This anonymous interview is with a public librarian who has been a hiring manager. This person hires the following types of LIS professionals:
Catalogers, Children’s Librarians, Reference Librarians.
This librarian works at a library with 10-50 staff members in a city/town in the Southern US.
Do library schools teach candidates the job skills you are looking for in potential hires?
√ Depends on the school/Depends on the candidate
Should library students focus on learning theory or gaining practical skills? (Where 1 means Theory, 5 means practice, and 3 means both equally)
4
What coursework do you think all (or most) MLS/MLIS holders should take, regardless of focus?
√ Cataloging
√ Budgeting/Accounting
√ Collection Management
√ Programming (Events)
√ Web Design/Usability
√ Reference
√ Readers’ Advisory
√ Outreach
√ Marketing
Do you find that there are skills that are commonly lacking in MLS/MLIS holders? If so, which ones?
In this day and age, librarians need public speaking skills!
When deciding who to hire out of a pool of candidates, do you value skills gained through coursework and skills gained through practice differently?
√ No preference–as long as they have the skill, I don’t care how they got it
Which skills (or types of skills) do you expect a new hire to learn on the job (as opposed to at library school)?
The ins and outs of our particular ILS
Which of the following experiences should library students have upon graduating?
√ Library work experience
√ Internship or practicum
Which library schools give candidates an edge (you prefer candidates from these schools)?
We have 2 library schools nearby (UNT and TWU) and we have noticed that the UNT students have more of a technical edge.
Are there any library schools whose alumni you would be reluctant to hire?
No, it matters not. Each candidate is judged on their own merits.
What advice do you have for students who want to make the most of their time in library school?
I would suggest that all students take a cataloging class. Some schools apparently do not require it. Meanwhile everything we do here is based on understanding those MARC records. Also, we need people who are comfortable speaking to groups, so any form of public speaking opportunity should be taken.
This survey was coauthored by Brianna Marshall from Hack Library School. Interested in progressive blogging, by, for, and about library students? Check it out!
Hiring Librarians 