entering the retirement zone?
Possibly new grads and entry-level librarians, because they are likely to be carrying big debts and may not get real, full-time professional positions for years. But really, Will, you’re asking me which puppy I would kill first.
6. Do you feel that Library School enrollments will start making a sharp decline?
I wouldn’t be surprised. But I’d be interested, now that I’m looking at this question, in how sharp the decline was in humanities Ph.D. enrollments from the seventies on.
7. Anything else you’d like to put on the table?
Sure, now that I’m ten minutes from having to pack up and go home.
I think what we’re looking at, regarding our profession, is very important, very significant — and at the same time a symptom of something larger. We’re in charge, if I can run with a rough analogy for a moment, of keeping our patient’s breathing deep and easy and keeping the floor clean, but we also have to be mindful that the patient is coughing up blood.
The anger and frustration isn’t just that good people are out of work or are being jerked around by some (I still think a minority of) administrators. It’s not just that we see more need for our services and fewer resources to meet that need. It’s also that we can see our society becoming more and more unequal, in wealth, resources, and opportunities. It’s that we have seen the opportunities that seemed to be opening up with the end of the Cold War squandered — seen the last twenty years and more, as Tony Judt so eloquently put it, devoured by locusts. It’s that we’ve seen everything — *everything* — every humane impulse, the love of art, the love of learning, the love of human beings, of the earth, of animals and plants and oceans, of family, of community, of our children and our grandchildren and our descendants yet unborn, plowed under for the sake of corporate profit and for our own shortsightedness and greed.
All right: deep breath: I really must import my records, print my labels, pack up and go home. À bientôt, camarados.
RA…here’s what I want to focus on with you: higher education in the liberal arts. Yes, I can understand where librarianship as a profession is subject to the whims of the laws of supply and demand. But….how about the liberal arts. I was raised to believe that within the liberal arts lay the values that human beings need to form communities that will be just and sustainable. The liberal arts curriculum is all about values. Dickens, Shakespeare, Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Agustine, Lawerence, Yeats, Joyce…why do we read these people? The answer is simple: to deal with the issues and challenges of trafficking in the human condition. Can we monetize these studies? I suppose we can, and I suppose we do. But isn’t there a life of the mind that precludes what Wordsworth has termed the giving and taking? Aren’t students of literature on a journey of truth that will enrich themselves and all they come in contact with? Don’t we need thinkers and dreamers outside the market place?
I am completely with you here, Will. When rereading your reply I suddenly thought of the first stanza of a poem by Arthur O’Shaughnessy (1844–1881), which set to music a few decades ago became a kind of unofficial Unitarian hymn:
WE are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.
You know that in my heart I cannot dissever librarianship from the liberal arts: it was in pursuit of the profession that I fully realized their scope and power, and I think in some way the spirit of the liberal arts called me into the profession.
Artes liberales — subjects of study proper to the free — without them we cannot have a free society for long.
And this to me is at the heart of one of the library’s most important roles: the “people’s university.”
Viva La Bibliotecarias!
Y los bibliotecarios tambien.
Si se puede!
Today’s 3-hour “transition meeting” was sad and confusing, but I’ll do my best to get over it now.
I can well imagine that it was. I’m sorry to hear it, though.
R.A., thank you so much for your sympathy. Every little bit of it really does help right now.
I’m an emotional person, and this will take me awhile. Without naming any names, I will just say that it’s not that easy for me personally to just “buck up”. I know that I’ll pull it together, but as Will told me the other night in an email, I have a lot of healing to do. I could politely tell some people to try to learn to write more succinctly, but that might mean taking a writing class, and not everybody has the time, energy, money, motivation to do that. Some people recover quickly from thing, some don’t. Everybody’s different, and I actually think that I’m pretty typical, in terms of the library world, in being an emotional person (just judging from my own 20 year career in 2 urban public library systems). As I’ve said, I KNOW will be FINE, but I will be fine at my own pace, thank you, and just because some other people are fine more quickly, I don’t think that makes them better people in any way. Thank you all for indulging me in that semi-rant. I’m not trying to be trollish, but I was seriously, seriously depressed last night after I read the comments on this post. A good night’s sleep did me good, but my cat kept waking me up early this morning, for some unknown reason, so I’m tired today, and perhaps a little more impulsive than usual.
Elissa, it is way too soon for you to have any positive feelings about this enforced transition. You have lost something important to you and you are grieving. I think most people realize that and are speaking in the long-term rather than the time immediately after the event or certainly as it is happening. There are certainly people who never let go of a grievance and they miss the new opportunities in front of them because they are always looking back. This is happening to you right now and I don’t think anyone expects you to be chipper, perky, and full of optimism for a while. I know I don’t. In fact, I think if you were, I would be worrying about your mental well-being in a whole different way!
Take care.
Stacey, thank you so much for your kind words! Since I’m an emotional person, you made me cry. I KNOW that I take things too personally sometimes, but this issue is personal for me right now, and I felt kind of harassed by one particular comment on this thread. A person who said that he and his wife were both laid off and they were both fine. Still not mentioning names. Steve was also laid off 2 years ago, and we were indeed fine in the long run, but it wasn’t fun for that 2 months that he was without a job (especially since he’s our full-time earner). I guess I was feeling like some people thought that too much whining was being done by librarians who are angry about layoffs, I was drained and exhausted by that meeting yesterday, and it hurt me to hear that. I’m over it today, though.
Well, pretty much over it. I guess I am still talking about it a little. Sorry!
I agree with what Stacey said. Give yourself time and space — it would be unnatural not to feel sad and emotional.
Your cat may have been trying to help. (“Elissa seems sad. She needs to get up and hunt bugs with me.”)
R.A., thank you for the laugh! I’m sure Loubee would love me to help him hunt for bugs (right now he’s sleeping happily next to me though), or just get up and shine the laser pointer around for him.
Elissa, we have very different temperaments. I wouldn’t refuse to name names; I would address the person directly once I cooled down, then let the fallout land where it may.
Losing a job you love sucks. This is no time for platitudes about new opportunities down the road; you lost something meaningful to you, and it sounds like you need to grieve for it. Grieve without apology, m’dear. In the meantime, it sounds like you’ve got a solid support network to remind you that you are awesome and to help you figure out what comes next when you’re on your feet again. *YA-folk hugs*
Uh, I think I’ve left plenty of hints, Jess, but I’m actually not afraid to name names. I’m just being polite. We all already know that I’m talking about Mick, though. I’d love to see if there’s anything he’d like to say back to me, but I know that he and I are very different people, so I’m not expecting a thing.
OK, that 2nd paragraph was a good, deep cry. Thank you for that help. Yes, I have an absolutely awesome support system! This is the kind of time you find out just how good it is, and I am so proud to know all of these amazingly loving people (including those of you Unwinders who have been very, very kind–I’m definitely including you, Will!). Sorry if that sounds soppy to you, Mick. That’s actually how I really feel.
Thank you for the *YA-folk hug*! I needed that!
Whoops, forgot the “once I cooled down” part! That sometimes takes me awhile. I did mention that I’m really tired right now, right?
Aieee! *swoops in with tissues and the sugary and/or caffeinated treat of choice*
Leigh Anne, thanks for the tissues. I’d love a cinnamon dolce latte, or a Spark/Download/Focus Vitamin water, whichever is easiest. I’m having coffee tomorrow morning with a DCPL LA who just told me that she wasn’t looking forward to going to today’s Teen Services Working Group meeting this afternoon, because of who will be missing. I told her to either “Keep Calm and Carry On” or “Keep Calm and Rock On”, whichever works for her, but to promise me not to burn herself out or become a library martyr. I got those two sayings from a discussion between 2 branch managers on FB last week. Two nice guys. I’d name their names, but they might be embarrassed.
I am an Administrator whose position was “eliminated” last year. Budget problems were cited but I know the real story was something else entirely. Call it power, call it ego, call it old boy network, call it whatever you want–I walked into an “open door” months prior to this bad news to try to tell the boss and his administrative poodle, er..assistant, something that they didn’t want to hear and next thing I knew, the numbers weren’t adding up and something had to go–me.
Thankfully, I am actually one of the good managers and was able to sift through several offers and secure another administrative job and in the end it has been the best thing for me. Who wants to work in an environment where you can’t be yourself and worse, have to watch other “leaders” make fools of themselves and pander to politics that aren’t negotiated on behalf of the staff?
I guess my point here is beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. And do CYA and watch your back because unfortunately in a profession that prides itself on information, the best means of communication is usually the staff grapevine–and you never know who is on your side. So even when budgets are truly being crunched, reasons for letting people go are usually very personal.
And despite being such a “gentle” profession, sexism, racism, age-ism, etc. are alive and well and living in libraryland!
BJ…very good advice from the trenches. You’ve been there, and I hope everyone who reads this blog will pay close attention to what you have to say.
Will,
Thank you for this column. I am halfway through library school right now; two semesters to go! I have worked in the public library before and am currently working in a medical setting. The sentiment about management that the first commenter mentioned is something I’ve seen echoed at both places; in fact I believe the medical library is in danger of closing altogether. This is on one hand discouraging and on the other hand inspiring. I’m stubborn enough to believe that hey, if the management sucks so bad, perhaps I can become the management and change a thing or two. Lofty goal? Sure. But why not? After all I’m working on this degree for some reason, and I may as well make it a good one.
Go for it, Jen! I’m glad to see your optimism and hopefulness.
Regarding #3, I do worry about this. I have been a librarian for 20 years, and expect I will need to work at least another 25 years. I am seriously considering moving on to another field in order to escape the “death by a thousand cuts” I see happening. I take it very personally (though it would be better for my health if I did not), and I don’t care to work in a place that is in danger of becoming a shell of its former self. Even in the best of times, public libraries and the services we provide are under-valued. These days there are people in my town who are outright hostile toward any tax-funded institution, including the (mostly female) staff of the public library. We have been told by these people that we are overpaid and need to go. How dare a well-educated woman make a living wage?
Yikes, Abbey! I’m so sorry to hear that! What are you thinking of doing for the 2nd half (give or take) of your career?
I’m not proud of this, but I’ve been in “fight or flight” mode for so long and I’m worn out fighting. There are some long-standing reliable companies in this town, and my instinct now is to flee to one of them — anything with a steady paycheck and no nights or weekends away from my child.
I wouldn’t have 2 weeks ago, but now I completely get it, Abbey. You should definitely do what you feel is right (whether it necessarily makes you feel proud right away or not)!
Perhaps the massive layoffs have only been occurring in the past few years, but for at least a decade before this there has been reduction and underemployment. How many positions were reduced or cut in half (without benefits) at entry-level when someone retired, either at that level or higher? Haven’t we all heard about streamlining and rethinking and change and doing more with less and all of that, but hasn’t it usually been the public service workers, the non-management types, who have had to take the cuts? When was the last time a senior management job was made 20 hours, no benefits? How many paraprofessional jobs have been filled with newly-minted MLS-holders, who may not be promoted for years, if ever? It’s just that now almost every job is up for grabs, including the ones in areas typically immune from too many cuts. So Will, with all due respect, if you’re surprised, it’s because you’ve been either a director or a city manager for decades.
Oh, and in terms of supervisors etc. finding out – it’s not that they all comb blogs like this deliberately. It’s just that this profession is so incestuous that, if only one manager in a state read a blog, he or she could pass on all sorts of stuff and do incredible damage. Seriously. We all take care of our own.
Holy Cow! Based on these comments and my own experience over the past two decades, we may have a crisis in management. Now, if those described are clueless in their people skills in dealing with their employees, then I have zero confidence that they have the people skills to deal with those who hold the purse strings. Public libraries are subject to the politics of cities. If they cannot treat their employees with basic respect, then how can we have confidence that they go into meetings with city managers with good people skills? College and university libraries have a similar dilemma in that there are administrators who hold their purse strings, too. If library administrators do not treat their employees well, then how can they enter negotiations with their bosses? How can they make the case for adequate funding for their libraries if they do not value their own employees?
Libraries are now in competition for scarce resources. Poor people skills towards employees, I am certain, means that library administrators also have poor people skills towards dealing with those who hold the purse strings.
I was concerned about library layoffs before one affected me personally, now I’m mad. I don’t think Elissa’s employer handled the situation well. Like many administrations in large systems, they seem very isolated at times. Why does the move make fiscal sense? It would be nice if the media in the nation’s capital could ask that question. I wonder if there could be a rally of some kind at ALA to show some solidarity (not just with the DCPL librarians who were laid off, but for library workers around the country who have lost their jobs)?
I also feel a little guilty, because the teachers’ union (of which I’m a member) in the same city just ratified a contract providing a substantial raise. I would gladly forgo the raise to keep the public library from laying off staff, but that wasn’t an option. Right now the District mandates librarians in every school, but I realize that could change. I’ve never gotten a dime from the school system for materials (they’ve come from book fairs and grants), so that tells me that libraries aren’t a huge priority for the main office.
I tend to handle adversity calmly (at least outwardly), but no one has the right to tell another person how he/she should react. I’m pissed off about blue collar workers losing their jobs too. If there had been jobs available not requiring college when I finished high school I may have been in the unemployment lines with them now. And I’m pissed that those at the top of the heap don’t seem to lose anything (maybe they have to cut back on those trips in the private jet). Unfortunately, I don’t see many public sector administrators valuing their employees any more than those in the private sector.
Good grief, Steve, don’t feel guilty about the raise! Your family can use the money right now, obviously! Also, at least maybe the union can agree to skipping the raise in return for no layoffs if the school admin start screaming lack of $$$$. What fortunate timing for you and Elissa! I assume that these are two entirely different organizations with independent budgets. At least the local school district here is independent.
Just to be cheery, I’ve figured out that LOL stands for Laid off Librarians!
I’m not sure that I’d be up for a rally (well, I’d probably go if somebody else organized it), but I AM up for meeting any Unwinders who want to get together at ALA.
And please don’t feel guilty for one second, S! I think it’s nice symmetry, like that other one where my brother goes to Afghanistan the week you were laid off 2 yrs ago, and now while we’re waiting for him to come home this summer I’ve been laid off.
1. I’m seeing a lot of complaints from new grads.
2. Yes, I think some librarians are too paranoid to post on a blog. Some people are afraid any online presence will ruin their professionalism.
5. Not sure who I feel sorry for. I think the new grads though really got swindled by people who talked about the librarian shortage and how great of a career it is.
6. Heck no, they’ll stay the same or go up. I’ve heard a lot of young people say they are delaying careers and instead going to grad school while they ride out the recession. Not a good idea.
I am a newly minted librarian, having received my MLS last month. I decided to only apply for a job I really wanted, in a city that I truly wanted to live in. I searched every day over a 6-state area for jobs, and only found one entry-level position in 4 months. I applied for it, and got it. I feel very fortunate, since I could just as easily be sitting at home watching soaps with all of my fellow library school colleagues. In my graduating class, I am the only one who has found a professional position so far. THE ONLY ONE.
I also knew that I would be competing with the masses, so I made sure to prepare for that possibility by working twice as hard as my peers and taking advantage of every opportunity to gain experience, increase my skill set, market myself, and maintain a 4.0 GPA. Thankfully, it all paid off. But for those who don’t have library experience, or who possess an otherwise average resume… they might as well hang it up and find something else to do. I don’t know how they’re ever going to get hired.
I know many others who graduated a year or two earlier who are still searching. My library school recently increased enrollment by 50%, which I think is an absolute disgrace. There simply aren’t enough open positions to justify churning out all of these graduates. On the very front page of my library school’s website, you’ll see the headline “U.S. News has listed Librarian as one of the best careers”, and find a link to the 2007 article. It’s simply deceptive. Most members of my class are not going to find a professional library position anytime soon, which means that a lot of talent is not being utilized. So sad.
Then there are those of us with 20 years or more of experience that’s not being utilized. Also sad. I am happy to hear of your good situation, and appreciate hearing your thought for those less fortunate. Good luck with your new job!
This is a great comment. I’ll probably reprint it in my next post. You raise some really, really good issues. Thanks, and good luck with your career. Congrats on getting hired. Again, you’ve given me a very interesting topic to pursue.
IF you are lucky enough to land a job, you will be paid a pittance. I just say a posting for a Librarian in a Public Library in MA, the starting pay is 35k…. where in the world would you live in MA on that salary? HOW DARE they minimize this profession, it takes money, and smarts to get this Masters, only to get paid an insulting salary…….. it infuriates me. Even Academic libraries pay poorly, you are sometimes required to have two Masters, only to be paid in the 40k’s…….
My library school Master’s (from a bricks and mortar university) is from 1985, during a recession. It was difficult to find an entry level position so I grabbed a job as a researcher for a law firm. I later landed my dream job as a news librarian at my hometown newspaper – only to see the news business crash some years later. I’m now a librarian in a brand-new small public library, but there are budget cuts looming. My husband is a musician and the music industry is in similar straits. All of us that work in professions based on content – stories, books, news, music – are seeing great shifts in the way the content is delivered. Build skills that will transfer. The work world is changing.
[...] Manley got me started with his posts on the death of library schools, the grim job prospects out there, and the anger of librarians and students. I was recently contacted by an acquaintance [...]