Category Archives: 2023 Job Hunter Stats

by | May 11, 2023 · 11:00 am

Stats and Graphs: Job Search Self Care, Part 1 of Many

The 2023 Job Hunter’s Survey collects information from LIS workers who are currently looking for work, crossing multiple experience levels, specializations, and library types. There are 37 questions, including a special section that asks for information about the length of time taken to find the first post-grad school position (which for some respondents was quite a few years ago). The survey opened on February 2nd, 2023. It will remain open indefinitely, but as of April 11, 2023, there were 434 responses. Most chose to fill it out anonymously, but 30 people did leave contact information. I am posting both individual responses and statistics, as I can get them written up. Given the number of responses, it will most likely take more than a year for me to share them all. 

This is the sixth 2023 Job Hunter’s Survey statistics post! Please note I don’t use representative sampling, so it would be inappropriate to draw conclusions about the larger population of LIS Workers as a whole.

In this post, I’m again looking at just one question that I asked job hunters.

What are your job search self-care strategies?

This is an open-ended question, and it’s taking me FOREVER to code all the responses, so I don’t have any charts for you today. But, I did still want to broach the topic. We should talk more about this! Job searching is a tough, soul-grinding activity, even for the most optimistic, sunshine personalities. My thought is I’ll keep slowly working through the answers and then talk about the various groupings I find as I go. Hopefully this will open up more thought and dialogue on the topic. In writing this post I’m realizing that some of the categories I was thinking of as larger groupings are actually only mentioned by a few people. I still think they are worth sharing because they might be useful to folks who are examining their own strategies.

Today I will mention some of the more straightforward strategies/responses (please note that many folks had multiple strategies):

  • No response -112 respondents skipped this question (25.8%)
  • No strategy/Not sure – mentioned by 34 respondents (7.8%)
  • LOL – mentioned by 2 respondents (0.4%)
  • Media: TV/movies/video games/YouTube/podcasts… – mentioned by 17 respondents (3.9%)
  • Books/Reading – mentioned by 11 respondents (2.5%)
  • Therapy/psychological care – mentioned by 14 respondents (3.2%)
  • Meditation – mentioned by 6 respondents (1.3%)
  • Reward/Treats – mentioned by 7 respondents (1.6%)
  • Crying – mentioned by 6 respondents (1.3%)

No response

A quarter of all respondents skipped this question, which seems fairly significant. We don’t have any way of knowing why, of course. It could be because they did not have self-care strategies. However, this was question 28, so it is also possible that the folks who skipped this question did so because of survey fatigue.

No strategy/Not sure and LOL

34 people said they did not employ any self care strategies, or were uncertain about it. 1 person replied “LOL” and another replied “LOL” and followed with “Taking any job I can. Applying for SNAP so I can eat without running up my credit card.” I lump these LOL in with the no strategy answers because it seems like many folks find the idea of self care laughable, impossible, or simply puzzling.

Some of the uncertain folks said things like, “I don’t know what job search self-care would look like.” or “?????” Others were uncertain what self care meant in this context but described a possible strategy, such as “? Hope?” or “There are self-care strategies? No but seriously I’m honestly not practicing them beyond taking weeks where I simply “forget” I should be applying to jobs because my application process is driven by a certain level of desperation right now.” or “Don’t know that I have any beyond stubbornly keeping at it (Healthy, eh?)”

Some folks without strategies also expressed that job hunting had a negative impact. One person replied, “Can’t say I have any. After I have a promising interview that does not go my way, I tend to feel disheartened and do not even want to look for work for a couple of weeks.” Another expressed years of pain, saying, “I should probably get some. At the end of the day, though, years of rejection are really painful, even when you know they have nothing to do with you or your qualifications. I put my life on hold starting at age 25 and… somewhere in there… I turned 40. I’d sacrificed my whole personal life for the job and the job never appeared.”

Like the last respondent, a few folks expressed that even though they didn’t have any strategies, they thought this was something they should pursue, “I don’t have any but I wish I did! If you share the results of this question that would be great :)”

Media: TV/movies/video games/YouTube/podcasts…

17 respondents mentioned various forms of media as a self-care strategy. These ranged from “Play videos to turn my brain off for an hour or so” to “Lots and lots of TV shows and chocolate. Also, looking at cute animals.” to “Reading zines. Watching Murder She Wrote. Walking and enjoying trees and nature.” In general, this is a strategy of distraction, although it also serves to remind folks that there is more to life than job searching, and that this “more” can be funny, engaging, or otherwise enjoyable. It can also be a strategy of social bonding, as with the respondent who said “take breaks and ignore it for a while to focus on schoolwork. talk to my friends and family. watch tv with my housemate.” And of course the bonding need not be with another human, as for the person who responded, “Civ 5, watching movies with my cats, complaining to my friends. Trying to give myself days off from the job search.”

Books/Reading

I did pull books/reading out as a strategy separate from Media above, simply because I wanted to know how often LIS workers rely on books for self care. Fewer folks mentioned this narrower category (only 11). Most spoke about books or reading in general terms, although a few did specify type (zines) or genre: “Pilates or watch anime or read fan fiction.” Like Media, Books/Reading might be primarily a distracting tactic. However respondents did call out other specific benefits. One person included books in a list of intellectually stimulating activities, “Weekly therapy, long walks with my dog, regular exercise, staying intellectually stimulated with other activities (books, puzzles, DIY projects, gardening), and lots of socializing with friends and family!” Another called out reading as an activity that helped them de-stress, “read to de-stress, scream into a pillow at being this deep in debt & not able to move out of my parents’ house” And one person who spoke about books put it into the social/bonding context (as well as keeping spirits up) by saying that they had joined a book club: “Following the Stutz ‘life force’ pyramid. I am not spending all my time on job searching, but instead have identified other things that will keep my spirits up while also potentially helping my job search: volunteering (with also turns into a form of networking), joining a book club, working out, exploring my local area, and taking LinkedIn Learning classes to further my expertise in areas of interest. I’m also allowing myself to do the fun stuff I didn’t have time for when I was working 40+hrs/wk and stressed out.”

Therapy/Psychological Care

13 people mentioned therapy but I expanded this category to include Psychological care to be able to add in one more response: “I was finally diagnosed as not neurotypical, which may help long term with my career.” I’m assuming this person saw a psychiatrist, which to me is distinct from therapy. Most folks just included the single word “therapy” but a few were more elaborate. Some specified that they “include job search info when I check in with my therapist.” And one person identified that although they did not go to therapy, they received therapeutic support because “I’m grateful that my wife is a therapist. And one of my dogs thinks they’re a therapy dog.” These answers don’t provide a lot of specifics about how therapy functions as job search self-care, but from my own experience and understanding I might suppose that therapy offers the opportunity to feel support, to work through difficult emotions, and to find coping strategies that are specific to the difficulties of the individual. It is also a regular reminder to take time for oneself, that our thoughts and feelings are important, and worth our time and care.

Meditation

Six respondents mentioned meditation as a strategy. Two of those mentioned no other strategies. The others mentioned meditation in context with other things, such as, “daily meditation, walks, keeping lists.” Only one of the six mentioned meditation in a spiritual or religious context, “I turn to the support of my religious community. I pray and meditate on the promises of God in the bible. I take some breaks from the job search, too.”

Rewards/Treats

Seven people mentioned using rewards or treats. This was often after a particular task, such as the person who said, “For every three applications I fill out, I reward myself with something small.” Not everyone specified what kinds of rewards or treats were used but they ranged from little things, such as in this response, “Limit myself to applying to jobs only on certain days. Rewarding myself for submitting applications or completing an interview (this can be little things like giving myself time to read for fun during day, taking a long walk, or going to a nice coffee shop).” to more intangible things such as a little break, “Reward myself after an interview (positive or negative) with a little break of a few days so I can do something for myself, like indulge in a hobby, to remind myself that there’s more to life than this bullshit.” or just “something I enjoy.”

Crying

Six people specifically mentioned crying; enough that I wanted to separate it into it’s own category. Crying is an expression of despair and loneliness, “I sometimes just sit and cry in front of my computer and hope my wife doesn’t hear me when it happens.” but it also seemed like many who mentioned it were acknowledging a need to process through feelings “Cry when I need to, go to therapy, keep working on other skills.” One person named crying as an expression of their own personality “Crying? I am a very dramatic person.”

If you would like to cry but find it difficult, I recommend this classic song from my favorite childhood album, Free to Be You and Me. It’s Rosey Grier singing, “It’s All Right to Cry” (I grew up in the 80s and 90s, not the 70s, but we had this record).

Thanks for reading! You can support this project by joining our Patreon or through any of the other (monetary and non-monetary) methods on this page.

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by | April 27, 2023 · 11:00 am

Stats & Graphs: How are you doing, job hunters?

The 2023 Job Hunter’s Survey collects information from LIS workers who are currently looking for work, crossing multiple experience levels, specializations, and library types. There are 37 questions, including a special section that asks for information about the length of time taken to find the first post-grad school position (which for some respondents was quite a few years ago). The survey opened on February 2nd, 2023. It will remain open indefinitely, but as of April 11, 2023, there were 434 responses. Most chose to fill it out anonymously, but 30 people did leave contact information. I am posting both individual responses and statistics, as I can get them written up. Given the number of responses, it will most likely take more than a year for me to share them all. 

This is the fifth 2023 Job Hunter’s Survey statistics post! Please note I don’t use representative sampling, so it would be inappropriate to draw conclusions about the larger population of LIS Workers as a whole.

In this post, I’m looking at just one question that I asked job hunters.

How are you doing, generally? (Check all that apply)

I’m frustrated23353.69%
I’m Maintaining19645.16%
I’m somewhat depressed18943.55%
I feel alone in my search16738.48%
I’m optimistic7717.74%
I’m despondent6314.52%
Not out of money yet, but worried6214.29%
I feel supported in my search4710.83%
I’m running out of money4710.83%
Other4710.83%
I’m energized163.69%
No reply20.46%

A lot about this question feels pretty stark. The majority of folks, 53.69% were frustrated. 43.55% of respondents said they felt somewhat depressed, 38.48% felt alone in their search, and 14% were despondent. To be fair, I only included three “positive” answer choices: “I’m optimistic” (17.74%), “I feel supported in my search” (10.83%) and “I’m energized” (3.69%). These were clearly not widely experienced among respondents.

Some of the starkest replies were given under the “Other” option. One person says “I almost killed myself.” It is unclear to me whether this person is describing literal suicidal thoughts or using this phrase as a metaphor, however they also use the phrase “soul crushing defeat” and say they have been prescribed an SSRI so it seems clear that they are experiencing (and addressing) mental health issues. Another person says they have had points where they “couldn’t see the point in living” (this person is trying to leave their current position, which is “horrible, punishing”).

Others describe their experiences as damaging to their sense of self-worth, saying things like, “I feel like I’m doing this wrong and should be doing better” and “I feel completely unqualified for everything when I read the requirements,” and “Demoralized. I am qualified. I have 5 years of experience. I am kind and personable. Why can’t I get hired?”

Four people describe giving up, or being ready to give up, either “applying for jobs outside of LIS because this is ridiculous” or just “I’m not going to keep trying – it’s clear this field doesn’t want to support folks to live and it’s just way too much stress to even get a job.”

Some replies touch on worries about security. One person is “trying to maintain optimism because I’m not the only job seeker in my house. And at least I have our health insurance.” And another says they “Should have taken that $15 an hour job in LA since I’m going to be living in my van soon anyway. At least LA is a lot warmer than Wisconsin.”

While it’s clear that job searching is a tough process, four people did use the other option to reply that they had succeeded in getting a new job. And three other responses could be characterized as describing a positive feeling, ranging from “I’m pretty content, just always on the lookout for an opportunity.” to “Cautiously optimistic/hopeful” to “Good but the realization of job competitiveness has set in. People are fighting for entry librarian jobs with 10-15 years of full time experience in my area.”

These answers underscore the need for folks who are hiring to build compassion into their search process. It is clear that many folks are hurting and desperate.

I am also interested in what we can do to provide better support for folks who are searching. I’ve been kicking around the idea of putting together a community of practice for folks who are job hunting – something that’s kind of a cross between a class and a support group, maybe with a “come back later and donate some money if it works for you” option. If this is something you’d want to participate in, will you please get in touch?

Here are the full replies in the Other category:

Age and other biases are preventing me from getting interviews. Being pigeon holed makes it hard to get advancement
Demoralized. I am qualified. I have 5 years of experience. I am kind and personable. Why can’t I get hired?
discouraged by low salaries
feels impossible to find a job with everything I want
I almost killed myself over the absolute soul-crushing defeat of this job process. I got an MLIS in 2016 and have spent more time job hunting in the field than working in the field. My bartending license has gotten me more jobs. Fortunately I have been prescribed an SSRi
I am running out of energy
I am sarcastic as all hell as a coping mechanism, and trying to maintain optimism because I’m not the only job seeker in my house. And at least I have our health insurance.
I feel like I’m doing this wrong and should be doing better.
I feel somewhat supported, but support often takes the form of generalized borderline cliches vs. specific constructive action.
I find myself completely at odds with every job listing. I feel unqualified for everything when I read the requirements.
I have had points where I felt… pretty desperate and couldn’t see the point in living if I would have to spend the rest of my life working at my current horrible, punishing job.
I have some support in my search, but it’s still really hard to keep going while being un- or under-employed and having the search take up all of my mental energy
I haven’t informed my employer or colleagues that I am searching. I also work in a very tight-knit community where, while I am on positive terms with folks at other organizations, I’m not sure I can safely disclose that I am trying ot leave my current place of work.
I started my search in December– I graduate in May and will lose my graduate job position then. I’m already feeling worried that I won’t find anything by the time I graduate, and the worst part is that I know it’s early on in my search and I have no idea how long the search will last!
I tihnk I have serious depression. Everyone says to stick it out where I am, and I keep oscillating between staying and quitting. But I’m not happy. Finding another job seems impossible.
I’m always somewhat depressed; I’m frustrated that I find it hard to imagine where I’ll be in five years based on the wide variety of applications I’m submitting; I know I am supported in my search but it’s hard to feel it
I’m applying for jobs outside of LIS because this is ridiculous.
I’m balancing job applications with finishing graduate school, so it all feels a little overwhelming. I flip flop a lot in how I feel (optimistic or depressed)
I’m burnt out from job searching and I feel hopeless that I will be stuck in my current job forever making $14.98 an hour for the rest of my working life.
I’m not going to keep trying – it’s clear this field doesn’t want to support folks to live and it’s just way too much stress to even get a job
I’m worried that degrees have a social expiration date and that if I stay out of the field long enough I won’t be employable.
I’ve got one move left in me–DH and I are trying to position ourselves for where we want to grow old.
I’ve had a couple traumatic events in my career that have changed my outlook on my work, job prospects, and work culture forever. I feel less motivated in my current work and disconnected from my colleagues. I don’t feel comfortable sharing my experiences with them as you dont know who knows who and how sharing details might impact your career down the line.
I’m genuinely thinking about leaving the field and starting a podcast
It feels pointless, like the only thing I’m good for us free volunteer labor.
My mentor/best reference died last year and I still haven’t come to terms with it
Should have taken that $15 an hour job in LA since I’m going to be living in my van soon anyway. At least LA is a lot warmer than Wisconsin.
So tired from the process and competitive field that I am less picky about whatever offer comes my way
This is a horrible process because I have just borrowed 40k to pay for school in order to find a job, and I’ve had only one response, and my degree was not even needed.
Uncertain–I’m not sure the time is exactly right to make the move but I am concerned about letting opportunities pass by and then not being able to find a job that pays enough to live in the area I’m moving to when I am ready to make the move. I’ve adjusted my timeline which creates issues in my personal life.
Varies
Without a degree, job searching for anything within archives is pointless.
Worried about leaving my current job – not sure they can find someone to replace me, and they’ve invested a lot in my position.
about to start looking for work in a different field
Cautiously optimistic/hopeful
Concerned that things aren’t actually any better elsewhere.
i actually recently accepted a new position
I’m pretty content, just always on the lookout for an opportunity.
I’m resigned to having to stay in my current position
Maintaining. I’m saving up for a full-bore search, right now only applying to very attractive options I wouldn’t turn down based on job description and salary
Slightly frantic as the situation in my state worsens
tired
Good but the realization of job competitiveness has set in. People are fighting for entry librarian jobs with 10-15 years of full time experience in my area.
I did get an offer recently I accepted, but during the search I felt tired and sick of interviewing
I got the position!
I’m angry
I’ve succeeded. start new job next week.

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by | April 13, 2023 · 11:00 am

Stats and Graphs: Who are the Job Hunters?

The 2023 Job Hunter’s Survey collects information from LIS workers who are currently looking for work, crossing multiple experience levels, specializations, and library types. There are 37 questions, including a special section that asks for information about the length of time taken to find the first post-grad school position (which for some respondents was quite a few years ago). The survey opened on February 2nd, 2023. It will remain open indefinitely, but as of March 16, there were 420 responses. Most chose to fill it out anonymously, but 30 people did leave contact information. I am posting both individual responses and statistics, as I can get them written up. Given the number of responses, it will most likely take more than a year for me to share them all. 

This is the fourth 2023 Job Hunter’s Survey statistics post! Please note I don’t use representative sampling, so it would be inappropriate to draw conclusions about the larger population of LIS Workers as a whole.

In this post, I’m looking at some general characteristics of who has responded to the survey. The questions are:

  • How long have you been job hunting?
  • What position level are you looking for? (check all that apply)
  • What type(s) of organization are you looking in? (check all that apply)
  • How many jobs have you applied to during your current search? (Please indicate if it’s an estimate or exact)

The first three questions were closed ended, the last was open. At this point (as of March 30, 2023), 427 people have responded to the survey.

How long have you been job hunting?

The largest group of respondents had been job hunting for the shortest amount of time. 158 chose less than six months. Several of these revealed in responding to another question that they’d just started looking. That being said, a significant portion were long-haul job hunters, 18.74% had been looking for more than 18 months, and additional other answers revealed some respondents had been searching for five or six years.

Pie chart of how long people have been looking, percents in table below
Less than six months15837.00%
Six months to a year9622.48%
A year to 18 months6214.52%
More than 18 months8018.74%
Other296.79%
no reply20.47%

29 people chose the Other option. Some indicated they were long term job hunters, or used this option to characterize an “off and on” search. Some used this option to indicate precarity in their current employment, a desire for better pay or promotion, or just described themselves as “always on the look-out.” Other answers included:

  • 5 Years
  • 6 years
  • 6 years
  • 6 years (had temp positions for 3 o
  • About five years
  • always on the lookout
  • Casually for a few years
  • currently employed in the LIS field, but have been applying to jobs sporadically if they interest me.
  • I am always looking at what opportunities are available even if I am gainfully employed.
  • I am employed, but always look at other opportunities.
  • I have been consistently reviewing postings for about two years, however I have FTE currently so it has been on a more casual basis
  • I have four library jobs but I need full time work.
  • I would say I am not actively searching, but I have been applying to promotion/more pay opportunities off and on for about a year
  • I’m always looking because every position I’ve had since 2016 when I entered the field has been contract
  • I’ve been underemployed throughout my LIS career
  • I’m always on the lookout for new opportunities
  • Job hunted for 2 years, took position outside LIS fields and now looking to return
  • Just finished job hunting- total time was around 6 months
  • looking continually but applying selectively since fall semester 2019
  • Not really looking
  • off and on for several years
  • Off and on since 2019
  • Off and on, over four years.
  • on and off for a year, picking up easy manual labour when I need to earn money
  • on and off for several years
  • ongoing while working a library job
  • Over 2.5 years
  • Since 2013- almost 10 years.
  • Since December 2019

What position level are you looking for? (check all that apply)

People could choose more than one answer for this question. Four people chose seven different options, the rest chose fewer. 108 chose only one option. The most frequently picked answer (62.3%) was “Requiring at least two years of experience.” In the first iteration of running Hiring Librarians, I had a (perhaps erroneous) sense that my job hunting audience were all new librarians. This time around it is not the case.

bar chart of choices for position level, numbers are in the table below
Requiring at least two years of experience26662.30%
Entry level21149.41%
Supervisory13631.85%
Senior Librarian8720.37%
Department Head7718.03%
Other/no reply7517.56%
Clerk/Library Assistant6114.29%
Director/Dean296.79%
Branch Manager255.85%

For other answers, 28 out of 75 (just over 33%) wrote in “Archivist” or something to do with archives. Seven wrote “Anything” or anything plus a parameter such as “not customer facing” or “FT.” Five wrote “Librarian,” three wrote “intern,” and four wanted something that was not supervisory but still used their sometimes substantial experience. Other answers include:

  • 1 Year Experience
  • a position that wouldn’t require years of experience if I already have the master’s degree
  • also looking for LIS program teaching positions
  • anything mid-level or slightly above
  • anything not customer-facing
  • Assistant Director
  • communications/marketing/adult education
  • Customer “Experience” Librarian without MLS yet spent almost 18 years in a Special Collection department of a Public Library.
  • Digital Archivist
  • Digitization Librarian
  • Electronic Records Archivist
  • expert in grant writing
  • faculty (Associate Professor range)
  • fellowship
  • I currently work as support staff but really want to move into a faculty role.
  • I’m currently a dept. head and I hate it… I want higher pay, but more contained projects.
  • I’m switching careers so although I am very educated (PhD), I do not have a MLIS
  • Independent contributor
  • maybe something like project manager? feeling necessary to look outside libraries
  • Middle School librarian
  • museum assistant/registrar
  • museum curator
  • Outreach Archivist
  • Part time archivist
  • prefer not to manage a department, but seems like that is what is available, given my qualifications
  • Prior to leaving my role due to the pandemic, I managed a technical services department and was the cataloger/metadata librarian for a law library. There are so few truly remote listings, so I am fine with any library-adjacent role.
  • Processing Archivist
  • records manager
  • returning librarian
  • School librarian since I’m getting the certification.
  • Something that pays better than librarianship
  • Special Collections Librarian with tenure
  • Subject Specialist
  • Technical services: cataloging
  • Senior technician

What type(s) of organization are you looking in? (check all that apply)

A surprising number of archivists (or aspiring archivists) answered this survey! They were second only to people interested in working in Academic libraries.

bar chart of organization types. See chart for numbers.
Academic library31273.07%
Archives28767.21%
Special library23154.10%
Public library17240.28%
Other10925.53%
Library vendor/service provider8620.14%
School library286.56%

The Other answers could again be grouped into several categories. The most number of people (24) wrote in “Museum.” Others wrote in Government (12), Corporate (7), some version of Outside of libraries/GLAM (5), Historical societies (5), Non-profits (5), Special collections (5), and Cultural Heritage Organizations (3). Other answers included:

  • Any — I am curious about outside of the library but using the librarian skills.
  • apple
  • Artist Studios
  • arts orgs
  • community archives
  • community college (but not other academic)
  • digital archives
  • Digital asset management
  • external organizations related to technology/equity
  • Federal Agencies
  • Film Studios
  • Galleries
  • gaming industry
  • general metadata/data management
  • It doesn’t even have to be a library, just somewhere/something I can use my skills for that I don’t hate.
  • Law firms
  • Manuscript archives
  • Maybe higher ed (but not a library) or an organization or company or work from home
  • media companies
  • microsoft
  • National Park Service
  • Nonprofit (Public Service Loan Forgiveness)
  • online archives…
  • Orchestras
  • Other higher education roles
  • Public Radio
  • rare books departments at museums or historical societies
  • Rare Books/Special Collections in Cultural Heritage Institutions eg museums
  • Record Labels
  • Records management
  • religious orgs
  • Remote work positions requiring an MLIS
  • science collections
  • SLIS programs
  • State Archives
  • state park service
  • Tech
  • Wherever I can work remote
  • Would take special collections

How many jobs have you applied to during your current search? (Please indicate if it’s an estimate or exact)

This was an open response question. I analyzed replies to come up with some appropriate groupings.

chart of how many jobs respondents have applied to. numbers in table.
Less than 1017440.75%
10 or more7517.56%
20 or more4510.54%
30 or more235.39%
40 or more184.22%
50 or more225.15%
60 or more20.47%
70 or more71.64%
100 or more194.45%
200 or more102.34%
300 or more20.47%
450 or more30.70%
2000 or more10.23%
no reply225.15%
unknown/lost count40.94%

I also did some analyzing comparing the number of applications with how long the respondent had been looking. No matter the length of search, the most frequently occurring number of applications was less than ten. However, it was only a majority choice for people who had been job hunting for six months or less (63.29%). In the other categories (six months to a year, a year to 18 months, more than 18 months) responses were spread more evenly across the groupings. The person who said they had applied to more than 2000 jobs also said they had been job hunting for more than 18 months.

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by | March 30, 2023 · 11:00 am

Stats and Graphs: Getting the First Post-Grad School, “Professional” Job

The 2023 Job Hunter’s Survey collects information from LIS workers who are currently looking for work, crossing multiple experience levels, specializations, and library types. There are 37 questions, including a special section that asks for information about the length of time taken to find the first post-grad school position (which for some respondents was quite a few years ago). The survey opened on February 2nd, 2023. It will remain open indefinitely, but as of March 16, there were 420 responses. Most chose to fill it out anonymously, but 30 people did leave contact information. I am posting both individual responses and statistics, as I can get them written up. Given the number of responses, it will most likely take more than a year for me to share them all. 

This is the third 2023 Job Hunter’s Survey statistics post! Please note I don’t use representative sampling, so it would be inappropriate to draw conclusions about the larger population of LIS Workers as a whole.

In this post, I’m looking at an entire section of responses, one that examines our experiences finding that first “professional” job after graduating with an MLIS or graduate-level degree in a LIS field.

I first want to acknowledge the problems with using the term “professional.” It is divisive and can undermine the value of work done by folks in “paraprofessional” positions. Why did I use it? I was attempting to distinguish jobs which required the Masters from jobs that did not. Calling these “professional” is a common convention in many systems. I’m currently feeling regret about using this term, because of both the harm it can do and the lack of clarity on what “professional” actually refers to (one respondent explicitly stated, “Not sure what “professional” means.”)

This section is really an area of our field that deserves further study. While Library Journal conducts an annual Placements & Salaries survey that provides great data about the first year for new MLIS grads, longer term data is missing. What is life like for new grads whose first post-MLIS position takes longer than a year to find? For those who start with temporary or pool work, how long does it take to find something full time (or are they even interested in full time)? My findings here are interesting, but this topic really deserves more rigorous research.

Of the 420 people who responded to my survey, 391 chose to fill out at least some of this section. It is titled Job Hunting Post Graduate School and includes the instruction (skip if N/A). The instructions read, “Questions for folks who have or are pursuing an MLIS or other graduate level degree in a LIS field, no matter how recent or long ago this may have been. If this doesn’t apply to you, please scroll to the bottom of the page and hit submit. Thank you!” None of the questions or sections on my survey are required so of the 29 respondents who did not fill out this section, it is possible that some folks with grad degrees just chose not to fill it out.

If you have a MLIS or other graduate level degree in a LIS field, what year did you graduate? (Or what year do you anticipate graduating?)

I was really interested to see the range of years represented! While there were certainly more recent grads, there were a not insignificant number of respondents with more established careers.

Year of GraduationNumber of RespondentsPercent of Total
198720.48%
199230.71%
199520.48%
199740.95%
199810.24%
199910.24%
200010.24%
200130.71%
200310.24%
200430.71%
200520.48%
200671.67%
200771.67%
200871.67%
200940.95%
201051.19%
201192.14%
201281.90%
201381.90%
2014112.62%
2015102.38%
2016122.86%
2017153.57%
2018204.76%
2019204.76%
2020317.38%
20214711.19%
20226214.76%
20235513.10%
2024122.86%
202510.24%
202610.24%
No reply296.90%
No reply (answered some Qs)92.14%
Other71.67%
Total420100.00%
Total minus No Reply39193.10%

When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?

I have often seen it recommended that MLIS students begin their job search six months before graduating. In this survey, nearly a third of the 391 respondents started searching even earlier than that. However, when you look at the combined replies for people who said they started searching less than six months before graduating, or even after graduating, that number is even larger – nearly 40%.

Bar chart, numbers in table below
More than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree12030.61%
Six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree9022.96%
Less than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree, but still before I graduated9624.49%
After graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree6015.31%
No reply41.02%
Other215.36%

In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?

This question becomes a bit meaningless when considering all the answers, because it includes very recent graduates and even some folks who are still in school. Of the 109 people who said they were still looking, 94 had graduation years of 2020 or later. At the end of the post, I’ll break down the most popular answers within smaller date ranges.

More than three years after graduating102.56%
Two to three years after graduating51.28%
18 months to two years after graduating92.30%
A year to 18 months after graduating164.09%
Six months to a year after graduating338.44%
Less than six months after graduating7819.95%
I was actually hired before I graduated9123.27%
Hasn’t happened yet – I’m still looking10927.88%
No reply102.56%
Other307.67%

What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position? (check all that apply)

This was a surprising result. My assumption has been that most first post-graduation positions are pool or part-time positions. But more than 40% chose full time.

Full Time16141.18%
N/A – hasn’t happened yet11128.39%
Part Time6616.88%
Temporary/Limited Term6516.62%
Contract4010.23%
Other225.63%
No reply102.56%
Substitute/Pool position92.30%
Residency51.28%

Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?

This was another surprising result. I generally think that library schools should offer assistance in finding at least that first full time job. But many answers indicated that this is not the case. Some were bitter and scathing, for example, “Lol no” and “No. My school was useless.” Others qualified that while some employment was facilitated, they had to do a lot on their own: “sort of…I interned at the place I ended up for my first post-MLIS job, but I made the connections and applied on my own.” Others said that the help that was offered was…not very helpful, such as “All of the “support” meetings offered were only available at strange times, like 2pm on a Thursday. I could not attend them.”

No16642.46%
Some8521.74%
no reply6115.60%
yes5915.09%
Unknown/not applicable205.12%

Grouping Responses by Dates

Now I want to first look at the most selected responses in different decades (or portions of decades). Let’s start with the oldest first.

1987-1999

Initially there were 13 replies in this date range, but I ended up removing responses from a person who had received their MLIS in 1992 but seemed to be replying in relation to the certificate program they were currently attending. No one who replied indicated that it took them more than a year to find their first position, and all but one took 6 months or less. In the table below I indicate the question I asked, and the answer that was chosen by the largest number of people in this date range.

QuestionAnswerNumber Who ChosePercent Who Chose
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?Less than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree, but still before I graduated433.33%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position? (Two tied top answers)I was actually hired before I graduated541.67%
Less than six months after graduating541.67%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position?Full Time866.67%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?No758.33%

2000-2009

There were 35 total replies in this date range, 11 of which graduated in 2008 or 2009 (the Great Recession). However, folks who graduated these two years do not seem to show additional difficulty in finding that first post-graduate job, when compared to others in this decade.

In the table below I show the question I asked and the answer that was chosen by the largest number of people in this date range. Then I added an extra row for responses to the question “In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?” This row gathers together all the answers indicating it took a year or longer.

As the table indicates, the majority of folks said that their first position was full time. This question was a “Check all that apply” question, and two of the people who chose full time also indicated that this position was Temporary or Limited Term.

In response to the question about getting support for the job search from the graduate school, only one out of 35 people indicated that they did receive support.

QuestionAnswerNumber Who ChosePercent Who Chose
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?More than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree1234.29%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position? I was actually hired before I graduated1645.71%
Combined replies – took a year or longer to find first “professional” position1028.57%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position?Full Time2160.00%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?No2365.71%

2010-2014

There were 41 total replies in this date range. I would also fall in this category, and my experience does not echo the most frequently selected responses. I graduated while in a paraprofessional position I really liked, so I didn’t start looking for my first job until I got laid off about six months later. It took me the next 6 months to find my first very part time “on-call” librarian position, and a little over a year to get into a (nearly) full time gig. But enough about me.

Initially this decade seemed suspiciously rosy – the most popular choice was “I was actually hired before I graduated.” However, when I combined all the choices that indicated it took a year or more to get their first job, I found that was a slightly larger group.

Out of the 28 people who said that their first job was full time, 4 said that it was also Temporary or Limited Term.

QuestionAnswerNumber Who ChosePercent Who Chose
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?More than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree1331.71%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position? I was actually hired before I graduated1229.27%
Combined replies – took a year or longer to find first “professional” position1331.71%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position?Full Time2868.29%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?No2560.98%

2015-2019

There were 78 replies in this date range. Of the 43 people who said their first position was full time, 4 were Temporary/Limited Term, 1 was substitute/pool, and 1 was a Residency.

QuestionTop AnswerNumber Who ChosePercent Who Chose
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?Less than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree, but still before I graduated2430.77%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?Less than six months after graduating2430.77%
Combined replies – took a year or longer to find first “professional” position2126.92%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position?Full Time4355.13%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?No3646.15%

2020

There were 31 total replies for 2020. What a tough year to graduate! Responses for this year were pretty evenly spread out; you can see in the table below that several answers were tied, or very close.

It seems possible that many people who graduated in 2020 might be settling into their first position now, and not actively looking for work. Satisfactorily employed 2020 grads will then be under-represented here; this survey is aimed at people who are currently looking for work.

From this year forward, we will also begin to see larger proportions of respondents who are still looking for that first position.

Only one person who said their first position was full time was also Temporary/Limited Term.

QuestionAnswerNumber Who ChosePercent Who Chose
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?Less than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree, but still before I graduated825.81%
Six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree825.81%
More than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree825.81%
After graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree619.35%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position?Hasn’t happened yet – I’m still looking825.81%
Less than six months after graduating516.13%
I was actually hired before I graduated516.13%
A year to 18 months after graduating516.13%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position?Full Time1238.71%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?No1341.94%

2021

There were 47 responses for this year. “I’m still looking” tied for top answer with “I found my first job less than six months after graduating.” 5 of the 18 people who said their first job was full time indicated that it was also Temporary/Limited Term.

QuestionAnswerNumber Who ChosePercent Who Chose
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?More than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree1429.79%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position? (Two tied top answers)Hasn’t happened yet – I’m still looking1225.53%
Less than six months after graduating1225.53%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position?Full Time1838.30%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?No1940.43%

2022

There were 62 responses for this year. The most commonly picked reply, at slightly less than half, was that 2022 grads are still looking for that first position. As I mentioned back in 2020, it is likely that 2022 grads who already found their first job would not have responded to this survey, so responses will be skewed there.

QuestionAnswerNumber Who ChosePercent Who Chose
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?Less than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree, but still before I graduated2235.48%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position? (Two tied top answers)Hasn’t happened yet – I’m still looking3048.39%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position?N/A – hasn’t happened yet2946.77%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?No2337.10%

2023

There were 55 total respondents in this year. As above, it is likely that 2023 grads who already found their first job would not have responded to this survey. Responses to “Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt?” are really evenly split here between Yes, No, and No reply.

QuestionAnswerNumber Who ChosePercent Who Chose
When did you start your first job search for a “professional” position (or other position that utilized your degree)?More than six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree2545.45%
Six months before graduating with my MLIS/other LIS degree1730.91%
In relation to your graduation, when did you find your first “professional” position? (Two tied top answers)Hasn’t happened yet – I’m still looking3563.64%
I was actually hired before I graduated1120.00%
What kind of work was your first post-graduation “professional” position?N/A – hasn’t happened yet4072.73%
Did you get support from your library school for your first job hunt (and/or any subsequent ones)?No reply1629.09%
Yes1425.45%
No1221.82%

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by | March 16, 2023 · 10:00 am

Stats and Graphs: Why are you job searching?

The 2023 Job Hunter’s Survey collects information from LIS workers who are currently looking for work, crossing multiple experience levels, specializations, and library types. There are 37 questions, including a special section that asks for information about the length of time taken to find the first post-grad school position (which for some respondents was quite a few years ago). The survey opened on February 2nd, 2023. It will remain open indefinitely, but as of February 23rd, there are 412 responses. Most chose to fill it out anonymously, but 30 people did leave contact information. I am posting both individual responses and statistics, as I can get them written up. Given the number of responses, it will most likely take more than a year for me to share them all. 

This is the second 2023 Job Hunter’s Survey statistics post! Please note I don’t use representative sampling, so it would be inappropriate to draw conclusions about the larger population of LIS Workers as a whole.

Question two asks, “Why are you job hunting? (check all that apply)”

I provided 19 possible options, plus the choice of “Other.” All options were chosen more than once, with the most popular being “Looking for more money” (chosen by 181 out of 412 respondents) and the least popular being “Because I’m worried about a possible recession” (only 17 out of 412 respondents).

37% of respondents (the second largest group) chose “This is the next step after finishing library/archives/other LIS graduate degree,” indicating that while a significant portion of respondents were new LIS grads, the majority were not. This is supported by the answers to a question we’ll look deeper at in the next Stats and Graphs post: “If you have an MLIS or other graduate level degree in a LIS field, what year did you graduate? (Or what year do you anticipate graduating?)” Only about 30% of respondents (126 out of 412) had a graduation date of 2022 or later.

I was surprised that only 96 respondents (about 23%) were looking for remote/virtual work. It has felt like this is something everyone is seeking right now! I do not have a sense of the percent of open jobs that offer remote/virtual work. I imagine it is less than 23% of the total, but I am not at all certain.

I was also interested to note that only 56 respondents (about 13.6%) were unemployed. I have a picture in my head of the LIS job seeker filling her days with applications, but in reality many people are searching for work while trying to fulfill the duties of an existing job – which may be boring, toxic, or otherwise additionally stressful.

Bar Chart illustrating responses to "Why are you looking for work?" Text of chart follows image
ReasonNumber who chosePercent who chose
Looking for more money18143.93%
This is the next step after finishing library/archives/other LIS graduate degree15437.38%
Looking for a promotion/more responsibility12029.13%
I want to work at a different type of library/institution10625.73%
I’m underemployed (not enough hours or overqualified for current position)10625.73%
My current job is awful/toxic10024.27%
Looking for remote/virtual work (or at least hybrid)9623.30%
My current job provides insufficient or no benefits (Healthcare or beyond)6816.50%
Because I reassessed my priorities after COVID6716.26%
My current job is temporary6616.02%
My current job is boring6515.78%
I’m employed outside of the field and I’d like to be in it6415.53%
I’m unemployed5613.59%
I want to work with a different type of collection5413.11%
Other4911.89%
I want to work with a different population4711.41%
I need more flexibility in my schedule (to care for dependents or otherwise)338.01%
I’ve been threatened at my job or had to deal with hostility/danger/scary behavior from the public or coworkers297.04%
I’m worried I will be laid off/let go/fired from my current position245.83%
Because I’m worried about a possible recession174.13%

“Other” Reasons

49 people provided their own reasoning under “other” (always in addition to choosing at least one of my options).

While many of these write-in responses were unique, 16 people (3.8%) said they were job searching because they wanted to relocate. Some of those mentioned specific reasons, such as to be near family, climate change, and the political environment. For example, “I’m looking to live in a different area of the country, because politics in my current state make me feel unsafe.”

I see the following additional possibilities for grouping responses: 3 people mentioned their organization’s budget, 3 people were searching because of their current organization’s leadership, 2 people wanted to leave the profession, and 2 wanted to return after being full time caregivers (so, no net change between those last two reasons…).

The full list of “Other” responses is:

Because the administration at my current job is awful/toxic (rather than the job itself)
I want to work somewhere that administration actually cares about serving students and the wellbeing of employees instead of feathering their caps on our backbreaking labor so they can get promoted.
I would like to change job responsibilities (not monitor social media platforms). Do not trust leadership. Am unsure my values align with the values of the organization.
Budget issues in my place of employment
current job NEVER gives raises even COLA is rare and we’re facing big budget cuts which will significantly change the nature of my work in ways I do not want
My entire library team is being laid off
I live in Florida.
I’m looking to live in a different area of the country because politics in my current state make me feel unsafe.
My current location is increasingly environmentally uninhabitable
My job is currently under attack by state government with a particular vendetta against my demographic
I relocated to a new state due to my husband’s job
I want to relocate to be closer to my family
My family is relocating to a different region
Need to be closer to family
Planning to relocate to a different part of the country for family/personal reasons
Looking to move closer to family; looking to get out of Florida because politically it is a hellscape
I want to leave libraries
Looking to possibly get out of librarianship
I’d like to relocate but it’s not urgent and I’m content in my current work so I’m in a position to be selective.
I’m actually near the end of my career (within 5 years I hope). I’m just tired of my long commute. Remote or hybrid work is fine but really I just want to be closer to home. My workplace is about 60 miles from home one way. I’ve been commuting back and forth for 17 years! Should have moved long ago!
I’m looking to relocate
Looking to work internationally; few visa-sponsoring opportunities exist
wanting to relocate
Would like to move.
Returning to work after raising my family
trying to re-enter the workforce after being a SAHM/caregiver for for 15 years
4 years ( had temp post for 3 years but looked for permanent)
Because I reassessed my priorities after a health and age landmark.
Because I want to work in this field
i have had my whole career in one library system and want to explore more
I have many interests (e.g. archives, special collections, special libraries, etc.)
I just like to see what’s out there but I’m not really looking-looking
I like change and like to see what all is out there. Maybe I’ll find something I love
I want to gain library experience
I’m unemployed and about to begin yet another temp/pt job. so thats why above answers chosen
I’ve never been employed full-time
looking for new challenges
Looking for solely remote work
Lost my permanent position due to pandemic
Next step after finishing a LIT diploma
Poor mental and physical health as a direct result of my work
Retired and looking for PT work
taking care of my own mental health
The current work I do is unfulfilling. I want to make a difference. I don’t want to manage people or projects.
want to leave technical services
while the cause of the toxicity has left my institution; the harm they cause in the 3 years they were in charge will take at least 5 years to correct; and that’s truly a very long time to wait for things to be better…

What are your thoughts on these results? Do you have a reason to look for work that is not mentioned above?

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by | March 3, 2023 · 11:00 am

Stats & Graphs: Where We Look For Work

The 2023 Job Hunter’s Survey collects information from LIS workers who are currently looking for work, crossing multiple experience levels, specializations, and library types. There are 37 questions, including a special section that asks for information about the length of time taken to find the first post-grad school position (which for some respondents was quite a few years ago). The survey opened on February 2nd, 2023. It will remain open indefinitely, but as of February 23rd, there are 412 responses. Most chose to fill it out anonymously, but 30 people did leave contact information. I am posting both individual responses and statistics, as I can get them written up. Given the number of responses, it will most likely take more than a year for me to share them all. 

This is the first 2023 Job Hunter’s Survey statistics post! Please note I don’t use representative sampling, so it would be inappropriate to draw conclusions about the larger population of LIS Workers as a whole. 

Question three asks, “Where do you look for open positions? (e.g. INALJ, ALA JobLIST, professional listserv, LinkedIn)?” 

I chose to make this an open-ended question because there are so many places that people might look, and I know I am not aware of them all. Perhaps this was a mistake. In analyzing the replies, I found more than 150 unique places to find job postings, and many more general strategies.

It was a lot of data to sort through, and it’s turned into this really gigantic post. However, I did want to share these responses with you! I’d love to hear what you think, especially if you think I misinterpreted a response, listed something incorrectly, or there’s a place you look that’s not on this list.

Top Places To Look

It surprised me to find that LinkedIn was the most often mentioned, with 202 people saying they used it to look for jobs. One person called out their Job Search Alerts in particular. However, a couple people did say that they did NOT find LinkedIn helpful.

The second most frequently mentioned source (191 people) was ALA or ALA JOBList. And one person did say that they used ALA Connect.   

181 respondents mentioned Archives Gig (or in what I assume was a very cute typo, Archives gigi). The site has been independently run by Meredith Lowe since 2010! Meredith did share out this survey, and it seems likely she sent a bunch of folks my way. Thanks, Meredith!

Other top places to look:

Indeed 

INALJ

Higher Ed Jobs  

USAJOBS.

61 people mentioned some form of SAA Career Center, SAA, SAA Career Board, SAA Careers Website, SAA job board, SAA listserv, or Society of American Archivists. I assumed I could lump these all together, but then I came across a response where someone had written out, “Seattle Area Archivists.” Happily, they use the acronym SeaAA.

Which brings me to the next category:

Alphabet Soup

A number of responses simply gave an acronym. I have some guesses below, but let me know if you think it might be something else

AALL – American Association of Law Librarians

AAM – American Alliance of Museums

AASLH – American Association for State and Local History

ACA – Academy of Certified Archivists

ACL Job List – Association of Christian Librarians

ALIA – Australian Library and Information Association

AMA – Not sure. Association for Manitoba Archives? American Medical Association? American Marketing Association????

AMIA Job list – American Medical Informatics Association

ARL – Association of Research Libraries

ARLIS (ARLIS/NA) – Art Libraries Society of North America

ARMA – ARMA International, formerly the Association of Records Managers and Administrators

CCC Registry – Jobs at California Community Colleges

CILIP – Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (UK)

CLA – Two strong possibilities: California Library Association or Canadian Library Association. Probably not the Connecticut Library Association because they’re directing folks to the Connecticut Library Consortium. 

CLA-NET – I believe this refers to the URL of the job board for the California Library Association

CLIR and DLF Job Board – Council on Library and Information Resources and the Digital Library Federation. Run by Erin, who’s very cool. Hi Erin!

CLRC – Central New York Library Resources Council

COCIS – I think Simmons is the only library school that uses this acronym?

CUNY positions – The City University of New York

DAM News – Digital Asset Management News

HERC – Higher Education Recruitment Consortium

HKLA – Hong Kong Library Association

ILA – International Literacy Association (probably not International Longshoremen’s Association…) EDIT 3/4/23 (thanks commenter Beth Cox!): There are four US states that start with I. Of those, only Illinois Library Association has the correct initials and a job board. Indiana’s library association is ILF – the Indiana Library Federation. They have a careers page but it looks like the job board is on the State library’s site. Iowa’s library job board is on the State library’s site. I couldn’t find an Idaho-specific library job board.

LIANZA – Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa

LILRC jobline – Long Island Library Resources Council

LLAGNY – Law Library Association of Greater New York

MARAC – Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference

MBLC job board/job list – Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners

MLA – Medical Library Association

MLStel – ??????????????? No earthly idea what this is. 

MPLA – Mountain Plains Library Association

NC Gov – State of North Carolina jobs

NCPH Jobs – National Council on Public History

NEA – I think this is the National Education Association, although I tend to associate the NEA acronym with the National Endowment for the Arts

NJLA – New Jersey Library Association

NYLA jobline – New York Library Association

OLA Job List – Ontario Library Association

OLC – Online Learning Consortium

PNLA – Pacific Northwest Library Association

PNW JobList – not found. They might mean the Pacific Northwest Library Association list?

RAILS –  (Reaching Across Illinois Library Systems) – This one’s easy! Thanks, Illinois!

RBMS Job Listings – The Rare Books and Manuscripts section of the Association of College and Research Libraries

RRLC – Rochester Regional Library Council

RUSA job list – Reference and User Services Association? I’m not finding that they have a job list, unless maybe it’s in ALA Connect somewhere…

SLA – The Special Libraries Association

SL-NY Joblog – The New York chapter of the Special Libraries Association

Sla.org.uk – The SCHOOL Library Association, in the UK

SLIS Jobline – While there are many SLISes, I think this is specifically one of the names for Simmons’ job board. 

SSA jobs – Society of Southwest Archivists

TCMMF on FB – Troublesome Catalogers and Magical Metadata Fairies on Facebook

TLA, TxLA, T(exas)LA Joblist –  Texas Library Association (Tennessee very thoughtfully seems to go by TNLA) 

WLA – Wisconsin Library Association

VRA Job Digest – Visual Resources Association

Non-Specific Responses

Many folks spoke non-specifically about where they look for jobs.These responses were primarily:

  • State or local government sites
  • State or local library associations
  • State library page
  • Email lists and professional listservs – One person actually said “mailing lists” but surely that’s one of those leftover terms that means listserv or email? No one is actually looking for work via the postal service, right?
  • Individual institutions of interest – “I go directly to organization’s website.”
  • Many people also said they got recommendations from colleagues or word of mouth. 
  • There were also several folks who said some version of “everywhere,  I check them all, I look literally everywhere.”

Social Media

Several folks mentioned looking for open positions on Facebook (a few called out the Troublesome Catalogers group) and Twitter (one specified Archives Twitter). Other social media mentions: Mastodon, “a Discord I’m part of,” Code4Lib jobs slack channel, and DH Slack.

Grad Schools

Many people mentioned non-specifically that they looked for work on their “iSchool job board” or “my LIS school’s virtual job board,” etc. Others called out a school. Some of the schools have publicly accessible job boards or listservs, so theoretically the job searcher might not even have attended the school they listed:

CUA LIS Listserv – Catholic University of America

Drexel

Rutgers SCI Job Board

Simmons 

Temple U – It looks like Temple doesn’t have an ALA accredited library degree, but they do have an information science degree

Toronto iSchool jobsite – public board

UA Listserv

UKY listserv

UMD MLIS Listserv

UW-Madison iSchool jobs blog

Wayne State University SLIS Jobs Listserv

Non-Grad School Listservs 

D-VAG listserv – Delaware Valley Archivists Group. The respondent kindly gave the full name of this organization. I have to admit the acronym makes me giggle. 

LM_NET – Library Media Network, for School library folks

Michlib-l Listserv – run by the state library of Michigan

OhioDIG listserv -Ohio Digital Interest Group 

PrairieCat lists – an Ohio consortium

SLNC job listserv – State Library of North Carolina

State, Local or Other Regional Associations and Consortiums

Many (most?) of the State or Local Associations and Consortiums that were mentioned in the responses can actually be found in the Alphabet Soup section. However, here are the ones which were spelled out.

Archivist’s Roundtable – assuming this is the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York

AZ State Library Jobline

Bay-Net Libs

Cal Careers

Cal Opps

Colorado State Library list (also known as libraryjobline)

CT Library Consortium

Floridalibraryjobs

Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance

Greater Western Library Alliance

Hire Culture – Creative Employment in Massachusetts

HireNetHawaii

KY library job list

LibraryLink NJ

Metro.org – New York

MetroNet Jobline – Minnesota

Michigan Non-Profits job board – assuming that they mean board of the Michigan Nonprofit Association?

Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums

Montana OPI

MOReap Missouri Job Opportunities

NC Dept of Natural and Cultural Resources

New England Museum Association job board

NH Library Job Board – New Hampshire, also a jobline

NH Works

Ohio Means Jobs

OhioNet

Oregonstatelibraryjobline 

Seattle Area Archivists

Organizations at the National Level and Other Specific Sites

This final catch-all category includes national membership organizations, recruiters, library vendors, general and library-specific job search sites, and the librarian’s little secret: Googling.

American Folklore Society joblist

Americans for the Arts Job Bank

Amigos Member Job Bank – The person actually wrote “TransAmigos Member Job Bank” but I think they are just referring to Amigos

Art Jobs

Chronicle of Higher Education 

Chronicle of Philanthropy Jobs

Informationprofessionaljobs.com – this is the job board for CILIP, the UK’s library association

Code4Lib 

Council on Public History Job Board

Craigslist…! – ellipsis and exclamation not mine, but I concur

EBSCO – I assume that this person is looking for jobs at EBSCO, and it’s not some jobs board provided by EBSCO that I don’t know about it

EXLIBRIS – I assume that this person is looking for jobs at EXLIBRIS, and it’s not some jobs board provided by EXLIBRIS that I don’t know about it

Glassdoor

Google alerts

Google Job Search (alternatively they might have meant careers at Google?)

Google, googling job titles I’m interested in

GovernmentJobs

Handshake, Handshake (Institutional Access) – App based searching, targeted at current students. Many/some library schools that post employers’ job listings use Handshake

Idealist

Inside Higher Ed

Jobs.ac.uk 

LAC Federal – LAC is a recruiter, this is their Federal division

LibGig – LibGig is one of LAC’s companies

Library online – ???? I am not sure what this is referring to

Libraryjobs.ie – Irish library jobs

Library systems & services – a for profit company that manages libraries when municipalities want to outsource them. Operates in the US and the UK

Libs-org – I am not sure what this is. I don’t think it’s the London Institute of Business Studies. EDIT Commenter suggests perhaps it’s meant to be Libs-Or, a listserv run by the Oregon State Library.

LISJobNet – I might be getting this wrong – LIS NET jobs? Currently showing several positions in India

Museum Jobs – Not sure what this is. Maybe the Job board from the American Alliance of Museums? 

Museum Savvy

MuseWeekly newsletter

National Council on Public History job board

Neogov (state jobs and federal) – NEOGOV is the software that is used by job boards for several different state and local governments, as well as governmentjobs.com. So while you might be technically looking on NEOGOV, I believe you actually access it by going to the municipality you’re interested in

O*Net – O*Net is a US Department of Labor site that you can use to research occupations, but I don’t think they actually have job listings so I’m not sure what this person was referring to

Partnershipjobs.ca – “The Job Board was developed and is managed by the British Columbia Library Association to support members of The Partnership, Canada’s national network of provincial and territorial library associations.” (from the site)

PreserveNet – Job listings from  The National Council for Preservation Education 

schooljobs.com

Society for Cinema and Media Studies

Sophie McPherson – recruiter in the “art world”

We Here get money list – listings distributed to We Here members, a private community of folks who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color and work in libraries

workforgood.org

Zip Recruiter

Zippia 

In Conclusion

That’s the list! What a monster! As I said above, I’d love to hear what you think, especially if you think I misinterpreted a response, listed something incorrectly, or there’s a place you look that’s not on this list.

the back of several people's heads, all of whom are looking up and through binoculars (birdwatching)
Alex Proimos from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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