tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post4696493061331854649..comments2024-03-27T05:00:00.090-04:00Comments on Letters to a Young Librarian: A Job is More than a PaycheckJessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-4926522603422856812015-03-03T11:34:04.465-05:002015-03-03T11:34:04.465-05:00I'm conflicted.
On the one hand, I agree that...I'm conflicted.<br /><br />On the one hand, I agree that pay is not the only factor to consider when looking for a job -- and it can be an acceptable tradeoff to exchange low pay for a professional opportunity. For example, the current director of that library in Kentucky commented on <a href="http://jasongriffey.net/wp/2015/02/23/poverty-libraries-jobs-me/" rel="nofollow">Jason Griffey's post</a> and cited how the library offered her a professional opportunity that would be rare for other MLIS students (as she is/was at the time) to get.<br /><br />Another example of a trick I've seen in action: working in Alaska turns out to be a good way for a mid-career librarian to make the jump from public libraries to academic libraries -- and that can be a difficult transition to make, otherwise. To put it another way: hate the cold? Consider Alaska anyway!<br /><br />On the other hand, another commenter on Jason's post mentioned other advantages of Kentucky including the natural environment. And that's fine -- but sunshine and mountain vistas don't necessarily pay the bills.<br /><br />I worry about narratives that push down librarian wages -- and wages in other helping professions. I also worry about narratives that focus on individual responses to structural problems. Though sometimes such responses are the best available right now -- and I support Dolly's efforts. Galen Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00562361977450992769noreply@blogger.com