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The Library & Information Science Professional's Career Development Center |
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Career College Libraries: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly |
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So you are fresh-faced, idealistic, and just out of library school. You were told by your library school there would be “tons of library jobs” when you graduated because of the graying of the profession and all those baby boomers that are nearing retirement or death (yes, even librarians go to that great library in the sky, thereby creating new jobs—it’s that whole circle of life thing, but with books). So you eagerly await that great college/university posting that will begin your career as an academic librarian. And you wait. And you wait some more. OK, so while you are waiting, what are you doing to pay off your credit cards and massive student loans, feed the cat, and purchase health insurance? Well, one option is to get a position as a career college librarian. Career colleges (also called proprietary or for-profit) are some of the fastest-growing schools in today’s educational market (and yes, it is a market, because these schools are out to make money). While they are not your traditional educational environments, they can be perfect places for new librarians to get their feet wet. This article will discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of the world of career college librarianship. The Good Most career college librarians are solo librarians, so they are running their own libraries and participating in many school activities (like teaching, supervising online programs, and helping with accreditation visits) that they would probably not do in a more traditional setting. Because you are usually the only librarian on campus (sometimes you might get an assistant or a student worker), you may have the opportunity to perform a wide variety of library services. You catalog materials, handle all acquisitions, manage serials, provide reference services, teach library literacy classes, supervise circulation, and handle all the IT computer and printing issues—and that’s all in the same day! You do a lot because there is no one else there to do it for you, but you also learn a lot. While this may seem overwhelming, it’s a wonderful and unique opportunity to run your own library and experience the wide array of the librarian experience. Very few librarians can say they have actually “done it all” and this makes the career college librarian very special. Many career colleges have small campuses so you get to know the staff, instructors, and students very well. You assist students in their academic careers and they actually get to know you too. For many of us, this is the best part of the job! Because it’s just you in the library, you can do fun and creative things like start book clubs for students and staff, have displays at student orientation, involve the entire school with National Book Week, send out emails about new books in the library, and offer a friendly greeting to potential students and their families when they are touring the library and school. While being the only librarian on your campus may occasionally be a little lonely, do not let that stop you. You must also take advantage of this time to further your career. Get involved in local and national library organizations. Or create your own library organization like the career college librarians in Minnesota did. I helped found the Career College Libraries of Minnesota (check us out at http://www.cclmn.org/). Write book reviews and articles. Figure out what area of academic librarianship interests you the most for your next job. Will it be reference, circulation, website development, or perhaps public libraries instead? Also take this time to try out part-time jobs or internships in other libraries, or host an intern and get experience as a supervisor. For example, while working in my career college library, I also did an internship in a corporate map library and had a part-time weekend reference job at one of the local “traditional” university libraries. Both of these experiences were very different from what I do in my career college library, and they both helped me become a more well-rounded librarian. You never know what type of reference question a student or patron is going to ask, and you never know where you might work or what type of librarian you will be two, five, or ten years from now. The Bad One thing you should know before you start working at a career college library is that the administration may not appreciate your range of skills or your education. Career colleges are a business, usually run by a family or a corporate entity. You must be aware that the library is often seen as a cost center, taking money away from the school and not contributing to its bottom line. So despite the fact that you probably have at least a master’s degree, you will be on the bottom of the food chain and the bottom of the pay scale. The upside to this is that you will be able to take free classes in unique subjects like culinary arts, automotive sciences, or massage; computers, veterinary technology, or paralegal studies. You could earn additional degrees such as an MBA or PhD, which would be quite useful in future jobs. There is also the stigma of working in a career college; your fellow library colleagues may look down at you. You see, the career college librarian fits into a weird library niche: it’s not a traditional academic librarian, not a special librarian, and not a corporate librarian, I choose to believe the career college librarian fits nicely into all of these different library worlds. The Ugly It’s a well-known fact that career colleges drop programs frequently and without any advance notice due to low enrollment. Perfectly good programs, classes, and instructors will be let go because the program was not generating enough money to justify its existence. The library is usually safe from these cuts because, as I have been not-so-kindly told, the school needs the library and your advanced degree for accreditation purposes. While you (with your advanced degree) may be safe from budget cuts, your assistant and your library hours may not be. One day at my career college library I was told, with no advance warning, that my assistant was going from full-time to part-time and would lose her benefits due to budget cuts. While we were disappointed, we adapted as well as we could under the circumstances by tightening our budget and losing a few hours of operation. But don’t let this get you down. Remember, your job or library is what you make of it, so use this time and experience to your full advantage. So, Should You Take A Position In A Career College Library? If given the opportunity to work in a career college library, I would say “go for it!” Why? Because you will be given many opportunities to make the job a great place to start or expand your career. You will also meet, work with, and make a difference in the lives of many students. Finally, what is there to lose? At the least, you will be richer for the experience. It never hurts to try. Melissa Aho has a MLIS from Dominican University, an MS in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is currently working on an MA in Art History from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. Melissa is currently the Campus, Acquisitions and Business Resources Librarian at the Minnesota School of Business-Brooklyn Center campus (a career college in Minnesota) and she is also a Weekend Reference Librarian at the Metropolitan State University Library (a traditional education and library setting) in St. Paul, MN. Article published Nov 2006 Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in LIScareer articles are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the LIScareer editors.
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Page last updated
10/18/2006
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