{"id":6029,"date":"2013-03-05T17:11:37","date_gmt":"2013-03-06T01:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/slisgroups.sjsu.edu\/alasc\/wp-descriptor\/?p=810"},"modified":"2013-03-05T17:11:37","modified_gmt":"2013-03-06T01:11:37","slug":"career-paths-they-dont-tell-you-about-building-experience-by-working-as-a-pool-librarian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/alasc\/wp-students\/career-paths-they-dont-tell-you-about-building-experience-by-working-as-a-pool-librarian\/","title":{"rendered":"Career Paths They Don\u2019t Tell You About: Building Experience by Working as a Pool Librarian"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Career Paths They Don\u2019t Tell You About: Building Experience by Working as a Pool Librarian<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Emily Weak<\/p>\n

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When I started library school (with no library experience, mind you), here is how I thought my career would go: I would quit my non-library job within six months, get a paraprofessional job in a library, finish school in two years, apply for librarian jobs, and within a month or two get a nice full time job at a public library, probably working in Teen Services. \u00a0Here is how my career has gone: about a year and a half into school, after no success at applying for jobs as a page, clerk, or library assistant, I took an unpaid reference internship at a small, special library. \u00a0That job did turn into a part-time position (at the equivalent of clerk level), and then within a few months the library assistant left and I was promoted. \u00a0I was there for a year and a half (hanging around even after I finished my degree because I liked it so much, even though it was only part-time), until I was laid off (see my article in the March 2012 Descriptor<\/a>). \u00a0I then spent five months applying to jobs before landing a non-librarian temp gig in a library, and, finally, my first job with the official title librarian. \u00a0Except the full title was: Librarian I (Substitute Pool).<\/p>\n

Defining \u201cPool librarian\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

A substitute pool librarian is basically what it sounds like. \u00a0Many libraries use a similar type of worker, generally indicated by one of the following titles: hourly, on-call, temporary part time, extra help, casual, and, in academic libraries, adjunct. \u00a0The unifying theme is that these librarians are not regular employees. They are not guaranteed hours, and usually do not have a regular schedule. \u00a0These librarians are generally called in when extra help is needed, due to illness, vacation, or special projects or events. They may take on a position for a certain length of time, as in the case of adjuncts teaching for a semester, but permanence is not promised. \u00a0It is advantageous to the library to have a number of workers who may deployed as needed. \u00a0This type of worker is also easy on the budget; pool librarians are not generally eligible for labor\u2019s hidden cost: benefits such as health insurance and paid time off. They are also not usually eligible for the pension plan, although the employer may still pay for some sort of retirement fund, particularly if the position is not covered by social security.<\/p>\n

Benefits of working in the pool<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why would anyone want to do that? There are actually several benefits. \u00a0In my experience, there are three main types of pool librarian: new professionals, people returning to work after time off (e.g. maternity leave), and retired librarians. \u00a0For retired librarians who aren\u2019t quite ready to put their feet up forever, it provides a low-commitment, lower effort way to stay involved with beloved library work. \u00a0I know one retired branch manager who is delighted to be able to come in twice a week to do storytime. For those returning to work it provides a foot in the door and a flexible schedule. \u00a0For example, new moms take only the shifts they want – so can pick and choose those when the babysitter is available. For new professionals such as myself, it helps build experience and networking contacts.<\/p>\n

What it\u2019s like<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what the experience is like for me. I work at three different public library systems, all city-based. In one system, I really do function like a substitute. \u00a0There is a central scheduling office which sends out emails asking for shift coverage – usually four to six hour shifts at one of the branches. \u00a0Requests can be made anywhere from day-of, to months in advance, but most are around a week or two ahead. \u00a0There is a pool of about 30 librarians, and the central scheduler attempts to distribute things somewhat equally. \u00a0The work is almost entirely reference. \u00a0Occasionally there will be special weeding projects, or opportunities to do storytime. \u00a0I\u2019ve met a lot of librarians, and helped a wide variety of patrons, but it is a challenge to really develop meaningful working relationships, and chances to build skills in anything other than reference are scarce.<\/p>\n

The second system I work for is a single library serving its city. \u00a0I actually have a regular shift there three times a month and a weekly shift that will last approximately six to eight weeks while the library is short-handed. In addition I fill in when the full and part time librarians are off at meetings, conferences, vacations, etc. My boss there is encouraging and enthusiastic, and I\u2019ve been able to plan an event, make displays, create booklists, post to Facebook, and even temporarily manage a small collection (the 200s). \u00a0In addition to reference work, of course. The smaller size of this system, as well as the regularity of shifts, have offered more opportunity to experience the collegiality of working with other librarians.<\/p>\n

The third system I work for is also a multi-branch system. \u00a0This system offers more in the way of longer-term shifts. \u00a0I spent my first six months working 19 hours a week in the same branch, covering three different vacancies. I\u2019ve gotten the opportunity to work in adult, teen, and children\u2019s services, done copious amounts of \u201cguerilla weeding,\u201d made an instructional video, supervised a video game program, and worked a ton of hours providing, you guessed it, reference service. In this system I\u2019ve made some great relationships, but I still feel a little adrift, as the impermanence of my position negates the possibility of planning longer-term initiatives. For example, I participated in an eBook fair at the second library, and something like that could really do a lot of good at the third. \u00a0But I don\u2019t work within an infrastructure that would support me planning and executing it.<\/p>\n

On Making a Living<\/strong><\/p>\n

All three systems pay me between $25-$30 an hour. \u00a0Between the three systems, I generally work about 29 hours a week. \u00a0\u00a0I do work six days a week once or twice a month, usually when I\u2019m feeling a little panicky about a lightly scheduled future. The lack of hours is due to the fact that I\u2019m very rarely scheduled for a full eight hour day – shifts are usually between four to six hours. I\u2019m not exactly sure why this is, but it may have to do with California laws or union regulations about breaks. \u00a0Ironically, this is the first time I\u2019ve been in a union and none of my jobs provide health insurance or even paid time off. I don\u2019t have any kids, and my husband also works, so financially we get by. \u00a0One thing I keep in mind is tax-time. \u00a0Each job taxes at a lower rate – as if that were my only job. \u00a0But of course I\u2019m actually in a higher tax bracket so I invariably owe money come April. \u00a0I mitigate it slightly by asking for additional amounts to be held from my checks for both state and federal taxes, but I can\u2019t really ask for a lot because some checks only have one four hour shift.<\/p>\n

The Skill-set of a Pool Librarian<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pool librarians need to be good bluffers, fast thinkers, and excellent customer service providers. \u00a0They need to be able to thrive on the sheer terror of providing reference service to the unknown – unfamiliar patrons, reference sources in weird places, oddly organized collections, and idiosyncratic library policies. They need to be able to quickly win the heart of the circulation staff, so they can turn to them with large, panicked eyes and get efficient help in finding the recently returned items or in dealing with eccentric patrons. In short, pool librarians need highly polished soft skills and a limber mind. It also helps to be able to ask the right questions. \u00a0I started a Facebook group for on-call librarians, and we\u2019ve worked on a shared document<\/a> with questions to ask at a new library. \u00a0Take a look in order to get a more nuanced idea of the kinds of things that a pool librarian needs to learn quickly.<\/p>\n

Getting Hired as a Pool Librarian<\/strong><\/p>\n

My sense is that it is easier to get pool work than a permanent position, perhaps because I\u2019ve been hired three times as an pool librarian and never as a permanent one. \u00a0Pool librarians don\u2019t always go through the lengthy process it takes to get on an eligible list and then win a position. Some libraries hire pool workers continuously, and some only do special recruitments. \u00a0Positions are more transitional, and there is less risk, for both sides, in hiring or working as pool. If an employer hires a dud, that person need not be given shifts. If a library is of interest, I would recommend enquiring how it hires pool workers.<\/p>\n

Further Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since I started working in the pools, I\u2019ve become very interested in them. \u00a0As I mentioned above, I started a national Facebook group<\/a> here:\u00a0I was also able to work with BayNet to create a listserv<\/a> dedicated to local issues for pool\/on-call library workers:<\/p>\n

Finally, my research partner Sarah Naumann (another SLIS alum) and I are doing an exploratory study of on-call work in the Bay Area. \u00a0You can access our project website here<\/a>. \u00a0If you only want to read a couple out of the many references listed on our bibliography, I recommend the pieces by Laura Miller<\/a> \u00a0and Emily Ford<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Emily Weak earned her MLIS from San Jose State University in May 2011. \u00a0She currently works as an Pool librarian, but has been an administrator, cheesemonger, manager, and circus student, among other things. She runs the blog Hiring Librarians (<\/em>www.hiringlibrarians.com<\/em><\/a>), which features short, mostly anonymous interviews with people who hire librarians, and other library careers content. \u00a0She is on LinkedIn here: <\/em>http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/emilyweak<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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