I have a feeling that the study of systems composed of feedback loops (all of creation, I dare say!) will be of interest to you.
I understand it is called "cybernetics".
Please find attached an amusing 1949 Letter from the US Library of Congress to Norbert Weiner, asking him in which section his book "Cybernetics" is supposed to be.
#math #maths #mathematics #library #librarian #DeweyDecimal #physics #economics #biology #astronomy #science #computing #computation
🚨KLAXON for the next @nlisn.bsky.social event:
Equality, diversity, and inclusion in the research #library.
Online, 2-3pm, 10th July 2025 ⬇️
www.eventbrite.com/e/equality-d...
#Librarian
#Research
#Neurodiversity
#Employment
#Workplace
#Equality
#Diversity
#Inclusive
#EDI
#recruitment
a blue and white penguin is ho...
Library Director Job Description -
"We are searching for the right individual whose effectiveness for the library will be matched by their satisfaction and enjoyment working here. If a part-time unbenefited position is appropriate to your circumstances, we feel you will find it a most rewarding place to work."
Part-time director who will be takes with 90 things to accomplish in the first two weeks.
#Libraryjobs #Libraries #Librarian #Librarylife
“I can count on two hands how many times this has happened at my university”
Please note: This is an anonymous response to an online survey; I do not have any way of contacting the respondent or verifying responses. Their answers may reflect good, bad, or middling hiring practices. I invite you to take what’s useful and leave the rest. If you are someone who hires Library, Archives or other LIS workers, please consider giving your own opinion by filling out the survey here.
Current Hiring Practices and Organizational Needs
These questions are about your current hiring practices in general – the way things have been run the last year or two (or three).
Where do you advertise your job listings?
Higher Ed, Other Librarian-centric websites, Indeed, Other job search platforms among the university’s platform.
Do you notice a difference in application quality based on where the applicant saw the job ad?
Yes, on the university platform it seems regardless of whatever the credentials are listed for the position anyone who works at the university despite not meeting criteria applies for the position and while the system does weed out some of these – some still remain.
Do you include salary in the job ad?
√ Yes
Do you use keyword matching or any automation tools to reduce the number of applications a human reads while considering candidates?
√ Yes
Do you consider candidates who don’t meet all the requirements listed in the job ad?
√ Other: depends – if they have the experience and an impressive resume that meets the needs of the position yes.
Does your workplace require experience for entry-level librarian positions? (Officially or unofficially…)
√ Yes
What is the current most common reason for disqualifying an applicant without an interview?
Not following through after reaching out through multiple avenues to let the interviewee know they are being considered.
Does your organization use one-way interviews? (Sometimes also called asynchronous or recorded interviews)
√ No
Do you provide interview questions before the interview?
√ Yes
If you provide interview questions before the interview, how far in advance?
a week or so in advance depending on when we’ve scheduled the individual
Does your interview process include taking the candidate out for a meal?
√ Yes
How much of your interview process is virtual?
√ First round/Initial Screen
Do you (or does your organization) give candidates feedback about applications or interview performance?
√ No
What is the most important thing for a job hunter to do in order to improve their hirability?
Research the position you’re applying for; and the work that is currently being done especially if you need to do a presentation – attention to detail shows me that you not only want the job you’re eager and the job interests you.
I want to hire someone who is:
a self starter and intellectually curious
Is there anything else you’d like to say about hiring practices at your organization or in current trends?
Timeliness – Search groups get so bogged down with bureaucracy and getting back to the hire promptly – and often, that search fails because the person already has multiple opportunities they’ve applied for. I can count on two hands how many times this has happened at my university. We need to speed up the process or have the hire more involved in knowing that they are considered for the position and the timeline in which they may be brought in to help retain hiring excellent individuals instead of settling for mediocre because we took too long.
Your Last Recruitment
These are questions about the last person you hired (or the last position you attempted to fill). This person may not have been a librarian, and that’s ok.
Think about the most recent time you participated in hiring someone (or an attempt to hire someone) at your organization. What was the title of the position you were trying to fill?
Library Assistant
When was this position hired?
√ Between three to six months ago
Approximately how many people applied for this position?
√ 25 or fewer
Approximately what percentage of those would you say were hirable?
√ 25% or less
And how would you define “hirable”?
meeting the criteria that was placed in the ad based off resume and in person interview.
How did the recruitment for this position compare with recruitments in previous years?
less than average submission but also tons of individuals within the organization that had no skillset still within the grouping.
Your Workplace
This section asks for information about your workplace, including if you have lost positions in the last decade.
How many staff members are at your library/organization?
√ 200+
Are you unionized?
√ Yes, at least some workers are union members
How many permanent, full time job openings has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ 7 or more
How many permanent, full time librarian (or other “professional” level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ 5-6
Can you tell us how the number of permanent, full-time positions at your workplace has changed over the past decade?
√ There are more positions
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with part-time or hourly workers over the past decade?
√ No
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with non-librarian, lower paid staff positions over the past decade?
√ Yes
Is librarianship a dying profession?
√ No
Why or why not?
There is still a huge demand whether in the local community or at a university level – I do however, think that there needs to be more awareness that librarians or libraries in general are more than just books, and some of those organizations offer more than the local community know about and we still operate under the motto if we build it they will come instead harnessing the power of social media, our website and other outlets to let others know what we have. We often operate from a place of one and done – or we wrote about it on our libguide instead of continuing to put those resources front and center and talking about them on different platforms as people may not be aware of all the things we offer. instead we assume that they should know because it’s on our website instead of using analytics to see if that content is actually being seen, writing a newsletter and highlighting those resources when appropriate.
Demographics
This section asks for information about you specifically.
What part of the world are you in?
√ Southeastern US
What’s your region like?
√ Urban area
What type of institution do you hire for (check all that apply):
√ Academic Library, Archives
What type(s) of LIS professionals do you hire?
subject liaisons, catalogers, college assigned librarian liaisons.
Are you a librarian?
√ It’s complicated
Are you now or have you ever been:
√ A hiring manager (you are hiring people that you will directly or indirectly supervise),
√ A member of a hiring or search committee
Do you have any other comments, for job hunters, other people who hire, about the survey, or for Emily (the survey author)?
We need to be proactive and take ownership instead of falling under the impression that librarianship is dying.
#1 #14 #25 #35 #books #GLAMJobs #Librarian #librarians #libraries #Library #libraryHiring #libraryInterview #libraryJobs #libraryWork #LISCareers #lisJobs
📝Loud hands in the library: #Neurodiversity in LIS theory & practice ⬇️
www.proquest.com/docview/1466...
#Library
#Librarian
#Research
#Neurodivergent
#Neurodiversity
#Employment
#Workplace
#Dyslexia
#Autism
#ADHD
#AuDHD
#Dysgraphia
#Dyspraxia
#Dyscalculia
#OCD
Loud Hands in the Library: Neu...
📝Academic librarians’ experiences and perceptions of mental illness stigma and the workplace⬇️
crl.acrl.org/index.php/cr...
#Library
#Librarian
#Research
#Employment
#Workplace
#HiddenDisability
#HE
#Academia
#MentalHealth
Academic Librarians’ Experienc...
“Expectations change after 2, 5, 10, 20 years in a position – tell us why we should hire you for the long term!”
Please note: This is an anonymous response to an online survey; I do not have any way of contacting the respondent or verifying responses. Their answers may reflect good, bad, or middling hiring practices. I invite you to take what’s useful and leave the rest. If you are someone who hires Library, Archives or other LIS workers, please consider giving your own opinion by filling out the survey here.
Current Hiring Practices and Organizational Needs
These questions are about your current hiring practices in general – the way things have been run the last year or two (or three).
Where do you advertise your job listings?
Organization’s jobs page, LinkedIn, ALA/Black Caucus/APALA/Reforma/etc. for LIS opportunities
Do you notice a difference in application quality based on where the applicant saw the job ad?
Not that I’ve noticed
Do you include salary in the job ad?
√ Yes
Do you use keyword matching or any automation tools to reduce the number of applications a human reads while considering candidates?
√ No
Do you consider candidates who don’t meet all the requirements listed in the job ad?
√ No
Does your workplace require experience for entry-level librarian positions? (Officially or unofficially…)
√ No
What is the current most common reason for disqualifying an applicant without an interview?
For LIS positions, this is typically because they’ve completed their coursework but are unable to get transcripts or *anything* from their university showing they are graduating, which right now is a requirement for Librarian/LIS positions.
Does your organization use one-way interviews? (Sometimes also called asynchronous or recorded interviews)
√ No
Do you provide interview questions before the interview?
√ No
If you provide interview questions before the interview, how far in advance?
n/a
Does your interview process include taking the candidate out for a meal?
√ No, and I don’t think we ever have
How much of your interview process is virtual?
√ Other: For LIS positions, these are once again in person unless the person lives out of the area
Do you (or does your organization) give candidates feedback about applications or interview performance?
√ No
What is the most important thing for a job hunter to do in order to improve their hirability?
Find someone to practice common questions with, and make sure you have examples for related work. Most organizations ask the “tell us about background/skills/jobs” as an intro, along with a technology question, an EDI question, a customer service/outreach/events question, maybe something about research if it’s geared towards that. There’s nothing more frustrating than an “I don’t know” or “I’ve never done that” answer – if you don’t know, use a hypothetical example of what you would do if given the opportunity. Read the job description, if you can talk to someone that works in the organization, and come prepared to the interview.
I want to hire someone who is:
adaptable
Is there anything else you’d like to say about hiring practices at your organization or in current trends?
Covid taught us the importance of adaptability, teamwork, flexibility, etc. Expectations change after 2, 5, 10, 20 years in a position – tell us why we should hire you for the long term!
Your Last Recruitment
These are questions about the last person you hired (or the last position you attempted to fill). This person may not have been a librarian, and that’s ok.
Think about the most recent time you participated in hiring someone (or an attempt to hire someone) at your organization. What was the title of the position you were trying to fill?
Librarian (Entry)
When was this position hired?
√ Within the last three months
Approximately how many people applied for this position?
√ 25 or fewer
Approximately what percentage of those would you say were hirable?
√ 25% or less
And how would you define “hirable”?
Someone who gets it. Librarians are expected to help set the tone in our branches, to be a leader in the absence of a supervisor, and who is wiling/eager to tackle projects, outreaches, event planning, etc. You need to demonstrate through examples on how you will help achieve and balance all these components and demands on your time.
How did the recruitment for this position compare with recruitments in previous years?
We have a pretty famous librarian working for us right now, with a huge social media and web/media presence. I think we’re seeing more applicants than normal, or compared to when I was hired 2 years ago, and it’s likely due to their efforts.
Your Workplace
This section asks for information about your workplace, including if you have lost positions in the last decade.
How many staff members are at your library/organization?
√ 100-200
Are you unionized?
√ Yes, at least some workers are union members
How many permanent, full time job openings has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ 7 or more
How many permanent, full time librarian (or other “professional” level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ 5-6
Can you tell us how the number of permanent, full-time positions at your workplace has changed over the past decade?
√ Other: I don’t know
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with part-time or hourly workers over the past decade?
√ No
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with non-librarian, lower paid staff positions over the past decade?
√ Other: I don’t know
Is librarianship a dying profession?
√ No
Why or why not?
Libraries are community centers, and like parks, are places that people drop in as it works for them. The roles of a librarian might be changing, where it’s more about relationship building and community support (esp. in public libraries) than research, cataloging, and information management – but library professionals are still needed to help with those things (maybe just less?) AND given the digital divide, socio-economic barriers, and general lack of equitable access are still needed to serve their communities beyond what a paraprofessional or zero staff would be able to achieve.
Demographics
This section asks for information about you specifically.
What part of the world are you in?
√ Western US (including Alaska, Hawaii and Pacific Northwest)
What’s your region like?
√ Urban area,
√ Suburban area,
√ Rural area
What type of institution do you hire for (check all that apply):
√ Public Library
What type(s) of LIS professionals do you hire?
Yes – I hire for all public librarian positions (technical services, children’s, teens, adults, generalists, etc.)
Are you a librarian?
√ Yes
Are you now or have you ever been:
√ A hiring manager (you are hiring people that you will directly or indirectly supervise),
√ A member of a hiring or search committee
#1 #14 #25 #35 #books #GLAMJobs #Librarian #librarians #libraries #Library #libraryHiring #libraryInterview #libraryJobs #libraryWork #LISCareers #lisJobs
The librarian attempts to sell you a vuvuzela
https://kaveland.no/posts/2025-06-06-library
#HackerNews #librarian #vuvuzela #library #humor #storytelling #creativity
“we utilize external panels in the first round and internal panels for the second level. Many candidates do not seem to realize this and get caught off guard”
Please note: This is an anonymous response to an online survey; I do not have any way of contacting the respondent or verifying responses. Their answers may reflect good, bad, or middling hiring practices. I invite you to take what’s useful and leave the rest. If you are someone who hires Library, Archives or other LIS workers, please consider giving your own opinion by filling out the survey here.
Current Hiring Practices and Organizational Needs
These questions are about your current hiring practices in general – the way things have been run the last year or two (or three).
Where do you advertise your job listings?
City HR Website, Governmentjobs.com, Listservs, Sometimes CLA, Newspaper for difficult to fill positions.
Do you notice a difference in application quality based on where the applicant saw the job ad?
No.
Do you include salary in the job ad?
√ Yes
Do you use keyword matching or any automation tools to reduce the number of applications a human reads while considering candidates?
√ No
Do you consider candidates who don’t meet all the requirements listed in the job ad?
√ No
Does your workplace require experience for entry-level librarian positions? (Officially or unofficially…)
√ No
What is the current most common reason for disqualifying an applicant without an interview?
Incomplete applications, Candidate did not meet minimum qualifications, Application indicates they could not work certain days/hours
Does your organization use one-way interviews? (Sometimes also called asynchronous or recorded interviews)
√ No
Do you provide interview questions before the interview?
√ No
Does your interview process include taking the candidate out for a meal?
√ No, and I don’t think we ever have
How much of your interview process is virtual?
√ None
Do you (or does your organization) give candidates feedback about applications or interview performance?
√ Yes
What is the most important thing for a job hunter to do in order to improve their hirability?
Have question #1 well formed in a concise but engaging way. It catches the panel’s attention and entices them to hear more.
I want to hire someone who is:
adaptable and willing to learn from a variety of situations/people
Is there anything else you’d like to say about hiring practices at your organization or in current trends?
As a city department, we utilize external panels in the first round and internal panels for the second level. Many candidates do not seem to realize this and get caught off guard.
Your Last Recruitment
These are questions about the last person you hired (or the last position you attempted to fill). This person may not have been a librarian, and that’s ok.
Think about the most recent time you participated in hiring someone (or an attempt to hire someone) at your organization. What was the title of the position you were trying to fill?
Asian Services Librarian
When was this position hired?
√ Within the last three months
Approximately how many people applied for this position?
√ 25 or fewer
Approximately what percentage of those would you say were hirable?
√ 25% or less
And how would you define “hirable”?
Bilingual language ability, interest in developing programs in other languages, adept at community outreach, enthusiasm for working with diverse people groups.
How did the recruitment for this position compare with recruitments in previous years?
8 month to fill this recent vacancy. The last time we had to hire for this specific position, we were able to do so in about 2.5 months, with a large pool of qualified candidates.
Your Workplace
This section asks for information about your workplace, including if you have lost positions in the last decade.
How many staff members are at your library/organization?
√ 10-50
Are you unionized?
√ Yes, at least some workers are union members
How many permanent, full time job openings has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ 5-6
How many permanent, full time librarian (or other “professional” level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ 3-4
Can you tell us how the number of permanent, full-time positions at your workplace has changed over the past decade?
√ There are fewer positions
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with part-time or hourly workers over the past decade?
√ No
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with non-librarian, lower paid staff positions over the past decade?
√ No
Is librarianship a dying profession?
√ Yes
Why or why not?
Newly graduated candidates are underprepared for the real public library landscape. Many have notions of special collections, technical services, deep reference or obscure non-public facing roles…when the majority of our positions today are very much front facing public services, programming, marketing and outreach.
Demographics
This section asks for information about you specifically.
What part of the world are you in?
√ Western US (including Alaska, Hawaii and Pacific Northwest)
What’s your region like?
√ Urban area,
√ Suburban area
What type of institution do you hire for (check all that apply):
√ Public Library
What type(s) of LIS professionals do you hire?
YS Librarians, Teen Librarians, Asian Services Librarians, Cataloging specialist, Adult and Reference Services Librarians, Senior Outreach Services Librarian, Librarian II, Collection Services Librarians, Digitization Services librarian, PT reference & public services librarians
Are you a librarian?
√ Yes
Are you now or have you ever been:
√ A hiring manager (you are hiring people that you will directly or indirectly supervise),
√ A member of a hiring or search committee
#1 #14 #25 #35 #books #GLAMJobs #Librarian #librarians #libraries #Library #libraryHiring #libraryInterview #libraryJobs #libraryWork #LISCareers #lisJobs
Dr. Carla Hayden over haar schandalige ontslag als #Librarian of #Congress: 'democracy is under attack' #carlahayden #libraryofcongress:
#Libraries are one of the pillars of #democracy
#CarlaHayden 14th #Librarian of #Congress
Ramon Antonio Vargas: Fired US #librarian of Congress details callous dismissal in new interview: Carla Hayden, first woman and African American to serve in role, details firing by #tRump administration to CBS
#libraries #LibraryOfCongress #racism
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/07/librarian-of-congress-carla-hayden
Short Introduction as I had to move servers.
.
I am Rob, a librarian and historian here in Boston. I run two other pages here you may already be following.
@LibrarianRA @Aviation_Librarian
.
I hope to share more with you, like this 1920 postcard from my hometown.
.
#introductions #reintroduction #Postcards #Travel #Retro #Ephemera #Boston #Librarian #Librarystuff #Libraries
“we thought we would have been very fortunate to have any of the final candidates, the chosen candidate is really thriving”
Please note: This is an anonymous response to an online survey; I do not have any way of contacting the respondent or verifying responses. Their answers may reflect good, bad, or middling hiring practices. I invite you to take what’s useful and leave the rest. If you are someone who hires Library, Archives or other LIS workers, please consider giving your own opinion by filling out the survey here.
Current Hiring Practices and Organizational Needs
These questions are about your current hiring practices in general – the way things have been run the last year or two (or three).
Where do you advertise your job listings?
SAA & SAA list servs, Archives Gig, Indeed, State Library Job Board, INALJ, sometimes ALA, Chronicle of Higher Education
Do you notice a difference in application quality based on where the applicant saw the job ad?
No
Do you include salary in the job ad?
√ Other: My employer does not want it posted in the general posting (I don’t know why) but they won’t prevent me from listing it when I do the posting and know that it’s required by some sites
Do you use keyword matching or any automation tools to reduce the number of applications a human reads while considering candidates?
√ No
Do you consider candidates who don’t meet all the requirements listed in the job ad?
√ Yes
Does your workplace require experience for entry-level librarian positions? (Officially or unofficially…)
√ Other: It depends! We just had a archivist staff position that we wanted 2 years experience for (would include internships) but we just listed a faculty line digital initiatives librarian position that we had requirements for but did not specify a time requirement
What is the current most common reason for disqualifying an applicant without an interview?
Not providing the required application documents, not having demonstrated knowledge of job duties or making a case for transferable skills
Does your organization use one-way interviews? (Sometimes also called asynchronous or recorded interviews)
√ No
Do you provide interview questions before the interview?
√ Yes
If you provide interview questions before the interview, how far in advance?
24-48 hours
Does your interview process include taking the candidate out for a meal?
√ Yes
How much of your interview process is virtual?
√ First round/Initial Screen
Do you (or does your organization) give candidates feedback about applications or interview performance?
√ Other: If requested
What is the most important thing for a job hunter to do in order to improve their hirability?
Map your cover letter to the job duties/requirements; say why you want to work with us – show you’ve done research
I want to hire someone who is:
Enthusiastic
Is there anything else you’d like to say about hiring practices at your organization or in current trends?
We’re doing our best to be inclusive and equitable but know this is evolving and we need to pay attention to how we can do better
Your Last Recruitment
These are questions about the last person you hired (or the last position you attempted to fill). This person may not have been a librarian, and that’s ok.
Think about the most recent time you participated in hiring someone (or an attempt to hire someone) at your organization. What was the title of the position you were trying to fill?
Archivist
When was this position hired?
√ Between three to six months ago
Approximately how many people applied for this position?
√ 25-75
Approximately what percentage of those would you say were hirable?
√ 51-75%
And how would you define “hirable”?
Had the needed experience and/or coursework, seemed like they could bring some interesting perspectives to the position, excited about the work/opportunity
How did the recruitment for this position compare with recruitments in previous years?
We had many more applicants than usual and many were qualified, it was difficulty to whittle it down to 10 initial interviews, difficult to whittle down to 3 on campus interviews and difficult to make final selection; we thought we would have been very fortunate to have any of the final candidates, the chosen candidate is really thriving
Your Workplace
This section asks for information about your workplace, including if you have lost positions in the last decade.
How many staff members are at your library/organization?
√ 10-50
Are you unionized?
√ No
How many permanent, full time job openings has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ 3-4
How many permanent, full time librarian (or other “professional” level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ 2
Can you tell us how the number of permanent, full-time positions at your workplace has changed over the past decade?
√ There are the same number of positions
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with part-time or hourly workers over the past decade?
√ No
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with non-librarian, lower paid staff positions over the past decade?
√ No
Is librarianship a dying profession?
√ No
Why or why not?
There’s so much exciting, challenging work going on and so many amazing people with different skills making it a very dynamic profession; I admit I have to educate people from outside the library world about that but then they get excited
Demographics
This section asks for information about you specifically.
What part of the world are you in?
√ Midwestern US
What’s your region like?
√ Urban area
What type of institution do you hire for (check all that apply):
√ Academic Library,
√ Archives
What type(s) of LIS professionals do you hire?
Archivist, digital librarian, subject liaisons
Are you a librarian?
√ Yes
Are you now or have you ever been:
√ A hiring manager (you are hiring people that you will directly or indirectly supervise),
√ A member of a hiring or search committee
Do you have any other comments, for job hunters, other people who hire, about the survey, or for Emily (the survey author)?
I really appreciate Hiring Librarians, you challenge me and help me try to be a better professional
#14 #25 #35 #books #GLAMJobs #Librarian #librarians #libraries #Library #libraryHiring #libraryInterview #libraryJobs #libraryWork #LISCareers #lisJobs
I asked the librarian if they had any books on paranoia. She leaned over and whispered “They’re right behind you.” #library #librarian #books #paranoia 😱
📝'Exploring the workforce experiences of autistic librarians through accessible and participatory approaches' ⬇️ doi.org/10.1016/j.li... #Library #Librarian #Research #Neurodivergent #Neurodiversity #Employment #Workplace #Autism #Autistic
“I do feel like it’s my responsibility as a hiring manager to continue to make the process better for candidates and really the biggest challenge with that is the time it require”
Please note: This is an anonymous response to an online survey; I do not have any way of contacting the respondent or verifying responses. Their answers may reflect good, bad, or middling hiring practices. I invite you to take what’s useful and leave the rest. If you are someone who hires Library, Archives or other LIS workers, please consider giving your own opinion by filling out the survey here.
Current Hiring Practices and Organizational Needs
These questions are about your current hiring practices in general – the way things have been run the last year or two (or three).
Where do you advertise your job listings?
HigherEd Jobs, ALA, Indeed, local library association job board
Do you notice a difference in application quality based on where the applicant saw the job ad?
The more general the website, the more unqualified applicants we see (we get the most unqualified from Indeed)
Do you include salary in the job ad?
√ Yes
Do you use keyword matching or any automation tools to reduce the number of applications a human reads while considering candidates?
√ No
Do you consider candidates who don’t meet all the requirements listed in the job ad?
√ Yes
What is the current most common reason for disqualifying an applicant without an interview?
Does not meet the minimum requirements when we have enough other applicants who do (we might bend on these if we didn’t have enough qualified applicants).
Does your organization use one-way interviews? (Sometimes also called asynchronous or recorded interviews)
√ No
Do you provide interview questions before the interview?
√ Other: Not consistent based on who’s hiring, but increasingly we do.
If you provide interview questions before the interview, how far in advance?
2-3 days
Does your interview process include taking the candidate out for a meal?
√ Other: Depends on the level of the position, but we do very often.
How much of your interview process is virtual?
√ First round/Initial Screen
Do you (or does your organization) give candidates feedback about applications or interview performance?
√ No
What is the most important thing for a job hunter to do in order to improve their hirability?
The biggest factor is usually their previous job experience, but some candidates disqualify themselves with poor soft skills during the interview or having a hard time answering questions thoughtfully/fully.
Is there anything else you’d like to say about hiring practices at your organization or in current trends?
Our hiring process really has not changed much since pre-Covid with the exception of it becoming more common to provide the questions in advance.
Your Last Recruitment
These are questions about the last person you hired (or the last position you attempted to fill). This person may not have been a librarian, and that’s ok.
Think about the most recent time you participated in hiring someone (or an attempt to hire someone) at your organization. What was the title of the position you were trying to fill?
When was this position hired?
√ Between three to six months ago
Approximately how many people applied for this position?
√ 25-75
Approximately what percentage of those would you say were hirable?
√ 25% or less
And how would you define “hirable”?
Had any relevant library experience (though we might have opened the door to transferable experience (non-library) if we didn’t have enough qualified candidates).
How did the recruitment for this position compare with recruitments in previous years?
It really has not changed that much for us, but at least anecdotally, people seem less interested in moving to our high cost of living area for a library salary.
Your Workplace
This section asks for information about your workplace, including if you have lost positions in the last decade.
How many staff members are at your library/organization?
√ 50-100
Are you unionized?
√ Yes, at least some workers are union members
Can you tell us how the number of permanent, full-time positions at your workplace has changed over the past decade?
√ Other: I don’t know
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with part-time or hourly workers over the past decade?
√ No
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with non-librarian, lower paid staff positions over the past decade?
√ No
Is librarianship a dying profession?
√ I don’t know
Why or why not?
It could be dying, but it’s definitely not dead. Kind of reminds me of the hype around how e-books were going to kill print books. It might be a long-term trend toward death or a transformation into something unrecognizable, but it’s not happening as quickly as people seem to fear. I will say also that it’s hard to separate what’s happening in librarianship from what’s happening in the job market and economy more broadly; I think most of what is happening to us is happening in many industries.
Demographics
This section asks for information about you specifically.
What part of the world are you in?
√ Western US (including Alaska, Hawaii and Pacific Northwest)
What’s your region like?
√ Suburban area
What type of institution do you hire for (check all that apply):
√ Academic Library
What type(s) of LIS professionals do you hire?
Are you a librarian?
√ Yes
Are you now or have you ever been:
√ A hiring manager (you are hiring people that you will directly or indirectly supervise),
√ A member of a hiring or search committee
Do you have any other comments, for job hunters, other people who hire, about the survey, or for Emily (the survey author)?
I think one of the most helpful things you can do as a candidate is get experience in hiring others or being on a search committee. It gives you so much insight into the hiring process. I’m currently on the job market as well and it really is hard to put in the work that all-day interviews require (why are we still doing them?) and then not get the job, but when you’re on the other side of the table you realize it’s almost never personal and the decision often does come down to 2 really qualified candidates, either of which could succeed.
I do feel like it’s my responsibility as a hiring manager to continue to make the process better for candidates and really the biggest challenge with that is the time it requires.
#14 #25 #35 #books #GLAMJobs #Librarian #librarians #libraries #Library #libraryHiring #libraryInterview #libraryJobs #libraryWork #LISCareers #lisJobs
I’m not crying 😭- Some of my past and current (now former) staff threw me a surprise going away party. After being let go last month, I didn’t get to say goodbye. Knowing my love of postcards, they each gave me a postcard from their hometown with a sweet message on it. They were the nicest group of librarians that I had the pleasure to work with. I knew when I hired each and every one of them they would be amazing. 🥰
#Libraries #Librarian #LibraryWork #postcards #travel #LibraryDirector
