No Job

Sat, 03/08/2008 - 22:15 — mdoneil

I sent 4 emails to FSU about the job I had open that would be perfect for a librarian. I sent 3 emails to USF including one each to a professor with a blog who could post a note on there or facilitate it being posted on the college's website, I also mailed the director , and finally I signed up for their jobs listserv and posted it there.

I had HR post it on the Floridalibraryjobs.org website. I recieved résumés from office managers, stock brokers, mortgage brokers, coders/developers, help desk managers and two librarians one of whom I made submit her résumé.

No one from the library schools, no one from the Floridalibraryjobs.org website, no one from any of the listservs, and no one from LISNews bothered to apply. In fact that librarian who accepted the job Friday saw it on a job website where the firm pays to place positions.

Why so few librarians applied is a mystery to me. Why the job was not publicized by the library schools in Florida is a mystery to me. My alma mater FSU has delivery driver and receptionist positions listed on its website, why it would not list a position tailor made for a librarian interested in enterprise search and technology including collaborative technologies is beyond me, and frankly it disappoints me greatly.

Looking at the floridalibraryjobs.org site for jobs that have similar experience requirements the position for which I hired a local librarian pays (at a minimum) 1.788 times the average salary on the state library's jobs site. The benefits -insurance, retirement, continuing education, professional dues, annual professional meetings, and the like are also quite good. You don't get to play DDR but you also don't live check to check.

You know why the public does not value librarians, because librarians don't value themselves.

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Comments

Sun, 03/09/2008 - 01:39 — StephenK

There was a reason

In my instance it came down to an issue not linked to librarianship or finances. It is a very particular reason actually. If you call me at the contact number I can talk to you about why I could not do it. I read through the whole announcement, felt I could do it, and had something totally unrelated to librarianship or podcasting come up as a big issue.

Feel free to give me a call. I would be happy to chat with you.
________________________
Stephen Kellat, Host, LISTen

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Sun, 03/09/2008 - 11:20 — mdoneil

At least you considered it

It perplexes me more why library schools, the only two in the state where the position was located, didn't bother to make an effort to let their students and graduates know about the position.

It was a great opportunity for someone local, but I'm not so sure I'd move across the country for it - or many other jobs actually. (now if they had a position like that in Mexico I'd be loading the truck now).

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Thu, 03/27/2008 - 09:22 — BeaNs

If it was in Mexico

I'd do it for LESS than I'm making now.

I live in the commuting area of Tampa, but commuting is both monetarily and temporally prohibitive now. Given the mileage, with a 44.22 mile round trip commute from my house to say, the Westshore Mall in Tampa, I would put an extra 11,000 miles on my car a year, so I need another $5K a year just to break even. Hey, that’s not as bad as I thought.

What I wonder is, since so much research is done electronically, why does the researcher need to commute to an office to do it? I mean, really, I could do a lot of research from the Yucatan peninsula with a broadband connection, Skype and the proper permissions to access things. Here in St. Petersburg, I don’t even need Skype.

I keep reading about telecommuting revolutionizing Corporate America, but I don’t see a lot of corporate America allowing workers to telecommute.

As for me, I’m reevaluating what I’m doing as a librarian. I’m looking at my skill set in relation to what else I might do during my remaining “peak earning years.” No, money doesn’t buy happiness, but happiness isn’t going to fund my IRA either.

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Thu, 03/27/2008 - 12:34 — mdoneil

Merida

I have done my job from Merida, and Monterrey, and Cork for that matter. I do telecommute, generally one day a week, sometimes more sometimes less depending on what face to face meetings I have. I work with people who work from St. Louis and Detroit (their homes).

The position I had was not a researcher, although there were researcher positions open ( and I think more will be open next month). The position I had open does have several in person meetings each week, but there is no reason that someone could not telecommute part time as well.