I would say this is a tough call. Certainly, funding for parent
organizations that host libraries has been in decline for decades and
the future of libraries within these institutions seems even more dire.
My casual "environmental scan" tells me that when the economy goes
south, libraries take the bigger hit, and when the economy and funding
rebound everywhere else, libraries see less, if any, of the dividend.
I wouldn't want to generalize my experience too broadly but I think the
University of California, as one of the largest library systems in the
world at the world's largest public university, might be a harbinger for
what people can expect to see at other locations. We've run the numbers
several times over the past few years to make a case for better funding
with our local administration. Locally, it's been especially dire, with
a faster and deeper erosion of funding – even without accounting for
inflationary book and journal costs – for our library when compared to
other campus units. Other university libraries registered a similar
pattern of decline, though not usually as steep. When our chancellor
proudly announces that campus funding is on the rebound and that we will
be hiring faculty once again, I can't help but note that those new
faculty will find it harder to find library resources and services due
to sustained cuts in our line of the budget.
I mention this data and circumstances because university libraries are
generally far better off than sister facilities in K-12 schools or
public libraries. Therefore I can't see much encouragement in the
librarian job market.
The one exception is administrative jobs. My experience is that
libraries are getting increasingly top-heavy, with more managers
overseeing fewer and fewer line staff. If your idea of librarianship
centers on writing mission/vision statements and attending marathon
strategic planning sessions, an MLS degree is as good as gold.
Snark aside, why is this a tough call for me? Somewhere is a seed of
hope that this cannot continue indefinitely, that something has to
happen where attention refocuses on the public good, that we hit a point
where we find the political will to launch a new New Deal or some
comparable turnaround campaign. Maybe it will be a cadre of tech
trillionaires who decide that they need an educated workforce AND
intelligent consumers. Carnegie was a robber baron and yet how many
libraries did he and his friends build (and which still stand)?
It is highly unlikely that such a turnaround – or any turnaround – will
happen in a couple of years, not in time to have changed anything when
your friend graduates from Library School. But maybe during their
careers, the new crop of librarians gets to be part of the rebirth of
the library. That's a big IF but those could be heady times.
Another item on the plus side is that I believe being a librarian is a
great career choice, one of only a few that enhances a person's life,
rather than detracts from it. So many people talk about the work/life
balance and I've always marveled at how lucky I've been to have a career
that melds with my life, my interests, and values. Though I don't "read
for a living" as some people assume, I work in a world where books and
reading and thinking are central. How great is that?
If that is important to your friend, more important that an easy career,
a lucrative or even secure one, I'd say "go for it."
Lee Jaffe
Planning & Assessment Librarian
Philosophy • Theater Arts • Jewish Studies
2290 McHenry Library
University of California
Santa Cruz, Calif. 95064
831-459-3297
[email protected]
http://people.ucsc.edu/~ldjaffe/
On 12/12/13, 5:02 AM, Andrea Rapp wrote:
A young friend about to graduate college feels that librarianship is the
perfect profession that suits her interest, needs, and talents. I
hesitate to recommend our profession as one with a good future. What do
others think? (I am speaking of librarianship in general, not Judaica
librarianship).
Andrea Rapp
Wise Temple, Cincinnati
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