On the heels of two major national conferences in the field of librarianship, a popular question is raised once again—why pursue a career as a librarian?

There are many reasons why librarians decide to follow that career path. Some planned it for a very long time, even before the start of their college studies. Others fell into it as a result of their circumstances and then decided that they really loved the profession so they stuck to it. Still others made the switch mid-career.

On its website, the ALA (American Library Association) lists the top ten reasons to be a librarian as:

• Ever-changing and renewing
• Romance
• Useful skills
• Great conferences
• Time off
• A job with a scope
• Pays the rent
• Good working conditions
• Cool coworkers
• Grand purpose

When asked about their personal reasons for becoming a librarian, many librarians give responses that are in line with this assessment. Linda Mielke , a former public librarian, library consultant and now school librarian in the Florida school system, says the thing she liked best about being a librarian was the satisfaction of encouraging a new generation of readers. “The Children’s staff all took this responsibility seriously,” she recalls. “Adult service people did also, but the hardworking Children’s staff really developed the public library niche for children.”

A former special librarian and current professional writer said he enjoyed “the opportunity to help other people and the organization you worked for, plus the latitude being a librarian gives for continuous learning; not just about the profession but about many different subjects.” The thrill of finding and using relevant information is a common thread among librarians, especially for those who have served as a researcher or reference librarian.

In this day and age, budget cuts and the changing nature of information make becoming a librarian more complicated than it once was. Today, a librarian’s duties often exceed those that we traditionally associate with them, beyond the stewardship of actual hard copy collections and bricks and mortar institutions. Stepping into the digital age, many of them are webmasters, blog writers, advocates and designers of new innovative services in addition to their more traditional roles. Some actually design apps to bring content and services to users.

It will be interesting to see what the next few years bring us in terms of the shaping of the profession. But with the continuation and expansion of information overload, and patrons and users being ever more time pressed, there is no doubt that there will continue to be a need for librarians, information services and what they bring to the table. If you are interested in pursuing a career in librarianship, or in making a career change, Cadence Group might be a good place to start that conversation.

By: Barbara Maxwell and Tina Teree Baker
Image by: lucidwaters at Depositphotos.com

One Response to “Why Pursue a Career as a Librarian?”

• 

  Hugh Kelsey

  July 29, 2014 at 1:03 pm

  Special librarians are also capable of managing information vendor contracts, training users, and placing applications on the desktop. A colleague at a local university here in Atlanta also provides PC support!

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