Feedback

I can certainly sympathize with the newly minted librarian who was told there was a librarian shortage and a wealth of opportunities would soon be opening up owing to mass retirements who now finds it impossible to get a job (Christen Orbanus, “Where Are All the Jobs?” NextGen, LJ 6/15/07, p. 46). I am a 49-year-old librarian with 27 years of experience, and I spoke out a while back against advising masses of young people to enter this field based on my own job hunt. I've risen up the ranks in the library where I've worked for the past five years, and while some great opportunities just slipped out of my reach, I think it's important to warn people that the job market right now isn't great for experienced people either. Weeks go by, and there are no jobs listed on the NJLA.org job hotline. Meanwhile, Rutgers graduates many new librarians every year, and there are several other library schools in the area. As technology reshapes the library and veterans work well into their 70s, it's hard to say what the job market will be like in the next few years. So let's be cautious about what we say in the future.

—Ron Rizio, Reference Libn., Irvington P.L., NJ

I guess some things never change (Christen Orbanus, “Where Are All the Jobs?” NextGen, LJ 6/15/07, p. 46). When I graduated from library school some 30-plus years ago, I applied for more than 350 jobs of all types before I even got an interview. I expected my library school class to have maybe 50 students but was shocked to be in a class of 150! Competition for positions in the mid-1970s was fierce, but I hung on, and while I never did have that dream job in a music and art collection at a university library, I managed to have a very satisfying career as a rural library director, children's librarian, and, finally, medical librarian. I had to serve a number of pizzas in the meantime, but it was worth the effort.

—Lynn Burke, Galveston, TX

I thoroughly enjoyed Stephanie Willen Brown's “The Adjunct Life” (LJ 6/15/07, p. 42–44) about being an adjunct professor as well as a “real” working librarian.... She is correct that “there is absolutely nothing as rewarding as helping create new librarians with fresh ideas and an enthusiastic service attitude.” I had the pleasure of being a Visiting Librarian at Canada's Dalhousie University's School of Information Management for one short week two years ago. I attended classes, delivered the practical content to professors' theory, and gave a short lecture. That is not quite the workload Brown must deliver.

The students, teachers, and I challenged each other, conversed, and discussed. I met with students to talk about career choices and plans and spent time at the Grad House after class.... The teaching staff and Director Fiona Black were wonderful. Being back at school after more than 20 years was refreshing.... Today's students are seriously bright and keen to get to work. Their enthusiasm for our profession is infectious. Thanks to Brown for highlighting the world of the adjunct and how well it can work....

—Terri Tomchyshyn, Dept. of National Defence Lib., Ottawa, ON

Among the errors in the review of my new book, The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics (LJ 4/15/07, p. 98).... is the statement that I propose to “replace our current economic systems of capitalism and socialism.” I never propose any such thing.... The book...is a proposal for how we can leave capitalism's harmful aspects and move to what I call a “caring economics.”

Also inaccurate is the statement that I call both capitalist and socialist systems Dominator economics. I point out that...these systems have both Dominator and Partnership elements and that we must strengthen the Partnership ones and leave behind the Dominator ones....

Equally inaccurate is the statement that [the author] “does not shy away from using subjective language, e.g., referring to current economic models as evil”.... I never...call economic models “evil.” There are elements in these models that are dysfunctional, inefficient, and harmful to people and nature, but no such sweeping condemnation of current models is found in the book, nor is the word evil. A book can be entirely scholarly while voicing strong opinions.... Lastly, the title of my earlier book is The Chalice and the Blade, not “chalise” as spelled in the review.

—Riane Eisler, Pacific Grove, CA

In the July editorial, “The Library Market” (LJ 7/07, p. 8), we incorrectly attributed a statement made by Publishers Weekly editor in chief Sara Nelson (“You publish too many books”) to a “librarian.” Also, to give credit where it's due, St. Martin's Thomas Dunne, publisher and editor of Thomas Dunne Books, held a lavish luncheon for librarians during BookExpo America where he reiterated that librarians are among the publisher's most important customers and that publishers should expand their efforts to keep librarians informed about their books.