Once again I am searching for a Circulation and Interlibrary Loan supervisor. Our most recent hire found a position in an elementary school, which gives her more time with her children and more money. I totally understand that.
I should write a paper on hiring considerations and caveats. In this economy we get inundated once again with the over, under and inappropriately qualified desperadoes who just need a job. I have gambled on the over qualified and sure, they bring wonderful expertise for the short time they are with us before they find something better. I am always taken aback by the number of people who apply because they love to read or because they were English majors and therefore experts on books.
Truly they have no idea that working in a library is a profession just like any other, a career that requires specific training and knowledge, an expertise and multiple skills that aren't easy to just pick up. Ah, well. This time I have a number of people with library experience. Still, we are as specialized a teachers who must teach specific subjects. Just because someone has worked in a library before does not necessarily mean they know how to do the specific job I am seeking to fill. A Circulation Supervisor does not equal a Reference Librarian does not equal a cataloger. Sigh.
As a small academic institution, it is challenging to find eminently qualified people who are happy to settle for the lower pay but who satisfy the institutional fit requirements. We either end up with a good fit and no expertise, or the right expertise and no fit. Still, I remain hopeful of finding someone with both the right fit and the right skills to handle this position well. It could happen. And then the trick is getting them to hang around for awhile!
I should write a paper on hiring considerations and caveats. In this economy we get inundated once again with the over, under and inappropriately qualified desperadoes who just need a job. I have gambled on the over qualified and sure, they bring wonderful expertise for the short time they are with us before they find something better. I am always taken aback by the number of people who apply because they love to read or because they were English majors and therefore experts on books.
Truly they have no idea that working in a library is a profession just like any other, a career that requires specific training and knowledge, an expertise and multiple skills that aren't easy to just pick up. Ah, well. This time I have a number of people with library experience. Still, we are as specialized a teachers who must teach specific subjects. Just because someone has worked in a library before does not necessarily mean they know how to do the specific job I am seeking to fill. A Circulation Supervisor does not equal a Reference Librarian does not equal a cataloger. Sigh.
As a small academic institution, it is challenging to find eminently qualified people who are happy to settle for the lower pay but who satisfy the institutional fit requirements. We either end up with a good fit and no expertise, or the right expertise and no fit. Still, I remain hopeful of finding someone with both the right fit and the right skills to handle this position well. It could happen. And then the trick is getting them to hang around for awhile!
No comments:
Post a Comment