PLA Report: First-year Blues
-- Library Journal, 3/15/2004
Two years ago, at the Public Library Association conference in Phoenix, people had just started talking about recruiting and retention. In Seattle last month, there was cause for worry. At one panel, Ria Newhouse, a YA librarian at the Hancock County PL, IN, and April Spizak, a new librarian at the Clark County Library System, OH, told of a survey of first-year librarians they conducted. The two, both graduates from the highly rated Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, found that many of their peers shared their frustrations. Their cohort is "ready to revolt" over compensation.
They were angry that they never had classes in cataloging, patron services, handling difficult patrons, policy development, fundraising, more practical reference, story times, budgeting, and readers' advisory. "The jump-right-in-and-go-to-work approach just doesn't work," said Newhouse. Other big issues were library security, oppressive gender politics, red tape and bureaucracy in libraries, rigid dress codes, inflexible management, and a lack of respect for the education and knowledge the young bring to their first jobs. They agreed that ALA dues are too high and found little benefit in belonging.
Though there seemed to be a clear disconnect between those who talk about recruitment and these disappointed new grads, Sally Porter, a veteran from the King County Library System, pointed out that many libraries are trying harder. King County grows its own librarians by recruiting from within and paying for library school tuition. Porter advised older librarians to offer more praise and positive feedback to the younger librarians and welcome their new ideas.
