Todd Gilman, a librarian at Yale University offers up his latest column for fellow Ph.D.s looking for jobs as academic librarians.
Sound familiar? –“An opening is posted for an academic librarian. Applicants promptly and eagerly forward their materials. Then they hear nothing. For months and months, they are trapped in — to paraphrase the Elizabethan poet Edmund Spenser — an “endlesse searche.” More from the Chronicle for Higher Education.
Brilliant
I don’t think it is limited to Academic libraries; the public library I left 2 1/2 months ago still has not filled my position. With my notice they have had more than 3 months to find someone and they have not. Not because no one qualified applied – I saw some of the CVs – I didn’t comment on any, as I was not involved in the search process. They simply dick around & I don’t think it is specific to my library or even my state. Nothing can get done in a library without a committee. The department head screens the CVs and then the director and assistant director get involved. Holy Christ you think they were hiring the ExxonMobil CEO.
They did offer the job to one guy but the salary was so absurdly low he told them to forget it. I took the job at a similar salary but I could still work as an RN, and I knew I would not be there forever.
It is unfair to interview and interview people and not keep them informed of what is going on. It is also unfair to ask BS questions. I interviewed at HCC a local community college and they had 9 people on the committee including English department faculty and a library assistant. One of them asked me what car I would be if I were a car. I asked the panel if they had any more library related questions and when they just looked at me I thanked them for their time and left. I put on a tie for that. (BTW I think I would be an electric Ferrari)
Committees are useless; the library world likes to run things by consensus. I like to make decisions and move along. (Guess that is why I am not in public service any more.) Committees only serve to slow things down.
I applied for my current private sector job about 2 months before they called me the first time. I sent in a CV using their online form and waited, they replied within the week that they don’t move forward until the application window closes and I applied soon after it opened. Two months later they telephoned to set up a phone interview. I had that the next day with someone from HR. They called back the day after and set up a phone interview with the person who would be my manager for the next week. I had that and they said they would be in touch by the end of the week. They were. They said they want to move forward with more interviews and asked that I travel to NYC to interview (at their expense and it cost them slightly over $1K. Manhattan ain’t cheap.) They emailed me the travel details, e-tiecket and hotel confirmation. Two days before they mailed me a schedule of whom I would be meeting with and their position and function. On interview day I left the hotel, walked 3 blocks and saw security for a pass into the building. Security was prepared and it took less than a minute. Then I went to reception and I was expected, greeted and offered some refreshment while I waited. Less than 10 minutes later my first contact came out and I had that and 4 more interviews including 1 over lunch (in the restaurant at the Library Hotel oddly – nice little Italian place good seafood.) The last interviewer thanked me for coming and offered to have a car take me to my hotel. I flew home that evening. The next day HR called, thanked me for going and asked me to be sure to fax in my cab and incidentals receipts (which I still have not done). Eight days later I had my offer and the HR member apologized for taking so long but she was in a biking accident and had just gotten back to work. I made a counter offer, and we split the difference. My first week there I got a fruit basket at home welcoming me to the Firm.
From the time of the first call to the offer was less than a month, even if you consider from the time of sending in my CV to hire was less than 3 months. That is the way things work in Corporate America, libraries should take a hint from them. Libraries don’t have the money or benefits that C.A. does so they could at least move it along after you apply.
I applied for 3 jobs at FSU that said suitable for new MLS grads and 1 at USF. USF was the only one that had the courtesy to let me know they chose someone else. If FSU is about to decide, forget it I’m happy right where I am.
Sure I liked having my butt kissed even though I would have taken this job if everyone I interacted with was crabby, but I think very highly of the Firm I work for and I’m recruiting my friends to leave their jobs with good companies becuase I like my Firm so much, the salary, the benefits, work-life balance, and the culture are simply fantastic. (that and there is a $5-10K referral bonus)
Librarianship a poor career prospect
Librarianship is regarded by many young people as a poor career prospect that they are choosing other promising career options. Not surprising when libraries are stuck in the dark ages.
Re:Brilliant
I got my degree from a top 10 library school within the last 4 years, and saw enough backbiting and bureaucracy during my internship at an academic library that I got a job in the private sector, where things can happen without passing though umpteen committee meetings. I think a major problem in librarianship is an inflated sense of self-importance. As others have commented, working in a library is neither brain surgery nor a life and death situation, so there’s no need for a complex hiring process.
endlesse searche
It might perhaps be prudent first to ask– just exactly where is this ‘seller’s market’ for academic librarian positions, anyhow?