Slightly More Jobs for LIS Grads Working with Kids in Schools, Public Libraries
RSSBy Lauren Barack
Freshly minted librarians have more opportunities to work with children and young adults in school and public libraries, according to Library Journal's annual Placements & Salaries Survey. Maatta read through the responses of 1,789 library information science (LIS) graduates, 37.3 percent of the approximately 4,790 graduates from 38 LIS programs in 2010. She found that school libraries hired 15.3 percent of new LIS graduates in 2010, with the average annual income of $45,420. While that number is slightly up from 14.9 percent in 2009, graduates also spoke of their frustration in trying to break in to school systems, particularly if they didn't have a teaching background before entering an LIS program. "Those who were already in the school system found it somewhat easier to move into a school library position," says Maatta. "For those who were new to [the] field without any teaching experience, [they] felt it was much more difficult to break into the school district." On the public library front, 10.3 percent of new grads were hired into youth services and children's services positions, up from 8.6 percent in 2009. However, more grads also spoke of being asked to double-dip in these roles by taking on some additional duties, ranging from cataloguing to working in circulation—and even helping with adult services. This isn't unusual—as the economy appears to be limping toward a second recession, graduates from all areas are finding trouble locating work or are being forced to add more responsibilities beyond their basic job description. While LIS students did find more positions in 2010 than the year prior, some had to look beyond libraries and into the private sector, while others noted their concern about the length of time it took find a job, particularly full-time work. "By comparison, those seeking positions in public libraries as children's librarians spoke of having a more difficult time landing a permanent full-time position due to hiring freezes and staff reductions," Maatta says. "There was feeling of general frustration among the grads about the length of time it took to move through the hiring process and the availability of positions."
October 24, 2011
"Based on the reports of the graduates, school library placements continue to be viable," says Stephanie Maatta (left), an assistant professor at Detroit's Wayne State University School of Library Information Science, who has written the survey since 2003.
