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Perception of what a librarian does....

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  • #1

    Perception of what a librarian does....

    My library is advertising for the position of Children's Librarian who will run the children's and teen departments, but also be responsible for some work on the Reference Desk assisting patrons.

    From the calls and resumes i have received i realize many people simply have no idea the education and skills necessary to work as a professional librarian.

    Some of the comments i have heard:

    "i have two kids and love children so i could do the job"
    "I am calling in reference to the LIE-berry position"

    I have received resumes from people who have NEVER worked with children in any capacity or in a library in any capacity.

    I realize the job market is tough..but just because i'm the banker in Monopoly doesn't mean i can apply for an investment banking position.
    "I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth."
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  • #2
    Did the ad indicate any required or preferred qualifications or experience?

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    • #3
      It's not unusual for people to apply for jobs they really aren't qualified for. I have been on dozens of search committees and there are always a handful of resumes that don't fit the job description.
      I'm not sure what pronunciation has to do with it though.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by B-Fly View Post
        Did the ad indicate any required or preferred qualifications or experience?
        yes it does..MLS (Masters in Library) and previous children's experience....both preferred but not required.
        "I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth."

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        • #5
          Originally posted by nots View Post
          It's not unusual for people to apply for jobs they really aren't qualified for. I have been on dozens of search committees and there are always a handful of resumes that don't fit the job description.
          I'm not sure what pronunciation has to do with it though.
          If you can't even pronounce the word library correctly why would i hire you for the second most important position in the organization? I have found very few professionals who say LIE-berry.

          This position will be interacting with parents, school teachers, local clubs, city administrators, other librarians, etc...so i would prefer they sound professional.
          "I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth."

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Mithrandir View Post
            If you can't even pronounce the word library correctly why would i hire you for the second most important position in the organization? I have found very few professionals who say LIE-berry.

            This position will be interacting with parents, school teachers, local clubs, city administrators, other librarians, etc...so i would prefer they sound professional.
            I guess. Lot of people have thick accents and faulty pronunciations--Deep South, Appalachia, Long Island. Lot mangled English here.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Mithrandir View Post
              yes it does..MLS (Masters in Library) and previous children's experience....both preferred but not required.
              If you list them as "preferred but not required" then you really don;t have anything to complain about here. If you require the credentials say so.
              "There is involved in this struggle the question whether your children and my children shall enjoy the privileges we have enjoyed. I say this in order to impress upon you, if you are not already so impressed, that no small matter should divert us from our great purpose. "

              Abraham Lincoln, from his Address to the Ohio One Hundred Sixty Fourth Volunteer Infantry

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Bob Kohm View Post
                If you list them as "preferred but not required" then you really don;t have anything to complain about here. If you require the credentials say so.
                Wow Bob giving me grief. My point is that many people have no idea what a librarian or children's librarian does. Couldn't you pick that up in my original post? And you think you're so smart

                Why would someone who works at a cosmetics counter, never worked in a library, and has no job experience dealing with children respond to this job? That's just one example. It;s because they have no idea what a children's librarian does.

                "They play with kids all day, right?
                Last edited by Mithrandir; 01-23-2012, 05:16 PM.
                "I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth."

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                • #9
                  I axed I guy if he culd borrow me a book. He stoled it from the libary........
                  It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years and we must stop it.
                  Bill Clinton 1995, State of the Union Address

                  "When they go low - we go High" great motto - too bad it was a sack of bullshit. DNC election mantra

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by baldgriff View Post
                    I axed I guy if he culd borrow me a book. He stoled it from the libary........
                    You're hired!!

                    and don't eat lieberries..they're poisonous..
                    "I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth."

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Mithrandir View Post
                      yes it does..MLS (Masters in Library) and previous children's experience....both preferred but not required.
                      You need an MA in "Library" to get a job in a library? What a crock ... what the hell ever happened to a good all round education, learning on the job, and working your way up? The desired qualifications are so ridiculously specialized these days, it's nearly impossible to jump fields. You need a full degree in nursing to be a nurse (and earn a whopping £15-24K PA), I've seen MA courses in Golf Course management. The whole system is screwed up if you ask me. Today talented, capable and adaptable people are being turned away at source by HR depts because they don't have the exact qualification requirements ... and the job ends up going to some dope with a 3rd class degree .. despite the fact he is the clearly inferior candidate.

                      There are a lot of general qualifications I can think of that would suit the kind of work that a Librarian does ... why on earth there needs to be such a thing as an MA is Library I have no idea. This BS really limits and handcuffs the flexibility and potential of our workforce.

                      [/rant]

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                      • #12
                        I think Lie-berry is an east coast thing. I tease my one coworker about it and she has a MBA. I had a professor at Temple that said it. It always annoys me, but I hear lots of people use it here.

                        I have no idea what a librarian does.
                        I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert...

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Mithrandir View Post
                          Wow Bob giving me grief. My point is that many people have no idea what a librarian or children's librarian does. Couldn't you pick that up in my original post? And you think you're so smart

                          Why would someone who works at a cosmetics counter, never worked in a library, and has no job experience dealing with children respond to this job? That's just one example. It;s because they have no idea what a children's librarian does.

                          "They play with kids all day, right?
                          sic'em Bob.
                          Bob- I'm not exactly sure it would ROCK as you say it Byron.. it may be cool, by typical text book descriptions. Your opinion of this is shallow and poorly constructed, but allow me to re-craft your initial thought into something tangable.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by heyelander View Post
                            I have no idea what a librarian does.
                            1.01 Shops for Tweed Jackets with Elbow Patches

                            Last edited by johnnya24; 01-23-2012, 05:40 PM.

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                            • #15
                              1.02 Runs A Fanzine for Vintage Glasses

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