LISNews: Librarian News

2 SomeOnes passed along A Story From FL that says a library is being accused of using clerks as librarians. The library director responds that \"the system has fewer nonmanagerial librarians than it did three years ago because patrons\' needs are changing, particularly with growing emphasis on technology. \"It doesn\'t take a librarian to show someone how to use the Internet. What matters is service -- whoever provides it,\" said Hodel, who became director in January. \"The world is changing. The library must change.\"
See Also another story.

TribNet is reporting the library staff at Tacoma\'s tiny Kobetich Library were able to open the library on Monday for the first time in years, thanks to a combination of means: volunteering to alter a contract agreement so they could make changes in their own schedules; taking advantage of changes at the Swan Creek Library; and using some end-of-year money left in the library budget.

\"All we know is that if we\'re afraid to do things because of coming budget cuts, then we\'ll always be afraid to do things, because there always seem to be budget cuts coming.\"

This One says the public relations director of the York County Library was arrested Friday, accused of taking donated library books and selling them on the Internet for her own gain.

Her supervisor, however, says he believes the employee paid the library for the books before selling them.
Police learned of the sales when a citizen complained that items on the Internet matched items that were donated to the library, Kitts said.

Yet Another Story that says more than 30,000 of the roughly 125,000 school, public and college librarians in the country -- about one-fourth of the total -- are expected to reach retirement age by 2009.

Here\'s how the average salaries for librarians stack up against other professions in Michigan:
Dentists: $121,170
Lawyers: $85,080
Financial managers: $80,660
Physical therapists: $59,460
Computer programmers: $55,340
Accountants and auditors: $51,320
High school teachers: $44,890
Librarians: $44,880
Legislators: $37,420
Photographers: $29,030