Librarian Jobs

Peig Sayers · 21-05-2008 01:00PM #1

Are they handled by Dublin City Council? Would love to do some part-time work in one. Do you need a degree?

AARRRGH · 21-05-2008 01:21PM

My flatmate used to have a Librarian girlfriend.

I remember her telling me that to be a Librarian you need a degree and some kind of post graduate librarianship qualification.

I know it looks like they just stack books all day

but they are highly qualified.

Would you consider working in a book shop instead?

Peig Sayers · 21-05-2008 01:24PM

dublindude wrote: »

Would you consider working in a book shop instead?

Yes, I would but would prefer a library. Surely they can't all have degrees?

AARRRGH · 21-05-2008 01:36PM

Peig Sayers wrote: »

Yes, I would but would prefer a library. Surely they can't all have degrees?

I think they do! And more, they would probably have a post graduate qualification as well.

Honestly, it's just one of those weird jobs where everyone is really overqualified.

Have a look here: http://www.library.ie/weblog/category/current-vacancies/

eth0_ · 21-05-2008 02:12PM

Peig Sayers wrote: »

Yes, I would but would prefer a library. Surely they can't all have degrees?

To be an actual librarian, yes, you need a post-graduate qualification in librarianship. There may be some ancillary posts which don't require this.

Peig Sayers · 21-05-2008 02:29PM

eth0_ wrote: »

To be an actual librarian, yes, you need a post-graduate qualification in librarianship. There may be some ancillary posts which don't require this.

Yes, it's the ancillary posts I would be interested in.

hunter164 · 21-05-2008 03:20PM

hahahahaha degree to work as a librarian.

AARRRGH · 21-05-2008 03:25PM

hunter164 wrote: »

hahahahaha degree to work as a librarian.

You could probably apply that logic to most jobs.

Unshelved · 21-05-2008 03:28PM

To be a Library Assistant you don't need a degree - although many do.

To be an Librarian you need a primary degree and a postgraduate diploma or masters degree in Library and Information Studies/Science. You can do that in UCD or by correspondence course from somewhere like Aberystwyth or Aberdeen.

If you work as a Library Assistant in one of the city or county council libraries they may send you to do the postgrad qualification in UCD on full pay!

AARRRGH · 21-05-2008 03:40PM

Unshelved wrote: »

If you work as a Library Assistant in one of the city or county council libraries they may send you to do the postgrad qualification in UCD on full pay!

Nice to see our tax pay being put to good use!

Unshelved · 21-05-2008 03:43PM

Nice to see our tax pay being put to good use!

Are you being sarcastic? If you are then why do you think having properly qualified staff in public libraries a waste of public funds?

If you're not then discount the above!

AARRRGH · 21-05-2008 03:58PM

Unshelved wrote: »

Are you being sarcastic? If you are then why do you think having properly qualified staff in public libraries a waste of public funds?

If you're not then discount the above!

No, I'm not being sarcastic!

Would your employer (if it's a private company) pay your full wage as you go off getting other qualifications?

And let's be honest here, being a Librarian is hardly rocket science. I'm sure a bit of on the job training is all that's required. (Just like my job, there is no need for a Computer Science Degree, I could teach you everything on the job.)

Unshelved · 21-05-2008 04:20PM

Would your employer (if it's a private company) pay your full wage as you go off getting other qualifications?

Plenty do - the banks do, as do many multinational companies - ICI for one springs to mind. You normally have to sign up to work for a number of years for that company afterwards. The qualification only takes an academic year - October to May - so it's not that much time out, and the organisation gets a qualified member of staff.

I'm not going to argue with you about the job description of a Librarian. You have clearly made up your (narrow) mind.

AARRRGH · 21-05-2008 04:25PM

Unshelved wrote: »

Plenty do - the banks do, as do many multinational companies - ICI for one springs to mind. You normally have to sign up to work for a number of years for that company afterwards. The qualification only takes an academic year - October to May - so it's not that much time out, and the organisation gets a qualified member of staff.

By "plenty" I think you mean a couple do.

Unshelved wrote: »

I'm not going to argue with you about the job description of a Librarian. You have clearly made up your (narrow) mind.

Why the insult?!

Do you honestly think a Librarian needs a post graduate qualification? Come on... of course they don't. That's not an insult.

Why can't the trainee Librarian get her qualification the way normal people do, i.e. pay for it herself? Is there no part-time option?

TBH it reeks of more tax wastage.

/No offence
//I would be a supporter of libraries

Dudess · 21-05-2008 04:29PM

I did a bit of temping as a library assistant in Cork City Library one summer - no librarian qualification needed. I got it the same way as I'd get a temping job in any of Cork City Council's departments - sent my CV to Personnel in application for temping work (library/museum assistant fits in under the clerical officer umbrella). My hours were part-time too - one full day, three three-hour shifts.
Have to say though, it was the most boring job I've ever done in my life. A day felt like a number of days. I mostly worked in the central library but sometimes got sent out to one of the suburban branches - a day seemed like a week in one of those places! When I lived in Dublin I went into the Irishtown library one day to use the internet. I was there about an hour and I honestly don't think more than one person came in.

I thought I'd love it too, so OP, don't do it if you've a low boredom threshold. Plus, it's not actually a particularly good place to work if you're really interested in literature. A book shop would be far better for that. The vast majority of people I served were auld ones and auld fellas taking out/returning Mills & Boon/Josephine Cox/Catherine Cookson etc and westerns respectively. Do younger people with a more interesting taste in literature even use the library any more with the advent of the internet and far more money in our pockets?
I'd be more inclined to go for Waterstones/Hodges Figgis... or what about an academic library? I personally would consider that more interesting than a public one, but that's just me.

Also Unshelved, I too have wondered why the need for an archiving qualification. How complicated can archiving be? Could a person not be trained up on the organisation's database? Places like RTE and the Irish Film Institute also expect those who go for archiving jobs to have such a qualification too. Would it even be a popular choice of course?

jd83 · 21-05-2008 04:35PM

N.C.I library in dublin are looking for library assistant:

http://www.ncirl.ie/site/vacancy_details.asp?pageId=1023&sectionId=15&level=2&id=231

Not a librarian but could be good experience for someone interested in entering the field.

AARRRGH · 21-05-2008 04:35PM

Dudess, I reckon it's like a private members club. You must have so and so a qualifcation to gain access.

Tails142 · 21-05-2008 04:35PM

dublindude wrote: »

By "plenty" I think you mean a couple do.

Why the insult?!

Do you honestly think a Librarian needs a post graduate qualification? Come on... of course they don't. That's not an insult.

Why can't the trainee Librarian get her qualification the way normal people do, i.e. pay for it herself? Is there no part-time option?

TBH it reeks of more tax wastage.

/No offence
//I would be a supporter of libraries

How else are librarians supposed to learn how to be snotty, inefficient and give poor service?

haha, ok only joking but in DIT Bolton Street there were a few librarians who were quite unhelpful, though one guy who always wore an ireland jersey who was great!!

I think specific training is important, and I dont see why a library wouldnt want to train up an assistant who they feel is a good worker to become a fully fledged senior librarian just like any other business would

Red Hand · 21-05-2008 04:36PM

Dudess wrote: »

I once did a bit of temping as a library assistant in Cork City Library - no librarian qualification needed. I got it the same way as I'd get a temping job in any of Cork City Council's departments - sent my CV to Personnel in application for temping work (library/museum assistant fits in under the clerical officer umbrella). My hours were part-time too - one full day, three three-hour shifts.
Have to say though, it was the most boring job I've ever done in my life. A day felt like a number of days. I mostly worked in the central library but sometimes got sent out to one of the suburban branches - a day seemed like a week in one of those places! When I lived in Dublin I went into the Irishtown library one day to use the internet. I was there about an hour and I honestly don't think more than one person came in.

I can't belive that! Think of all the books that you could be reading on a quite day?

Black Swan · 21-05-2008 04:39PM

But Jeremiah, they don't have THOSE kinds of books (or magazines)!

Red Hand · 21-05-2008 04:43PM

Huh? "Thumbtacks and their impact on the 20th centuary?" Yes, I do have a deep interest in top shelf thumb tack magazines for sure.....my secret shame.:pac::p

(Just don't bandy it about!)

Unshelved · 21-05-2008 04:53PM

Why can't the trainee Librarian get her qualification the way normal people do, i.e. pay for it herself? Is there no part-time option?

From my previous post -

You can do that in UCD or by correspondence course from somewhere like Aberystwyth or Aberdeen.

I was merely stating that scholarships are available for some people. If county library boards send a couple of people every year to get qualified then it represents an incentive to the rest of the staff to stay motivated. You obviously disagree. I'm sorry I can't provide a complete list of all the private companies that offer similar incentives but I thought a couple of examples would suffice. When I was a Library school out of a class of about 50 there were three people from county libraries, three people from large law firms and one from a large accountancy firm, all getting their qualifications on company time. The private sector obviously felt that it was as worthwhile as the public. Everybody else, I assume, paid for themselves (as did I).

On a typical morning this week I was asked to find a patent covering a specific air conditioning machine, where to find peer-reviewed periodical articles about French-speakers under the age of 12 learning a second language, and where to find out about the history of a specific 18th century fireplace. If you can do that then perhaps Dublindude you should consider an alternative career!

To answer Dudess's query, archiving is an extremely complicated and painstaking job and it is unlikely that you would find a position without the qualification (available only in UCD I think). I know relatively little about it but you MIGHT find more details here - http://www.ucd.ie/archives/

AARRRGH · 21-05-2008 05:00PM

Unshelved wrote: »

On a typical morning this week I was asked to find a patent covering a specific air conditioning machine, where to find peer-reviewed periodical articles about French-speakers under the age of 12 learning a second language, and where to find out about the history of a specific 18th century fireplace. If you can do that then perhaps Dublindude you should consider an alternative career!

No offence but:

<snip> (Let's not go down this road...)

Those things you do on a typical day, I am sure some on the job training could show you where to look for the answers.

I don't think your job is pointless (I've never said I thought it was), and I am a big supporter of life long education (I'm doing an MSc, and will be starting another MSc in September), but I do have a problem with tax money being spent on unnecessary things like a qualification someone should pay for themself.

eth0_ · 21-05-2008 05:22PM

Dublindude, i find your above post offensive and i'm not even a librarian.

It actually takes quite a bit of training to learn how to research documents etc, to say it's as simple as doing a google search is pretty cheeky.

You reckon you could work in a place like the Pearse Library historical archives, helping local and visiting students/historians/people researching their family tree with just the aid of knowing how to use Google? Give me a break

AARRRGH · 21-05-2008 05:25PM

eth0_ wrote: »

Dublindude, i find your above post offensive and i'm not even a librarian.

Yeah, I didn't really want to type it, but she did ask me...

I don't at all think Librarians are useless. My only issue is our tax money paying for them to do full-time librarianship courses. I don't think that makes any sense.

I think we can all agree that a lot of jobs can be learnt with on the job training. They may require qualifications, but frequently most of what you learnt in college is irrelevant. This would apply to my job. I think I could train anyone to do my job, including a Librarian!!

But I apologise if I offended anyone. It wasn't my intention. (I actually never set out to offend people, but I appreciate my "say what I feel" way of writing can probably be offensive sometimes.)

Degsy · 21-05-2008 06:09PM

dublindude wrote: »

And let's be honest here, being a Librarian is hardly rocket science. I'm sure a bit of on the job training is all that's required.

That very much depends on whether you're working in a public library where you might have a small number of customers,a few books to order and maybe a couple of Public Acess PCs or an Academic Library where you could have 12,000 users,a staff or a couple of hundred and a daily influx of several thousand books a day.On top of which there are electronic databases,assitive technology,online rescources,printed catalogues,special catalogues for older books,restrictions,copyright issues,varying degrees of user privilege,(outside readers,undergrads,postgrads,staff members),reading list indexes,ordering,cataloguing,shelving,signage,processing,moving,changing records,tracing missing books,replacing,buying,binding,stamping,labelling,fitting security tags,updating and writing computer systems,reports,conservation and one or two more things i've probably forgotten.You could be asked about ANY of those things any day of the week by anybody at all and if you dont know what you're talking about library users have been known to raise merry hell.

AARRRGH · 21-05-2008 06:16PM

I'm sorry, but I don't think any of those things warrant our tax money paying them a full wage while they go off doing a full-time course for a year.

Government departments should be run like a business, not a charity.

Btw, that quote -

And let's be honest here, being a Librarian is hardly rocket science. I'm sure a bit of on the job training is all that's required.

- was in the context of people being sent on year long courses at our expense, rather than the more efficient system of on the job training.

Saying all that, and I know I am repeating myself here, I do think most jobs can be taught "on the job", including my own (which also "requires" a degree.)

catho_monster · 21-05-2008 06:35PM

To answer the OP's question, yup Dublin City Council and the Dublin Institute of Technology are the ones you need to be keeping an eye out for.

Both will be advertising in the job sections of Times etc. whenever jobs come up or panels need filling.

What you're looking for is the Library Assistant job which you dont need a qualification to get.

Degsy · 21-05-2008 06:35PM

dublindude wrote: »

I'm sorry, but I don't think any of those things warrant our tax money paying them a full wage while they go off doing a full-time course for a year.

Government departments should be run like a business, not a charity.

Btw, that quote -

- was in the context of people being sent on year long courses at our expense, rather than the more efficient system of on the job training.

Saying all that, and I know I am repeating myself here, I do think most jobs can be taught "on the job", including my own (which also "requires" a degree.)

Only some jobs will pay to send you on the course.A lot wont and our tax money is safe.Also as was already explained the course isnt a year long,its only 6 months.In order to be employed at union-staff office-agreed marker grades you must be in posession of the agreed third-level qualification.A "Ful time equivilent" cohort of jobs within a certain grade has to be maintained unless there's a change in work practices and legislation.This is to stop somebody unqualified doing the same work for less money..this is what labour laws and trade unions are there for.

AARRRGH · 21-05-2008 06:44PM

Then surely they should stop hiring people who are under qualified? Or as a compromise fund part-time study?

Forgetting about the political stuff, do you honestly think it is necessary our tax money should fund Librarians' full-time further education?

Something like FAS, helping the unemployed, I would support 100%, but when someone already has a job, is already doing the job, they should not be paid to go back to college to do a - let's be real - unnecessary further qualification.

Red Hand · 21-05-2008 07:09PM

dublindude wrote: »

Saying all that, and I know I am repeating myself here, I do think most jobs can be taught "on the job", including my own (which also "requires" a degree.)

That's true, indeed. Many jobs should have apprentice style training on the job. Like, my own job is science based, and we don't use any of the in depth theoretical stuff that we spent weeks, months and years learning off.

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