anyone here a librarian?

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I thought that public libraries would be friendly places to work. Unfortunately, budget cuts have made everything tight, and I amnot so sure any more. At least in my last branch, when I had to do lots of stuff while at the public service desk.

What are your favorite things about working in public libraries?
What would you change?

I'm a librarian (MLS). Since I'm director, I've pretty much changed everything I want to.

While I haven't had my budget cut, it is also the case that since 2008, few of my employees quit.

I'm not a librarian but one of my best summer jobs when I was a teen was working in a Public Library. Down in "stacks" the musty smell of old paper permeated the air, but I didn't mind. I'd thought about becoming a librarian then. Why didn't I? I guess I thought the schooling would've taken too long and I'd just wanted to get a job to get out of the dungeon that was my house.

Must add, while I am at it, that I love my current job! More public programming and book purchasing and less management.

I work as an Archival assistant at my university library. Best job I've ever had. Simple, slow paced, routine work, and I don't have to talk to anyone besides my supervisor.

You are a credit to your community. Librarians have a lot of crap on their plate, but they still offer an invaluable service. The librarians at my local library do research/help you perform research, and are very patient and kind. One thing I will say that miffs me is when I'm trying to read and the librarian is gossiping and laughing. The place is supposed to be quiet. But it's not a huge deal and is neither here nor there, so.....

As to the thread's initial question, nope, but when I have the money to go to college, I would certainly consider getting a Bachelor's in Library Science. I enjoy reading and libraries are nice, quiet places (usually) that offer solitude, so it'd be a nice fit. As it stands, I'm currently a "Maintenance Associate" over at Wally World.

Then why do I see a trend in the public libraries even in small cities to have a coffee bar set up near the entrance, a la Starbucks? Isn't that implying even a hallowed institution like a library, which Enoch Pratt saw as an educational institution for the masses, is now nothing more than a mass merchandiser?

And it is NOISEY! Little kids run around like it's playground. The tweens/teens are loud. The moms sit together and talk talk talk.

My public library is not a quiet place at all.

The librarians are busy running reading out loud groups, doing crafts related to some book, and doing everything but finding things for patrons. See those computers over there---->you do that.

Public libraries have turned into the 10th ring of hell. The days of quiet reading are over. My supermarket is quieter than my library.

It's morphed into a Barnes and Nobles with a Starbuck.

Most of our librarians are English Language Arts elementary school teachers who got their MLS. So they are used to the kid zoo noise.

The only library I've been to lately that was actually quiet, was the Science and Engineering Library at my university.

Yeh, if you drop a pencil at the University library, all the students glare at you like "really dude, wtf?"

My favourite things: I like my co-workers, I've had good experiences with helping customers, and since I can't afford every book/movie/CD which I'm into, it's nice to have access if/when we order them in the library.

What I would change: if a customer returns an item which smells or looks like it's been used for toilet paper, they should be charged and banned. It would also be great if we were allowed to tell customers that we can't accept certain items as donations....outdated medical books or college textbooks being some examples.

@Kalika My library just puts unusable items in a "Free to a good home" section for patrons to take what they like, or they donate them to schools that might have better use for them. Worst case, they recycle them in the paper bin.

I work on a military installation, so the on-post library is a godsend, for the most part. There are issues, like the noisy kids, but thankfully, if they get too unruly, they're kicked out and reported to their parents, whose careers can be severely impacted by their bad behavior. In my case, a simple, "hey, you need to take conversations elsewhere, or quiet down," and they quiet down. Headphones also fix this issue. Just get a white-noise/binaural track or app, and it can drown out noise well, plus it helps most people concentrate. I find that Stephen Reich or Philip Glass compositions work similarly well. If you can't change the behavior of those around you, change your reaction to it.

I've thought about going back to school for an MLS. It seems right up my alley. Just not quite ready to go back to school. I need to look into the program requirements more deeply.

Oooh, ooh! (Jumps up and raises hands)

I actually have a Master's Degree in Information Studies (on a library path) from 2011. Sadly, I have yet to be hired, though I am a regular volunteer at an academic library. That said, I really would not mind working at a public library either-- I have a lot of fond memories from my local PL as a kid, and would jump at the opportunity to be a part of that welcoming environment.

I am sorry to hear that your own library is dealing with budget cuts, though. In Toronto, the city public library system was facing a severe axing as well last year, and apparently libraries are facing severe cuts in academic settings as well. It's very distressing, to say the least.

I am a graduate degreed librarian. I am currently a school librarian with state certification in this and other teaching areas. I have also been a medical librarian and assistant director of a public library. A pretty experienced view. With rare exceptions this takes a lot of people skills, contrary to popular belief. Without interaction working with people there is little reason for the job. The exception can be as a cataloguer or a few computer positions you have to be the interface between people and information resources. This usually means working effectively with a variety of neurotypicals regularly.