Wednesday, June 3, 2009

crappy librarian jobs

I should probably make this a weekly feature because there are so many library position advertisements that I could draw from. The latest advertisement is from Saint Mary's University in Minnesota.

For the generous salary of $28,500 a year the university is looking to hire an instruction/reference librarian who will work 30 hours a week (12 months) providing duties that include "but are not limited to" (notice the wiggle room which means you will have other things to do as well):
  • Providing reference and instruction services including teaching groups and individuals how to perform library research, creating online instructional aides, promoting library services, staffing the reference desk, and working with faculty members to integrate Information Literacy and Instructional Technology concepts into the curriculum.
  • Assisting with collection development, Web page authoring, circulation, and Interlibrary Loan.
  • Identifying, evaluating, and implementing new developments in library services.
And they sweeten the deal by adding: "Evening and weekend hours are required. Some travel to off-campus educational sites is required."

Furthermore, applicants should have the following qualifications:
  • Education-related Master's degree or Master of Library Science from an American Library Association accredited institution.
  • Ability to anticipate needs of users, work with adult and distance learners, and use current technologies to enhance learning.
  • Experience with electronic library resources, Microsoft Office programs, and web page authoring.
Considering the generous salary, they don't ask for much, do they? Oh, and of course there are no health benefits mentioned because the job is 30 hours a week. On the positive side, you'd be living in Minnesota and you'll have an extra 10 hours a week on your hands so you can work on becoming a real alcoholic.

Hurry, because the review process starts on June 5th 2009.

3 comments:

  1. Hey, don't knock Minnesota! I'd personally love to live there.

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  2. I considered a graduate degree in Library Science before enrolling in the TESOL program at CSULA. The salary and job prospects discouraged me from pursuing it further. Now, I'm concerned that I will not be able to find a teaching job in California. Very discouraging. Fortunately, I have the freedom and interest to work in another state or country when I graduate. On a more positive note, did you see the article this week in the NY Times about the charter school hiring teachers for $125,000/year? See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/05/education/05charter.html?_r=1&em

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  3. The world has changed, We began to see changes after 9/11. Now, with the collapse of the economy, the traditional jobs are going, going, gone! This is a time of transition.

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