Library Revolution

When I saw this film several weeks ago, I was struck by something….

While the field of librarianship has undoubtedly changed in innumerable ways in the last 60 years, I find it interesting that the way we categorize library positions has undergone very little change. Most libraries I interact with still have the same basic categories of library employees, and generally define their duties in the same way, if in an updated form.

I wonder, though if this might be a case of trying to fit an increasingly square peg (our changing positions and responsibilities) into a hole that remains just as round was it was in 1946 (the general job categories).

Something I am always struck by in libraries is how the more departmentalized the library, the more difficult a time they seem to have when adapting to change. In libraries where circulation doesn’t speak to tech services, who has nothing to do with reference or children’s, when new services come along, they have a hard time figuring out who in the organization assumes the responsibility. When traditional services change, they have a hard time changing with them, as sometimes the changes defy the traditional categories.

The result is often frustrated employees, and new services being treated as afterthoughts not getting the attention they deserve. All of which does nothing to meet patron needs and expectations, help professionals to adapt to change, or encourage further innovation down the road.

I wonder if the first step in combating this downward spiral is to reassess the traditional categories of librarianship and how they are reflected in our libraries. What has your library done to break free of the traditional categories of librarianship?

This entry was posted on Monday, April 16th, 2007 at 7:11 pm and is filed under Library Administration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.