Scott Jones: Public Perceptions of Librarians and Librarianship - "You just store books right?"

The UWO-CLA blog regularly publishes writings of its student members in order to allow our them to express their thoughts and opinions on issues in library and information science. These writings are not meant to represent the views of the UWO-CLA itself or the greater CLA organisation. Your comments and questions are encouraged on this blog. If you wish to contact the UWO-CLA directly please email claatuwo@gmail.com.

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Scott Jones is in his first semester of MLIS at Western. Scott lives in London, but was raised in St. Thomas, On. Just recently he finished his Bachelors in History at King's University College, and before that was the proud owner of a used bookstore in St.Thomas called Rogue Books. Scott is an avid bass guitarist, table top game enthusiast and sci-fi/fantasy junkie. He can also be found volunteering at the PRIDE library at Western. Scott hopes to complete his MLIS by April and pursue librarianship as a professional at a public or academic library in Ontario.

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MLIS student: I'm going to get my Masters.
Friend: Oh yeah? What you going for?
MLIS student: a Masters in Library Sciences.
Friend: You need a Masters to be a Librarian?
MLIS student: *sigh*

I have unfortunately had this exact conversation with friends and I'm sure many others have had similar conversations with people they know. The public views of a library is limited to what goes on in front of the public eye: people see a depository of books and even those who use the plethora of services and space offered at a library, can see only what is in front of them. A library is so much more than just a storage space for books: it is a community center, a place where people gather for children's activities, a computer and Internet access point, as well as a storage area for various forms of information. Not only are books stored and sorted in a library, but also other mediums such as video tapes, DVDs, audio books, and any other options you could imagine that stores information. People who are not library savvy generally do not see a library in this way, even if they use these services. 

The role of a librarian then also changes for most people, instead of seeing a professional who is there to help them find quality information, people see only a person who re-shelves books and occasionally renews their library card. Being a library and information specialist is generally a thankless job, though we are always there to help, even if the public does not see it that way. There are various groups of people who are more enlightened and are trying to change some of these ideas, but the common perception of a library and librarian prevails.

Aylmer, Ontario is currently attempting to get a new library built for the community. There is a large lobby group of local people who do not understand what a new library will do for them. The people lobbying against the library see only a storage facility for books, and due to the increase in online access and e-books, they do not comprehend the necessity of a new library. Their argument comes down to 'Why do we need a new place to store books if people don't read books anymore?' On the other side of the coin, the mayor of Aylmer is trying to sway people's opinion, explaining how the library can benefit the community with new computers and a larger space for community activities.

Unfortunately, as we have learned in some of our classes, information and technology change faster than society. People's perception of libraries and librarians stems from a lack of knowledge and adjustment to the reality of what libraries have become in the past century or so. Libraries are not just store-houses for books; nor are they a place where librarians shush patrons and simply put books on the shelves; libraries have become the centers of the community, even if the community at large may not see it that way.

--Scott Jones

Become a Librarian Overseas!

The UWO-CLA blog regularly publishes writings of its student members in order to allow our them to express their thoughts and opinions on issues in library and information science. These writings are not meant to represent the views of the UWO-CLA itself or the greater CLA organisation. Your comments and questions are encouraged on this blog. If you wish to contact the UWO-CLA directly please email claatuwo@gmail.com.

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Annick Lapalme is in her first term at Western. She is from Montreal, Quebec. In her previous life she was in education and taught overseas for five years before returning to Canada to pursue a MLIS. She thoroughly loves traveling and looks forward to going back overseas one day.

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Become a Librarian Overseas!

If you are interested in living and working overseas as a librarian in an international school, you will find this post useful.

The types of job you will find as a librarian in international schools will either be for the entire school (kindergarten through high school) or for a specific level (elementary, middle and high school) – it all depends on the size of the school. Your job description may include reading time with students (mostly at the elementary level), introducing research skills, working with subject teachers and collection development. Generally, international schools do not require the librarian to have a bachelor’s of education.

Getting the job

Getting a job overseas can be done two ways: by going to a job fair or by getting a job through phone call or Skype interviews. The two main companies running job fairs are International School Services (https://www.iss.edu/) and Search Associates (http://www.searchassociates.com/). By paying a fee, you set up your profile with one of these companies who are the liaison between international schools and potential employees. The recruiting company makes your profile available to employers, sends you employment opportunities and organizes job fairs all over the world. Job fairs are a place to meet directors face to face and conduct interviews. If you are lucky, you get a job offer right there at the fair!  Check out respective websites to find out where job fairs are being held and when (Search Associates does a fair in Toronto).

Another way to make your profile known is by creating a web resume and signing up with a company such as TIE Online (http://www.tieonline.com/). TIE Online makes your profile available to employers and also lists the available positions. Basically, it’s a way to get in contact with schools that interest you. Some schools are fine with conducting Skype interviews to hire while others will only interview at job fairs.

Benefits

All international schools provide a work visa for you. Most international schools will offer furnished housing or will assist you in finding a place. Rent is usually part of your package and therefore separate from your salary. Other benefits include health packages, return flights home every year and a shipping allowance.

Personality Traits

Is an international career for you? You obviously have to be a little adventurous, open to change and new cultures. Furthermore, you must be open-minded about your job placement. There may not be a job exactly in the country or region that is of interest to you, but keeping an open mind is the best way to discover amazing places.

Final Words

If you happen to have a partner that is a teacher, think about applying together. Many schools like to hire what they call “teaching couples”. If a school has job openings for both of you: apply!

Also, bear in mind that schools will reflect a salary that represents the socioeconomic level of the country you are in. You may find that some job offers come with a low salary, but this takes into consideration that the cost of living is low as well. Fewer expenses make for more money saved.

Hope you find this information useful. Feel free to ask questions in the comment box if you have any.

--Annick Lapalme

Musings of a CLA & PLG member

The UWO-CLA blog regularly publishes writings of its student members in order to allow our them to express their thoughts and opinions on issues in library and information science. These writings are not meant to represent the views of the UWO-CLA itself or the greater CLA organisation. Your comments and questions are encouraged on this blog. If you wish to contact the UWO-CLA directly please email claatuwo@gmail.com.

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Lukas Miller is in his third term at Western. He hails from Regina, Saskatchewan, and has his Bachelor of Music from the University of Regina. His primary interests include music and music librarianship, information retrieval, and academic librarianship! In his spare time he enjoys listening to music, playing video games, sampling varieties of beer, and talking about library and information science related issues.

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I often find myself questioned on why I've chosen to actively participate in both the Canadian Library Association (CLA) and Progressive Librarians Guild (PLG). For some reason an imagined and unspoken-of conflict seems to exist between the two organizations at UWO. For the next little while I hope to shed some light on why (I think) that conflict exists, and why I've chosen to be an executive in both organizations. But first, a little about me:

My name is Lukas Miller, I am the UWO CLA Communications Executive (I edit this blog!) for the summer term of which we are already five weeks into. I nominated myself for this position due to my penchant for partaking in various social networking platforms on a personal level - I figured I could contribute to the CLA by projecting it on the web and places outside the university campus. I also happen to be PLG London's Communications Executive - for the same reasons as outlined above for the CLA. So far, I'm enjoying my jobs and hope that it is perceived as such by my peers, the LIS students at Western, and any and all who follow CLA and PLG related issues and events. Now on to the discussion.

To begin, it is important to point out that the CLA at UWO has not existed for several years now. The group completely fell out of favour with UWO students for an undetermined reason - the specifics of the fallout of the UWO CLA will never truly be known without contacting past members - an endeavor that nobody as of yet is willing to take on (efforts to get in touch with past CLA executives have been fruitless). One thing that is certain though, is that the CLA did not grow in popularity over the last year or so, when issues surrounding Library and Archives Canada (LAC) went unchallenged by Canada's so-called professional library association - the CLA. Many professional and student members of the organization ended up not renewing their memberships as a way of displaying their displeasure at the CLA's lack of advocacy and action over issues at the LAC. Unfortunately, I do not have much space here to dote on what exactly transpired at LAC, but here is a link [http://www.savelibraryarchives.ca] to a web site run by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) that was created in light of those issues.

Long story short - many people were unimpressed with CLA, and such as it is, they still are today. However, I see things a little differently.

First of all, let me be clear on this point - I too felt betrayed by the fact that the CLA felt no responsibility to stand up and advocate for libraries and librarians when the aforementioned issues rose up at LAC; I was a member of the PLG before the CLA because I felt things needed to be said, issues needed to be raised, and actions needed to be taken in order to save LAC. Consequently, speaking out in favour of protecting LAC would serve to advocate for all libraries in Canada - whether national government libraries, public libraries, academic libraries or even special libraries. This is where things get shaky.

I am anti-neutrality when it comes to being an information professional - whether a librarian, archivist, or related profession. I will spare you my thoughts on this for now (we had some excellent discussion on the blog post from Thomas Haennel, which you can read here [http://uwo-cla.blogspot.ca/2013/05/on-neutrality-tomas-haennel.html] along with my own comments below his posting). Long story short, the CLA got into trouble with the library community and library students across this country because they decided to take a back-seat to the LAC issues. Fast forward to today…

I joined the UWO CLA because I was beginning to see the larger CLA organization begin to speak out on library related issues. Their Twitter feed is now abuzz, daily, pointing out problems requiring the attention of its members. They release official statements now, such as ones regarding Daniel Caron's recent resignation and the appointment of a new director of LAC. I felt that simply letting the CLA stagnate and be the brunt of criticism from begrudged librarians would obviously not improve the organization in any way, so why not join up and do something about it?

I do not want to give anyone the impression that I plan to indoctrinate UWO CLA members to non-neutral causes: I respect the right of my peers and colleagues to come to their own conclusions. Ask any of the other CLA executives and I'm sure they will tell you that I have put no pressure on anybody in the group to subscribe to my own beliefs. What I do try to do though is at least bring the issues to light when I can. The UWO CLA is likened with being solely a “professional development” organization. This is all well and good, but part of being a professional is being aware of the issues surrounding your profession. If certain issues put your profession under scrutiny which may lead to loss of jobs and authority, those issues should be examined by the organization and a stance made.

This, I suppose, is why I’ve joined the UWO CLA – I want to ensure that issues (issues most often brought up in PLG meetings) are introduced to its members so that they are aware of the complications that comes with being a professional. I do not expect the CLA to be a reactionary organization in the way that the PLG is, but I do hope that its members will at least be aware of the issues at hand and think critically about them.

Ultimately, I hope to see the PLG and UWO working alongside each other, rather than cautiously treading around each other. I think they both simply need time to evolve and build bridges - the UWO CLA to find it roots and adapt to how the larger organization has come along, and the PLG to understand that change will come from within the organization in due time.

There is no reason students other than myself shouldn't be able to participate in one group or the other, or both simultaneously.

Thanks for listening!

--Lukas