This anonymous interview is with a public librarian who has been a hiring manager and a member of a hiring or search committee. This person hires the following types of LIS professionals:
Technology, childrens, Senior librarians
This librarian works at a library with 50-100 staff members in a urban area in the Western US.
Approximately how many people applied for the last librarian (or other professional level) job at your workplace?
√ more than 100, but less than 200
Approximately what percentage of those would you say were hirable?
√ 26-50 %
And how would you define “hirable”?
Having the right attitude and the solid foundation skills needed to be successful in a public library.
How are applications evaluated, and by whom?
Our Human Resources Department does the initial screening for minimum qualifications. Then a committee of Professional managers at the Library work on the second review.
What is the most common reason for disqualifying an applicant without an interview?
Lack of degree or No experience directly related to the position being advertised
Do you (or does your library) 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 his/her/their hirability?
Read the job description and make sure that your application highlights how you match what is needed.
I want to hire someone who is
creative
How many staff members are at your library/organization?
√ 50-100
How many permanent, full time librarian (or other professional level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ 3-4
How many permanent, full time para-professional (or other non-professional level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?
√ 2
Can you tell us how the number of permanent, full-time librarian 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?
√ Yes
Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with para-professional workers over the past decade?
√ No
Does your workplace require experience for entry-level professional positions? If so, is it an official requirement or just what happens in practice?
yes, we do. It is an official requirement for the professional positions.
Is librarianship a dying profession?
√ No
Why or why not?
The young professionals are energetic, enthusiastic and have great skills – they are good at connecting with people and the communities they serve. They will ensure that libraries continue to be engaged in their community and making a difference.
Do you hire librarians? Take this survey: http://tinyurl.com/hiringlibjobmarketsurvey or take other Hiring Librarians surveys.
For some context, look at the most recent summary of responses.
Hiring Librarians 