changing the stereotype: the welcoming librarian

There is a growing disconnect between staff members in the field of Library and Information Science (LIS). The rift I will focus on is that between library employees who possess a Master of Library Science (MLS) degree and those who do not (usually librarians vs. library clerks).


Currently if a person wants to get a position as a library it is necessary to obtain the MLS degree to be competitive in the market. As a young person currently attending library school it is distressing to me that I could choose to become a library manager over a staff of people who have much more experience than me. As I wish to become an academic reference librarian, I do not have to worry about this as much as public librarians do. However, it is of concern. Does the MLS degree make people competent librarians?




Cross, Borgatti, & Parker (2002) have examined the relationships within workplaces stating, "informal relationships among employees are often far more reflective of the way work happens in an organization than relationships established by position within the formal structure" (26). Considering this research, it is interesting to note how different libraries can be, even if they are under the same structure. At my library there are only 2 people who has the MLS degree and 7 who do not (and me: 1 in process). The majority of those 7 who do not are have their advanced degrees (or even an undergraduate degree) are more experienced than those who do have their MLS degree.



It is of concern that librarians still have a negative stereotyping associated with them, as the field of LIS progresses and receives more recognition as a profession. Our responsibility is still to serve the public. In this respect it is interesting to note the customer service that is being provided by the entire staff and how the treatment differs between those who possess advanced degrees and those who do not. Holt looked at the responsibilities of librarians and noted that in “a library's institutional and individual employee behavior is about how resources are used. The first place that great service is achieved is with consistent, reliable service. Like most things important about library operations, this one is a matter of effective communication between administrators and staff, consistent supervision and outstanding staff training (Holt, 149).


Good communication between all staff members will reveal any biases or issues in the workplace, the research shows. Cross et al. (2002) have alluded that interactions between management and staff have benefited from social networking to bring out potential biases that may exist in the work force. It is difficult to uncover such biases without great effort from both the management and the rest of the staff. Tools like social networking and effective communication can help make any library worker a super librarian, whether or not they have an advanced degree.






References
Cross, R., Borgatti, S.P., & Parker A. (2002). Making invisible work visible: Using social network analysis to support strategic collaboration. California Management Review. 44 (2), 25-46.
Hatch, M. J. (2006). Organization theory: Modern, symbolic, and postmodern perspectives (2nd ed). New York: Oxford University Press.
Holt, G. E. (2004). Simple basics: Little things that make us look stupid. The Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances.. 17 (4), 147-149.