NextGen: Get Over the "Graying" Profession Hype

Fact: 65 is just an age and not necessarily a predictor of retirement, especially in an uncertain economy. Huge numbers of baby boomers state that they expect to work past traditional retirement age. In one sense, this is great news for libraries that depend heavily on experience and institutional memory for their continuity; however, it can also lead to an inertia that cries out for new blood and new ideas.

Fact: The "graying of the profession" is a perennial issue. ALA has gone into recruitment mode before, and the expected huge numbers of jobs never necessarily materialized.

Fact: About 40 percent of library school students are over 35. Librarianship for many is a second (or third, or fourth…) career, and many students also enter graduate school after having worked in paraprofessional positions in libraries for years. Now, where is a slow-to-change traditional library automatically going to think to look for replacements for its retiring managers? Without a compelling reason to look elsewhere, these institutions will naturally turn to those grads who have the years of experience, and now the degree, that libraries have traditionally prized.

Fact: A number of the "graying" librarians moving into retirement are leaving management positions. These vacancies can fail to translate into additional entry-level opportunities, which are now often being filled by paraprofessionals or by part-timers as a cost-cutting measure.

Where do all these facts leave younger librarians? Some of us might cynically think ALA's true recruitment campaign motto is "Recruit, Refuse, Ridicule"—but it's beneath us to slough off responsibility for our own choices. Each of us entered the profession for a reason, and the opportunities are there for those willing to put the energy and effort into taking advantage of them. The range of options open to younger librarians and new grads is wider than ever before—and younger grads are more likely to be geographically mobile, a huge plus when seeking an entry-level position.

We must learn to turn our youth, our enthusiasm, and our ideas into assets. We have to learn to self-promote and to play on our strengths. No one owes us a job; no one owes us a promotion. It is our responsibility to discover and illuminate the qualities that make us stand out. Only about 12 percent of librarians are ages 25–34 (vs. about 25 percent in comparable professions). Our very scarcity makes us a rare and precious commodity, especially in today's rapidly changing libraries.

What do many of us have to offer? Start with energy, enthusiasm, new ideas, and inherent comfort with both newer technologies and diverse communities. Then tailor your job applications, your interview answers, and your promotion documents to take advantage of your singular strengths. South Carolina State University student Jaime Hammond, 25, for example, often hears older librarians refer to her as "a breath of fresh air." Play on those types of perceptions. Use that zeal to stay connected and contribute to the profession, building the name recognition and the sense of experience that can balance out your youth. Give those in hiring positions a reason to look in your direction.

Still want to wait for your elders to retire? Don't count on it. Better yet, don't even think about it! How old will you be in 2019? Will you be watching for the "next next wave" of new librarians entering the profession then? Sitting around waiting is not only macabre, it's against the very spirit of librarianship, which recognizes the importance of the varied experiences and contributions of every member of the profession and of every piece of knowledge each of us possesses. Every bit of experience, every background, and every diverse outlook combine to help make this a thriving field.

Tout your own contributions and accomplishments, but don't make the mistake of thinking that older librarians lack their own. If we enter the profession with the belief that we have nothing to learn from older librarians, they will be justified in their own stereotypes about Generations X and Y having little to offer but trouble. While assertiveness and a sense of our own worth are necessary, neither quality requires attitude.

Be willing to pay your dues. Your older colleagues didn't drop into their positions by accident, and neither will most of you. Welcome to a vibrant profession.