It all starts with a question:
What do I think people really should know
before they get themselves into librarianship?
My name’s Peter, and this is stacks and facts.
[intro music]
When I first started making stacks and facts, my intent was to make a channel about Library
and Information Science that would help people outside of the field understand it better.
I like to joke that I make library propaganda, because I’m doing this with an explicit
agenda: first, to help the masses understand what LIS even is and what librarians even
do; and second, to make *the profession itself* better by thinking about itself in ways that
I’m not sure it always does.
As I kept making videos though and as my audience has grown, I started to notice a couple of things.
First, most of y’all are folks who want to become librarians (or think you might want
to), and are in various stages of making that happen.
Typically, this has been folks who are:
- thinking about going into either librarianship or some other aspect of information science,
- folks who are in library school already, - and folks who have recently finished library
school and are in the same place as me career-wise.
If you go and look at the videos I’ve made over the past few years, you can see (maybe)
how the topics I’ve covered have changed over time to reflect who my audience has become.
I love it, but I *would* like to make some more videos about LIS fundamentals again.
It’s just that those tend to take a lot more time and energy to put together.
The second thing I’ve noticed -- or maybe “realized” is a better way to put it -- is
that because this is who my audience is, the majority of the questions I get reflect that.
On top of comments on videos, I tend to get about two or three emails a month asking me
for career advice, typically from folks who are thinking of going to library school but
don’t really know where else to go to ask questions.
Honestly, I like these emails, because I see it as another way for me to give back & help
the profession improve itself.
When I was first considering going to library school, I was in the same boat, and I didn’t
really know where to turn with my own questions -- so I’m glad I can fill that demand.
But it’s also incredibly humbling, and a big reminder of the influence, aka power,
that I have over other people’s lives and choices.
With these two points in mind though, I have to own up to the fact that there are some
things I’ve wanted to talk about regarding librarianship, but never have because I was
worried it would clash with the feel, or “the vibes,” of the rest of the channel.
And lately, now that I’m part of the librarian workforce, I also think about how what I say
on here might impact my employment prospects.
In any case, it’s time for me to fix that, because I owe it to you, and since I have
the platform, I have the responsibility.
So, with that long-winded introduction out of the way, here are three things that I think
you should know *before* you become a librarian.
Good librarians care about people infinitely more than books.
I hear from *so many* people all the time that they love books, and that it’s a dream
of theirs to become a librarian because what a life it must be to be surrounded by books
all the time.
Almost every time, I cringe inwardly because it’s just such a fundamental misunderstanding
of what librarianship is.
Yes, libraries have literal tons of books -- but they don’t exist in a vacuum.
Libraries, and the books in them, exist because *people* need access to information, and librarians
exist to help *put people* into meaningful contact with information sources.
Wanting to become a librarian because you love books is like saying “I want to become
a surgeon because I love being surrounded by human viscera.”
There *is* a place in the world for people like that, but just like you don’t want
a surgeon who’s driving force is getting to see your guts, few people are served well
by a librarian who comes to work because they like the ambience.
Now, with that said, loving books is not a crime -- or if it is, better charge me and
throw away the key!
I’d argue that most librarians do tend to appreciate books more than the average person,
but if your goal is a professional life of being surrounded by (and working with) books,
consider becoming an archivist, historian, bookseller, or finding a job in publishing.
These all have value, and they’re more likely to satisfy your professional desires without
leaving you in a place where you resent the people you work to serve -- something I see
way too often.
Even a librarian who works in acquisitions, cataloguing, or other non-public facing position
does what they do for the sake of *the people*: without robust and appropriate metadata, the
books are unfindable -- and therefore meaningless -- to the people who need them.
Librarianship won’t love you back.
(but the people might)
When you finish library school, odds are good that you’ll face a job market that demands
new librarians to submit to being, effectively, second-class employees.
The reality for most new librarians is scrabbling for hours, as either a part-time or casual
employee of one or more library systems.
Or, you might get a full-time but short-term position that lasts between three to twelve
months, and be forced to take several of these back to back.
In either case, you likely won’t have benefits like healthcare, paid time off, or anything
else unless your union’s collective agreement or the law requires it.
All this, after you’ve just finished one to two years of advanced studies in a specialized
field, and have a diploma -- not to mention thousand of dollars of debt -- to show for
it.
But remember, it’s nothing personal -- it’s systemic.
In my video talking about why most librarians are white women, I talk a lot about the ways
librarianship draws in and privileges a very specific kind of person *by design*, and this
overreliance on precarious work is a reflection of that.
Librarianship is an institution as much as it is a profession, one that operates according
to its centuries of precedent.
When you’re first starting out as a librarian, it’ll feel like the odds are against you
because they are.
A big challenge of your career will be figuring out how to navigate this.
An important first step to that is understanding the phenomenon known as “vocational awe,”
a term coined by Fobazi Ettarh in her article, “Vocational Awe and Librarianship: The Lies
We Tell Ourselves.”
Fobazi does a bang-up job in her article talking about how the perception of librarianship
impacts how we treat the profession, and how it pushes us toward unnecessary self-sacrifice
in the name of a “higher calling.”
It also explores the cost of this on the individual, which -- if you want to be a librarian, you
owe it to yourself to understand.
I’ve linked to her article in the video’s description, and I hope you take the time
to read it.
I also hope you try to become the kind of librarian that works toward reforming the
profession into something more humane for all library workers.
No matter where you fall in the hierarchy, you can always push for transformational change.
When you’re first getting started, this could be having and sticking to clear boundaries
between your personal and professional lives, and supporting others who do the same.
Not doing so reinforces the cultural norm that “real” librarians will sacrifice
their own good for the wider cause.
And frankly, you deserve better than that.
We all deserve better than that.
Your MLIS is yours to waste.
In North America, having an MLIS is an almost universal requirement to be a librarian.
There are lots of folks out there who see this as a waste of time, effort, and money
once they get a job as a librarian and find out that they don’t use hardly any of it.
I totally empathize: it ain’t quick and it ain’t cheap.
What you learn is up to you, but usually everyone finds themselves neck-deep in learning how
research works, journal articles about information, social work, development, the inherent un-justness
of various social systems, so much group-work, etc…
And then when you graduate and find yourself employed at a library, it turns out that very
little of what you learned is actually applicable to your day-to-day job.
But remember: an MLIS is a graduate-level course of study in a field that touches every
aspect of the human condition.
And on top of all that, no two degrees are the same, nor are any two libraries.
I’ve already done a video talking about what my degree looked like and what ALA looks
for in accreditation -- go have a look if you haven’t already.
How useful *your* degree ends up being to you depends a lot on what you choose to do
with it.
My point here is that you’ll only get from your MLIS 1) what you put into it, and 2)
what you take from it.
Anyone can go to library school with the mentality of “this is just another box to tick.”
You can do exactly what’s required, and no more, and leave in a year or two if that’s
what you want to do.
But *my* degree isn’t just a record of classes or grades; it’s everything I did in and
out of the classroom.
It was expensive, and I wanted as much value for my money as possible.
So, here’s just some of how I made that happen:
I sought out one of our university librarians because she does what I want to do when I
grow up, and because of that, she let me be her research assistant for a year and a half.
I did *actual research with the community*!
I was part of student government, which got me out of the library bubble and had me work
with folks across all disciplines, not to mention see what it takes to run a nonprofit
and have a community I was responsible for.
I applied for, and was hired to teach technology workshops to my fellow LIS students, which
gave me great experience teaching diverse groups of people complex topics.
And yes, I started a YouTube channel where I make library propaganda, and it’s been
a blast.
Even if I don’t use everything I learned -- and I won’t -- I still think it leaves
me a better person than I was before.
Since I have that knowledge, I can push myself to find uses for it no matter where I end
up.
To me, the MLIS isn't the problem: it’s the cost to get one.
A lot of folks don’t go into librarianship because they don’t see the cost as justified
-- and rightly so, if I’m honest.
Again, no one should feel compelled to sacrifice themselves at the altar of the profession.
So, I'd love to see the ALA actually tackle education costs meaningfully.
I know it’s not a problem unique to librarianship, and it’s certainly not the only barrier
for many, but it’s huge and the ALA is the organization that requires it.
BONUS: You don’t have to be a librarian.
I want to end on this point: you can always do something else.
You may find during your MLIS that there’s something that stirs you more, or after you
finish the degree you realize that librarianship just doesn’t do it for you -- or maybe the
fact that the job market for librarians is oversaturated is starting to sink in.
That’s okay!
Whatever you do, you deserve to be happy doing it, and an MLIS opens far more doors than
just being a librarian.
A quick google search for “LIS job titles” will bring back a whole bunch of lists of
non-librarian employment options.
Requirements and experience may vary (which is why I really emphasise pushing yourself
during school), but for many of the jobs, the MLIS is a natural fit -- and they often
pay much, much better.
Not many people outside of libraries know what an MLIS is, for better or worse, so it
likely won’t be listed as a requirement; the better indicator for job fit will be the
bulk of the job description.
When you read it, does it sound at least 50% like what you can or want to do?
And in any case, having a Masters degree, period, will set you apart in a good way -- as
long as you can explain why.
*loaded pause*
There are a lot of big feelings that might come with deciding whether to stay in librarianship
or change careers.
It can feel like giving up, or like you’ve somehow lost a competition you didn’t realize
you were in.
It can feel like a waste of time and money that you won’t get back, or that you just
don’t have what it takes to be a librarian.
These are all real feelings, and you’re allowed to feel them -- but remember, they
aren’t necessarily reflections of reality.
As Captain Picard so wisely put it:
It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose.
That is not a weakness.
That is life.
You can do everything right and still be let down by librarianship.
If the field isn’t treating you with respect, then maybe it doesn’t deserve you.
Recognizing your own worth, and then doing something productive with it shows that you
care about yourself, and that’s one of the most important things you can do for anyone.
But enough from me: what’s your experience been like?
Let me know in the comments below, and check out what others have had to say down there
-- we’re all in this together, and sometimes just seeing what others are going through
can make our own lives a little easier.
As always, thanks for watching.
Like this video if you like this video, share it with your peers if you’re so inclined,
and subscribe you want to see more like this.
And until next time -- don’t forget to ask questions.
Ok, bye!