I honestly don't even know what to title this. I'm barely 2 months into this position and I just don't like it. I'm a part time elementary school librarian in a rural area. Pay sucks. Some teachers give me attitude, just because, the school sec also gives me a hard time. Admin I think doesn't like me. When I say good morning or smile they dont say anything to me. Principal came last week and told me I need to have curriculum ready on the day student starts. I have classes back to back for 3 days out of week and dont have time to get all textbooks ready. I was told today I needed to pretty much not ask for help carrying big boxes because other ppl dont have time to help me and to just take things, this is curriculum, little by little to the classes. The District librarian and that section really doesn't help me with the things I need help with. Im always busy. The students destroy the library when they go in and I'm rushing to reset, to make it nice for the other class, they're one after the other. Putting books back constantly. Updating and trying to learn Destiny.The previous librarian left me 3 full carts of book to catalog and fix which i haven't touched because I have no time. I dont know how to fix these books at all. I have to rearrange and generefy the picture books, weed so many books, all while trying to learn what Im suppose to do. I also have to fix the storage room, its a mess, again no time. I dont have a degree and never worked at a library before. Only reason I'm still there is because it fits my little ones schedule. We have the same schedule. Im very grateful for that, but I dont go to work happy. All these tik toks I see of librarians, they're are happy and enjoy it. I feel embarrassed for feeling this way. I mean does it get better?

I was considering becoming a librarian back in the day and just got this notification from Indeed. I know the job market and pay is awful for the amount of schooling you guys have to do but this is insulting!

I don't know if I picked the right flair, but I did my best 😅

I have been put in charge of organising our small school library and so far I've scanned and labeled upwards of 600 of our books, with at least twice that left to go, not counting study lit and the hundreds of books waiting to be ordered.

Going by the "new" national (Swedish) guidelines I decided to label and sort the books by DDC instead of SAB (a swedish system) that the National Library wants us to move away from. Our books were previously labeled with genre, but not consistently and symbols could differ for the same genre and not all books had a label. Now my principal has spoken to someone at a school library that still uses SAB, and he got the suggestion to use only the main classes: eg. 800 for all literature, 500 for all science books etc. I really don't want that, because then we might as well use genre labels.

Is his suggestion as pointless as I think or am I being too much of a perfectionist? What arguments could I use to convince him if he's in the wrong here? Any and all input appreciated!!

Hi!

So I work as a school librarian at a high school. This week it is autumn break, so there is no kids in sight. All the teachers are free this week and most other staff is working from home.

My question is what does a school librarian do while working from home? All I can think of is planning for winter break, reading and thinking of how to get out to a class. Since I cannot reach any teachers this week - I can only think of what I could possibly see working for us in a collarboration. So there’s no way of actually making any arrangements this week…

I do have some tasks - but I feel like those tasks are not really enough for five days of working from home? I feel like I’m overthinking it but I would love to hear thoughts and opinions.

Have you ever worked from home as a school librarian? For what reason? What did you do?

I'm doing bibliometrics for a researcher who has a ton of publications and, in WOS, a ton of abstracts, but in Scopus, there's also a ton of publications, but no abstracts are shown when I look at the "document type" filter on the left hand side, no abstracts are shown.

Does Scopus not differentiate between full articles and abstracts or does it not index abstracts at all?

I have had beyond enough exhaustion with trying to get even a measly page job at NYPL…let alone any archive internships that could be gainful…so I’ve decided im gonna try to just finish the degree and try to pivot in a field that has a lot more maybe immediate potential? Idk how long I could stomach a potentially multi year job search since moving back home with my mom is a very shaky option now because of her personality issues…so I’m positing this question out there for those who felt like they needed to pivot. I have a sizeable background working in things like web radio promotions, a little bit of research stuff from my MLIS plus undergrad, and know a few people at various museums/magazines/labels/nonprofits and the like so I don’t feel like this path is completely infeasible?

I've worked as a public librarian in the Chicago suburbs for 3.5 years. I may transition to another career field. I am looking into program coordinator positions for nonprofits. Did you ever switch careers from libraries to something else? If so, what was it?

Has anyone 3D printed a cup holder for a Demco cart? I want to print one, but would prefer not to spend the time designing it. I haven't had much luck finding a pattern, so I thought I would crowd source. Links are appreciated. ☺️

I began my MLIS journey just a few short months after graduating with my Master’s in Human Rights Practice and while working full-time as an outreach coordinator and being a single mother. I never planned to get my first degree, let alone a second one. I’ve spent many years of my life feeling aimless, with no passion or purpose, but I fell in love with libraries. I’m passionate about customer service, stewardship, and above all, serving my community.

For over a year, I’ve applied to countless public library openings in my city and have been rejected from every single one. So just for kicks, I started applying to positions in cities I’d like to live in and also received multiple rejections. These applications never even made it past the initial screening phase.

Yesterday afternoon I was invited to apply for a position all the way in Virginia, a state I fell in love with over 20 years ago and still love to this day. I sat in the parking lot and I must have looked insane, laughing hysterically as I sobbed. It felt like a cruel joke to have something dangled in front of me that I’ve wanted so badly in a place I’m so far away from.

Even though I’m still thrilled to accept a position at my university’s library, I can’t help but feel a sense of profound loss.

To other librarians and library professionals, what are your thoughts? What advice would you give or words can you share?

I was recently hired for an assistant technical services position at an art museum’s library — so, not patron-facing — and I have no idea what to wear as it’s my first in-person library role and I otherwise practically live in sweatpants.

I’m pretty much starting from scratch when it comes to developing a work-appropriate personal style, so I’d appreciate specifics regarding what specific items I should be looking for (i.e., quantity and types of shoes, quantity and kinds of pants, etc.). I’d also appreciate advice about what isn’t appropriate (e.g., is an oversized knit sweater okay?).

Thank you so much!

I graduated with my MLIS in December 2025 and still have had trouble finding a full-time librarian job. I have worked for the past 2.5 years as a circulation assistant and then the past year as a substitute librarian at 3 different public libraries. I feel like I just have terrible luck. Is this normal right now just due to the job market and the competitiveness? I have applied to over 20 job positions both public and academic but I’m getting beat out by people who have over 10 years of experience. I’m just looking for any advice anyone’s willing to give me.

For the past several years I worked in my hometown library when I was in college as a Library Page and absolutely loved it! I became close with many of my coworkers, loved the atmosphere, and it eventually got the point where they were allowing me to help plan and coordinate community events under the Outreach Librarian. I learned so much about working in a library that I was seriously considering doing an MLIS. However I grew bored with being a page and wanted more responsibility so I applied to be a Library Assistant there but ultimately did not get the job. I have to admit, I took it really hard because I knew I could do more than just being a Page. Besides that, they had trusted me multiple to be at the circulation desk on my own if they needed backup so it just made it all the more disheartening. Eventually, this lead to me not doing the MLIS and quitting the Page job.

Instead, I got a masters in communications and marketing for the nonprofit sector which I really enjoyed, but now I keep thinking back to the MLIS and wondering if I made a mistake not doing it. Now postgrad, I work as an Events Coordinator in a makerspace that is a branch of a different library near my home but I am not loving it (due to many structural problems and tremendous disorganization).

I know that I was so over the top and dramatic so I eventually decided to ask my one of my supervisor’s why I didn’t get the job. I felt the interview went perfect, personally knew every one on the hiring team, and was on good terms with them. My supervisor confirmed that the interview did go perfect and everyone loved me at the library, but that the person they hired just had a little more experience with the systems than I did and it was nothing personal (my boss admitted later that she wished they would have hired me because the person they did quit not even a month later).

I’ve applied at other libraries and even had an interview for a Library Engagement Officer position doing communications and marketing for library programmes. I know that it is not impossible to work in library services without a MLIS but how difficult do you think it could be in the long run? I’m not sure if I want to commit another couple of years to school after just graduating but can’t stop thinking about if I’ve made the wrong choice. Or maybe I should wait a few years to see how my career is going before making this decision…

For reference my town library is very progressive and hires many people without the ALA accreditation and many have senior positions within the library itself but I know that is not common everywhere.

I am completing my MLIS degree and need to ask a librarian the following couple of questions. Would love if someone is able to help me out!

hello! I'm currently working in two public library systems as a page at one and a clerk at another. I just got a phone interview for a circulation assistant position at a university law library. Do any librarians who work at law libraries have advice for me regarding the interview, or tips for the job itself? I'm familiarizing myself with Worldcat, WestLaw, Lexis, and OSCOLA (as much as i can on my own)!

I’m looking for the lastest free courses I could take online related to libraries or library information science. Any recommendations.
Also, are there sites that I can checkout out daily for news all things libraries?

Our previous director took advantage of being able to work from home and used that time to watch YouTube and Instagram (8 hours each Monday) to learn book trends. She also would advocate for raises for staff but staff went up by . 25 and her own salary went up 12% last year, 13 the year before and 17 the year before that. So we ended up flat lined by the town this year. Also her job description was very bare bones and from 2018. Flash forward to now... That director left with a 45 minute notice in June. I was interim from the until being "promoted" to director in August. The board told me to decide if I wanted to be part time or full time by this past weeks meeting. I said full time.

Now they are saying they don't know what a director does, and want me to do a time study to say what I am doing and how long it all takes by timing myself. One trustee said this could be for a week. Separately another trustee said she wanted to know what I am doing all week at the end of the week with a report to the board. This seems INSANE to me. Is this normal?

So I have an interview coming up and one of the things they asked me to do is to prepare a 5 to 10 minute story time. I have a children's book picked out that I'm very fond of, but this is the first time I've ever had this requested of me in an interview. I've never done a story time on my own as a librarian either. I'm confident in my ability to actually read to the kids should I get the job, but i'm just wondering how I should go about actually executing this request in the interview to maximize my chances. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

The book in question is Like Lava In My Veins by Derrick Barnes.

Just had a conversation with my mom, who is also a cataloguer. We were discussing the difference between putting AI information in the 0’s under computer science or in the 600’s for technology.
I suggested the move has come now that AI is so well known, but she suggested that it’s because the original DDS designation was poorly chosen and that computer science should be recatalogued into the 600s.
Anyone have any more information, or want to pose their own suggestions?

Do you wear a costume to work, or maybe a themed shirt?

Do you have a bookish/library fun costume for outside of work?

Would love to see your ideas!!

Hey, need to vent a bit (and maybe get some advice). Last year, I graduated with my MLIS. I am older and currently working as a library associate in a rural library. This is a career change for me. It’s what I have always wanted to do. I am old enough (above 35) to not have any crazy ideas about the field I have chosen (I am a realist - some would argue somewhat cynical), but I know poor/inexperienced management is common among libraries. I have been a bit spoiled with absolutely fantastic and efficient managers/mentors in the past, so this is really getting me down because I have been lucky with past management (I’ve had bad ones, too).

Anyway, I have been in my current position for a short while. I feel lucky to have it (although it pays crap, even for parallel positions elsewhere). The job is active and I love helping patrons, creating different programming, etc. The job, itself, is physically challenging (especially with chronic pain), but also enjoyable. Like many places, we have had quite a bit of turnover, mainly due to poor management. We have employees who are extremely high maintenance, and the neediness of these employees adds a lot of heavy-lifting for the rest of us. Management is aware and does nothing (highly avoidant). In general, being at work feels a lot like growing up in my dysfunctional family - constant schoolyard-like gossiping, plotting, favoritism, etc. Morale is very low and unhealthy.

I am the type who goes to work and does my job. I listen to the gossip and vents, but have stopped participating because it doesn’t feel good (even listening to venting feels weird at this point). When I say constant, I mean constant. Management is very aware (as in, I have had my own direct discussions about my own experience/views), but nothing, to my knowledge, is being done.

I cannot move for a job at this point, so until I find something remote or close by, I am here. Again, it’s a job in my field and I am grateful in that regard. I have had a lot of counseling in my life and am trained in certain evidence-based modalities for coping, but the burnout is really affecting my health and mental health.

A couple of questions…

1. I am looking at other areas where I can use my MLIS - records management and research. I am also considering additional training in metadata (would love an archive position). Have any of you branched out into any of these areas? How was it? Any others I should be looking at for remote work potential? I have a fantastic CV/resume and my grades were top-tier.

2. Besides classic self-care approaches (therapy, meditation, reframing, etc - good on all of that), do you have any coping mechanisms to help this type of burnout and mental fatigue. Do you have any that you use, specifically?

I'm a part-time librarian at a small private school (100 students in k-8), and need to formalize our lost book policy.

Do you typically charge families for the replacement cost of books? We're not a hugely wealthy school, but it is tuition-based so families are, broadly speaking, not likely to be extremely poor. We have a fairly small library budget and can't easily replace popular books mid-year if they're lost.

My instinct is to take it on a case by case basis and not charge for older books that could easily be weeded, but to ask families to cover the cost of replacing newer or high circulation books.

We've had a couple of books where the binding has failed while checked out, but I've been considering that more normal wear and tear and not charging. If a book was torn or left in the rain or something, I think that would fall into the same category as lost.

Hey!

So I have had experience doing library work associated with the DOD(CTPL work), public libraries, and now academic. I am one of the people who doesn't read as much as I should for the job I have, but I have a deep investment in people and of course patrons. So much so that I am sure I will suffer burn out sooner or later because each time someone gets in my face, I can feel it tearing a little piece away. Also, bizarrely, I find it difficult to be a lesbian in my area. Almost like people are too excited that I'm a real life lesbian and then disappointed that I have a complicated history. On top of that, I have general experience with fixing the leaking toilets or patching dry wall, looking over car troubles etc. Tbh, in previous roles, I have been the "man" of the office and get called on for anything from dealing with scary patrons(at 5'2) to killing the cockroach. It can get overwhelming over time to be relied on in that way so much without a ton of back up.

The thing is, I just have way too many soft skills and general skills. Truly a master of none and I'm concerned I'm further cornering myself at an older 32.

I'm waiting to hear if I have been accepted into the MLIS in my area but I'm getting antsy and thinking of jumping ship just because the job is so bloated, lots of being underpaid which... I'm not sure if I can stomach on top of the job scarcity. I've borderline thought I might should get some technical degree, cut my teeth a while, and then return as a facilities person in a public library?? No clue.

Thoughts are very much requested, particularly of people who may have been at a similar cross road in life!

Also, my job is paying for my MLIS but would also pay for any other masters degree/second bachelor's. I just need it to be online is my issue.