InterALIA, June 2005

Are we there yet? Waiting and waiting for the librarian shortage.

Morgan Wilson

It is a vexing issue for library students and recent graduates. Is there or isn't there a shortage of librarians in Australia? Will this shortage (or lack thereof) be more prevalent in 2010 or 2015?

For a phenomenon that has been widely reported in the mainstream media, I had difficulty locating the actual numbers upon which these claims have been based.

One source in favour of a librarian shortage is this short article by Mary Jo Lynch, 'Reaching 65: lots of librarians will be there soon', American libraries, March 2002 (available for download [45kb pdf]). Using numbers from the 1990 U.S. Census, Lynch predicts that mass retirement of American librarians begins in 2005-09 period, that it will peak during 2010-14 when 21 per cent of baby boomer librarians turn 65 and are expected to retire.

It is difficult to argue with such demographic facts, but they only tell one side of the story. For example, the baby boomer librarians might choose not to retire when they turn 65. Their jobs might leave with them, either deprofessionalized or eliminated entirely.

Even if there is going to be a shortage of librarians at the upper and mid levels of management, does that mean that other librarians will move into these positions and that their positions will be available for new graduates?

Possibly not. The most sobering recent research in this area was a paper published by Rachel Holt and Adrienne Strock, 'The entry level gap', Library journal, 1 May, 2005. This article can be viewed online here (requires registration) and here.

Holt and Strock conducted a survey of 900 librarian positions advertised between June and July 2004. Of those 900, only 230 were permanent full-time professional positions. Of those 230, only 99 were positions which could possibly be suitable for recent graduates. But it gets worse than this. The second component of Holt and Strock's research was to contact the libraries engaged in the hiring and ask them what sort of people applied for and were hired for these 99 entry-level positions.

There were as many tenured librarians applying for these entry-level positions as there were entry-level librarians. There were also as many tenured librarians being hired for these entry-level positions. Only in rare cases was a new librarian chosen over a more experienced colleague when there was such a choice. Keep in mind that these are jobs that require only the MLS and do not list any required and/or minimal preferred experience. These are the ideal positions for new professionals to gain experience and learn their trade, and they are going to people who already have significant careers.

It is abundantly clear that the actual degree is not the key to obtaining a professional librarian position. Yes, it is an essential qualification that will allow you to knock on an employer's door. But to actually have the door open for you, it is vital to have actual library experience.

As someone who has worked and looked for work in the US and Australia, I think that there are sufficient similarities between the two places to argue that these American experiences are relevant to the Australian library job market.

Not long after the Holt and Strock article was published, I asked the aliaNEWGRAD list whether the Australian library job market seemed particularly different from this depiction American library job market.

The responses sounded very similar to the anecdotes I have read from Americans, both from people with blogs (information wants to be free and Caveat lector) as well as people whom I had met while living there.

One recent Australian graduate spoke to me of the difficulties of being considered both over-qualified (from changing careers) and lacking practical library experience. 'I have performed very well academically, but employers seem to be interested in one thing - what experience I have.' Another person mentioned the lack of permanent full-time vacancies in her area and how hiring librarians are too quick to discount relevant related experience if it's not in their exact sub-specialty.

A common thread was not having sufficient library experience to be considered for a librarian position, trying to gain some library experience in a library assistant positions and being considered over-qualified for those.

On the other hand, one new graduate mentioned that his new job had actually involved replacing a librarian who had retired, showing that sometimes at least, the career path for new librarians is not broken.

I would like to conclude by saying that this current disconnection between supply and demand in the library job market is a complex problem which cannot be fixed by any one of the groups involved. That said, there are things which each of us can do.

If you are a library student or prospective student, have realistic expectations of your own employment prospects with a library qualification. The decision to go to library school is an important one and you owe it to yourself to do your own research about this. When you are in library school, the most important thing to do is to obtain some practical work experience in a library.

If you are a library school, please do not give prospective students the misleading impression that jobs will just fall into their lap after they leave or those jobs vacated by the baby boomers will be available to new library graduates. Educate your current students about the necessity of gaining practical library experience. Force them if you have to - my library school did this and I am eternally grateful.

If you are a librarian involved in hiring or management, ask yourself if you are placing too much importance on past accomplishments, to exclusion of future potential.

The library directors and leaders of the future don't just appear, they hired into entry level positions, and then mentored, promoted and groomed for management. Are you doing your bit to ensure that this happens?

If you are a currently employed librarian, are you gaining the skills and experiences which will help you move up the career ladder? Getting that first job is only the beginning. Think about what you can do to prepare yourself to the fill the gaps which will appear in upper- and mid-management positions. Doing so will not only benefit you but also the profession.