Lee Hadden notes, In May 2000, Library Journal magazine reported 40% of America’s library directors plan to retire in 9 years or less. And, according to the July 2000 Monthly Labor Review, in 1998 57% of professional librarians were age 45 or older. The March 2002 issue of American Libraries magazine showed that based on 1990 Census data almost 58% of professional librarians will reach the age of 65 between 2005 and 2019.
This all seems like great news to me! It’ll be so easy to find new a job when I’m ready, but for some reason, The IMLS Disagrees, and On January 9, 2002, First Lady Laura Bush announced the President would support a new $10 million initiative within the Institute of Museum and Library Services to recruit new librarians and help off-set a critical national shortage of these indispensable professionals and educators.
You dang kids have it so easy now, why, when I was your age…
What shortage?
You know, it was really great that they were trying to think ahead and make sure there wasn’t a librarian shortage. However, it seems to me (but then, I’m biased) that there is currently a librarian surplus. This is mainly due to the fact that the majority of those expected retirements aren’t going to happen for a while now thanks to the tanking of the economy and stock market.
Yes, I know that there are areas that are desperate for librarians, but frankly, those are areas where there is low pay (though, there usually is an associated low cost of living). Unfortunately the amount of my student loans and associated debt does not allow for me to apply for those positions.
shortage? a message from a jaded librarian…
I agree with Katie. While there may just be a librarian shortage in the coming years, there are plenty of librarians who have left the profession due to lack of positions or low pay.
I have worked as a librarian for ten years, but am currently considering another career–due to the low pay and poor working conditions I’ve found at several libraries over the course of the years. Poor ergonomics, bad air systems, mold infestation, and really really bad management in a couple of positions have really taken a toll on the old motivation.
I moved (with my spouse) from a state with 1 library school to one with 4 (!) Salaries here are artifically low and jobs incredibly hard to find. (Yes, I did find one, but at an entry level salary.)
Why are people in power worrying about this shortage, unless they are worrying they will have to pay people more or send them for more training to keep them up-to-date? As library directors have pointed out to me, it’s much cheaper just to hire new people.
Re:What shortage?
Katie’s probably right. I’ve heard quite a bit about new MLS grads having trouble finding jobs. I recently hired a reference librarian, and the applicants included current students, recent grads, and librarians with years of experience. Some in the last category were seeking post-retirement jobs.
Re:What shortage?
Whether there’s a shortage seems to me to really depend on what field you want to go into. Academic libraries? Yeah, you’re going to have a hard time finding a job. However, I’m currently a library assistant in childrens’ services and my supervisor, the head of the department, tells me she has a hard time getting people to even apply for librarian positions at the childrens’ desk. I intend to go into youth services when I’m done getting my MLS, and judging from what I hear, a job won’t be any harder to find than it would be for an average private sector office employee.
Re:What shortage?
It’s very true that it depends on field and location. However, I have applied to pretty much all across the country to both public and academic libraries (admittedly to areas where the pay would allow for a decent lifestyle AND pay my student loans, etc.) and every manager that I have spoken to has told me how they were receiving large amounts of applicants compared to the previous times they had posted the position, sometimes only a year previous. A few of these positions were also only part-time positions. One manager in particular told me that she was overwhelmed with the number of qualified applicants for a 10 hour posititon.
Re:What shortage?
The “mass retirement of librarians” and “great opportunity for new MLS grads” is ALWAYS “five years from new”. Just like the all digital no paper library. Neither one is coming. I’m not holding my breath.
Re:What shortage?
Shortage? I will be finished with my MLS program on December 9th and am still frantically looking for a position. Living in a large city and hoping to work in the public library system, it is really dire. No positions are available unless I want to move to another state or work for a corporation in competitive intelligence–not my cup of tea. When I began my graduate program 2 years ago, there was all this talk about the big librarian shortage, that we were getting into the profession at exactly the right time, that we’d have NO trouble finding a job. I agree with whoever said earlier that there is a surplus right now and that the “shortage” we keep hearing about is several years down the line.
It does me no good right now!