What Were You Thinking? If You Could Choose Librarianship Over Again Would You?

That was the attention getting question we asked librarians via an e-mail survey in the summer of 1997.

And the response? A resounding, YES! And we were concerned that anyone would bother to return the survey at all . . .

What Were We Thinking?

As three librarians who had come up through the ranks (i.e., as student assistants and support staff), we wondered how many others had segued into librarianship in much the same way and, if pre-M.L.S. library work experience significantly influenced an individual's overall job satisfaction. The central question we posed: If you could do it all over again, would you? (Become a librarian, that is). Regardless of the daily grind, lack of respect for librarians and their work, and the sometimes "unreasonable" demands of library users, a majority of the over 500 degreed librarians responding to our survey seem to be quite satisfied with their career choice.

Over 500 Librarians Can't Be Wrong...

Of the 500 tallied surveys, 288 librarians said they would definitely choose librarianship as a profession again, while an additional 182 librarians said they would probably choose a library career again. These two groups account for nearly eighty-seven percent of the respondents. Not a bad vote of confidence for a career perceived by the public-at-large to be alternately dull and fascinating. The number of responses received in less than a one month period, both by e-mail and traditional mail, was impressive (close to 600) and enlightening. Librarians from multiple sectors of the field were more than enthusiastic to "talk" about their chosen career, the questionnaire itself proving to be its own best publicity. It seemed as if librarians everywhere were eager to respond to our query. The survey (consisting of twenty-one questions) stimulated such an interest, that it could not be contained within the confines of any of our ten pre-selected electronic library listing services. While we requested formal posting permission of these sites, the relative convenience of e-mail led to the survey being readily passed among friends. Not only did librarians respond to the survey, but many also added notes of encouragement, a few even expressing appreciation that someone was taking the time to conduct such an inquiry (ellipses indicate separate comments): I would love to fill out your survey detailing why I entered this most marvelous of professions, and why I still think it is the best . . . What a fun survey! . . . This has been sent to several listing services, thought you might be interested in it . . . I thought I'd pass this along. I've printed my own hard copy of your survey, but need a snail mail address to send it to . . . Good luck to you! . . . Good luck with your research I think your survey is a wonderful idea. As the surveys literally poured in, we became convinced that we had made the right decision to chance our survey in an electronic format. In fact, the ease of responding electronically no doubt aided in insuring that a willing recipient would return a form. In seeking to gain insight into an individual's degree of job satisfaction, we correlated two key factors, 1) Would you do it all over again?, and 2) Did previous work experience in a library environment (prior to obtaining their M.L.S./M.L.I.S degree result in a higher level of job satisfaction? Well, yes . . . and no.

I Just Wanted to Be a Librarian

Three hundred eight librarians had worked in a library environment before obtaining their library degree (293 of those for one to ten years) while 190 had spent one year or less working in a library (including those with no library background at all). How does this correlate with the likelihood of choosing the same career path again? One hundred fifty-five individuals (out of 190) of those with little or no prior library experience would choose the profession again, compared to 271 (out of 308) with some library work experience stated that they would once again choose the profession (see Table 4). Statistically speaking, the numbers represent an eighty-two percent vote of confidence for their career choice by the first group and eighty-six percent for the latter. The bottom line seems to be that most people who chose to enter the profession did so primarily because of a genuine appreciation for the pursuit of knowledge and information—and for helping others pursue the same. Regardless of employment background—in or outside—of a library environment prior to obtaining an M.L.S./M.L.I.S., most librarians enjoy their work and chose it with very little outside influence.

Who Responded?

The surveys returned to us (seventy-eight by U.S. mail) came from all over the United States and a few from other countries. We heard from academic librarians, public librarians, and special librarians: corporate, law, medical, and freelancers. Much to our surprise, the bulk of responses came from special librarians (221), followed by academic librarians (152), and public librarians (82). The remaining forty-five can be classified as miscellaneous categories or missing responses on returned survey forms. Based on the number of responses by type of library currently employed, we learned a valuable and humorous lesson, a vacation month, such as August, is perhaps not the best time to conduct a survey if the goal is a balanced response pool. Summer vacation patterns may account for the somewhat lop-sided respondent group numbers, leading us to the hypothesis that many academic librarians are taking vacation time in August prior to the start of the academic year and that many public librarians are taking time off following the conclusion of their hectic summer reading programs.

Why So Many Special Librarians?

On this aspect, we can only speculate. Special librarians proved to be a very enthusiastic respondent group. Perhaps due to the nature of their work these librarians are not necessarily tied to a traditional vacation cycle, making them more readily available for summer survey participation. These librarians, working alone or in small numbers (and generally with fewer resources on hand), conceivably are more accustomed to the use of e-mail as a primary communication tool. This, in part, might make special librarians more likely to respond (than other librarian groups) to a survey presented in this format.

Everyone in the Pool — Just the (Dry) Facts

As expected, most librarians responding to the survey and probably the majority working in the trenches are white, by ethnicity, and female (see Table 1). Additionally, most survey participants hold the M.L.S./M.L.I.S. as their highest degree. A relatively small number hold a Ph.D. (see Table 2).

But, Are They Happy in Their Work?

Are librarians, in general, happy with their choice of profession? If our sampling of 500 out of the librarian labor pool of an estimated 154,000 librarian positions held is an accurate indicator, then yes they are (employment number is based on 1996 estimates published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 1998). Across all returned surveys, across all areas of the profession, the majority of librarians said that they would definitely do it all over again. In response to one of our primary questions, "[In regard to your] Overall satisfaction in attending library school and choosing librarianship as a profession . . . would you definitely, probably, possibly, probably not, definitely not, or [you're] not sure—would you do it again? The decision was clear, 418 librarians gave their career choice a thumbs up, indicating that they would definitely choose it again (see Table 3). An additional fifty-two individuals would possibly make the same decision. As was originally hypothesized, most librarians had some type of previous library experience before obtaining their M.L.S., although not to the extent we had anticipated. Librarians simply seem to enjoy their career choice regardless of their prior work experience. This finding was a bit surprising, based on our initial assumption, but not unwelcome. Our third survey question specifically addressed library employment of those with library work experience prior to obtaining their M.L.S./M.L.I.S by requesting, "the number of years spent working in a library in some capacity (OTHER than as a librarian) PRIOR to obtaining a library degree" (see Table 4). Those who did have some previous library work experience were asked to comment on factors that influenced their decision to pursue librarianship as a profession. Following are some of their comments. (Note, minor typographical errors made by respondents have been corrected, individual responses are separated by ellipses): I didn't enjoy teaching, I knew I enjoyed libraries . . . After thirteen years as a paraprofessional, with numerous promotions, I found myself in the position of not being able to progress to higher level positions without a library degree . . . I decided I liked the work but didn't like being the peon . . . At the time I worked in a library (over ten years ago, before the age of computers) I was impressed with the knowledge one of the library aides was acquiring in library school. However, my ideal librarian role model was the children's librarian at my local public library . . . The librarian I worked for left a lot to be desired. I thought I could do the job better . . . I wanted to be a children's librarian. I obtained an undergraduate degree in early childhood education. Once in library school I discovered computers and that was the end of children's librarianship . . . There are conditions (sizes and types of libraries) in which the work can be done without an M.L.S., but at some point the grad degree is absolutely necessary to do a quality job . . . I wanted to become a librarian since my first visit to my local public library at the age of six or seven or thereabouts. I still remember my first library card number . . . Working in a library made me aware of the profession, its challenges, and its opportunities.

The People in Their Lives

Part of our survey also focused on what influence other individuals had on a librarian's decision to enter the profession (as was mentioned previously). Were respondents influenced to undertake a career in librarianship by those around them? The question, "To what extent did the following influence you to pursue library and information science work?" revealed that public and academic librarians, more than those in other categories, had the most influence in this area (although not to an overwhelming extent)—significant influence by a public librarian tallied to a whopping twenty percent (close to the same percentage were influenced by family members) while significant influence by an academic librarian came to twenty-nine percent. Another insightful finding in the survey results was noting which librarian groups have the most enthusiasm for definitely choosing librarianship again. These two groups were those who have been in the profession for twenty or more years (approximately twenty-four percent), followed closely by those who have been in the profession one to five years (approximately twenty-two percent). This might be explained, in part, by the investment in library work belonging to those in the field twenty or more years and by the "newness" and excitement of the profession felt by librarian "young guns", regardless of chronological age. Those with long-term employment records could not have possibly foreseen the amount of technological change that would occur, yet remain dedicated to the profession or who, at the very least, are willing to work in an increasingly technological environment. Those newer to librarianship, conversely, enter the profession knowing that technology is changing—and constantly. This is perhaps part of their reasoning in choosing librarianship. These scenarios are decidedly hypothetical and are certainly areas for further study.

So, You Wanna Be a Librarian

Ultimately, what is it that makes an individual want to pursue librarianship as a profession? It is definitely not for the salary. Only twenty-eight percent of the survey group indicated that this aspect was an incentive. In fact, in regard to pay, several surveys came back with brief comments such as, "Are you kidding?!", "Ha!", and "What money?" Nor was it for the status in society—a mere nineteen percent indicated a strong incentive there. Indeed, the intellectual challenge (eighty-two percent of respondents) and the opportunity to be part of a service-oriented profession (ninety-five percent) seemed to win out over all other motivations. While many librarians might not cite service to the community immediately as one of their reasons for their career choice, it is interesting to find that so many respondents gave "service" such a high ranking in importance. Other influential (or non-influential) factors of note were: as an alternative to teaching (twenty-six percent) a good job market (twenty-four percent) and to supplement another degree (twenty-two percent). Of greater influence was, enjoyment of the work/working environment (eighty-one percent) to earn a living (sixty-four percent; which is not necessarily the same thing as for the "great salary"), and previous experience in/or use of the library (sixty-two percent). As noted above, it appears that the strongest reason survey respondents chose the profession was for the work environment, and second to that, to earn a living. One of the most variable categories within this question is that of a good job market. There is no doubt that there is a correlation between the response to this question and the year that an individual entered the profession. For example, those beginning their librarian careers in the 1970's and in the early 1990's, may have found it more difficult to find the exact type of position they had envisioned while they were still working on their degree (one of the three authors included).

The Good AND the Bad

In conjunction with the question of "reason for entering the profession" was the request for information about what librarians liked best—and least about the profession. This seemed to open up the floodgates for comments and opinions. What follows is a selection of actual respondent comments (again, minor typographical errors made by respondents have been corrected, individual responses are separated by ellipses):

What Librarians Enjoy MOST about Being a Librarian:

I can help people and learn from them at the same time I believe life-long learning and helping people gives me a sense of satisfaction . . . ability to make a difference . . . The challenge of being at the cutting edge—and trying to stay on top of developments . . . solving the puzzle, meeting the people, supervising the hordes. Automation. First shot at all the new books . . . The people, both pubic patrons and library staff, the chance to work with information and books (I love being in the stacks, weeding) and working with technology. I feel this is a worthy occupation—to provide library services to all being part of a learning environment . . . helping people who are actually grateful . . . The work is varied and challenging, like a series of mysteries to solve. The work helps others; it serves the community . . . a sense of continuous discovery providing the right information to people who need it and providing information to those who need it but don't realize it . . . My job is interesting and exciting. There isn't another profession I would rather be in.

What Librarians Enjoy LEAST about Being a Librarian

Repetitive clerical work, low status, and visibility, the second class citizenship of technical services in many administrators' eyes, old librarians who hate their work and hate computers. Rigid obsessive librarians who will not consider new ideas or new concepts low status, low pay . . . . the pay, and when people treat me like a secretary, not understanding that I am a professional!. . . the lack of credibility in a very male-dominated profession public's perception of our lack of status, education and importance pesky details . . . too many women--the profession needs to work for gender equality. I am a woman and I know this may not be a politically correct comment, but I base this on work experience . . . timid, intellectually lazy colleagues . . . lack of respect librarians/information professionals often experience from their management and peers (e.g., other professionals in the organization) . . . people's stupid comments about librarian stereotypes. I sure ain't it . . . Having to recognize the negatives that exist in the human conditions--not all people are nice! . . . lack of appreciation by customers . . . petty people working in libraries . . . I have worked at seven public libraries and yet to find one that was well managed, or that they understood or nurtured talent . . . the stress of being expected to "know" the answer repetitiveness of the questions. Place of librarians in the academic hierarchy. Pay . . . lack of respect and recognition . . . the elitism where longtime professionals are threatened by young professionals. The M.L.S. and non-M.L.S. controversy as it is played out in many libraries . . . low pay and low social status. not allowed to be creative at work . . . the lack of value many people place on information services . . . we operate on a shoestring and right now with technology leading to constant changes in the profession it is hard to learn the information and skills needed to be effective . . . lack of funding . . . information overload . . . routine, inflexibility, and borinother librarians . . . politics, lack of respect (by librarians, politicians, and the general public) for what we do . . . the frustration that there are people who have been tainted by previous experiences with "bad" librarians . . . I have to explain what I do to nearly everyone I meet--very few people who have any comprehension of the kinds of skills it takes to be a really good librarian . . . probably my biggest problem is with some of the other librarians themselves who cast the profession in a negative light . . . Low pay. If I were to leave the profession, that would be the reason why.

And the Top Three Winners in Each Category Are...

Because all of the individual responses were difficult to quantify, we grouped related comments by category, singling out the top three "enjoy most" and "enjoy least". First of all, the "likes": Helping patrons/challenge of a good question (180), daily challenges/intellectual challenge/continual learning (125), and diversity of work/variety (71). And the "dislikes": Low status/low visibility/low pay (101), boring/repetitive tasks (71), and battling the bureaucracy/politics (64).

Marked for Librarianship?

And finally, of particular interest to us was library use by future librarians as they grew up. We wondered whether active usage of the library by an individual and/or their family would somehow act as indirect indicators to their chosen profession. Results showed that it was library use by the individual, rather than the family that contributed to one's interest in working in the library environment. Personal use of the library during this period was estimated by respondents to be--Once a Week or More, fifty-three percent and at Least Once, thirty-five percent. These percentages were significantly greater than an individual's estimated family library usage on a weekly basis, but quite similar in calculated monthly visits--Once a Week or More (twenty-nine percent) and At Least Once a Month (thirty-six percent).

Mara L. Houdyshell is a senior assistant librarian in the Reference and Instruction Department at California State University, Northridge, Bibliographic Instruction Lecturer, Subject Specialist in the areas of Education and Deaf Studies. She may be reached at mara.houdyshell@csun.edu. Patricia A. Robles is a senir assistant librarian, California State University, Bakersfield. She may be reached at probles@csubak.edu
. Hua Yi is an assistant librarain at Californai State University, Bakersfield. She may be reached at hyi@csubak.edu .