[Publib] Council, Employment, and so on

[Backwage at aol.com]

Greetings all.   In today's mail I have received a nice note from  some 
person who wishes me to run again for ALA Council; also, and likely not by  
coincidence, an email message from somebody on the nominating committee.   This atop 
a few other such communications over the past few weeks.  First,  I'd like to 
say thanks very much for the vote of confidence in my abilities,  such as they 
have been demonstrated.  
 
Second, I'd like to say that I will send out a nomination acceptance and a  
new profile just as soon as I get a library job.  I promise,  absolutely 
promise, that the very moment that one of the libraries which claim  to be hiring 
constantly in these parts lowers itself to putting me on the  payroll, that I 
will rush my assent to serve by overnight mail.  Until  then, I await the 
responses from such places as the Los Angeles Public Library  (half a dozen 
interviews), the Los Angeles County Public Library (many  interviews, score of 105 out 
of 100 possible), and of course many dozens of  others, with the same, 
precise, identical result:  nothing.  
 
I have become convinced that applying to public libraries for work gives  
about the same degree of return as phishing for loans in the guise of a Nigerian  
Supreme Court Justice.  By the way and speaking of Council, perhaps I  should 
mention that there are or have been some ALA Councilors to whom I've  applied 
for work, and who were as cordial colleagues just happy as hell to turn  me 
down.  A couple of them were on the interview committees.   Nothing like 
networking to help a guy's career, eh?  Just think how bad off  I'd have been if I 
didn't know all these important folks.  Why, I  might be applying for bus 
driver gigs and shovel work.
 
Which I am.  Or should that be, "have?"  And so we have  a race going on 
here, a contest which may be witnessed by any who so  desire:  I have applications 
in for jobs delving the soil at county  facilities, driving public 
transportation and cleaning kennels.   This is only the top of the list.  At the bottom 
I've sent in forms to  become one of those guys who picks up beer cans on 
public highways, and I  confess to actually submitting to libraries for page work, 
though that seems a  long shot.  The best chance appears to be in the bus 
driving line, that is,  if I can pass the alcohol test.  There isn't any alcohol 
test for  librarian, but there do seem to be significant barriers.  At the  
same time, I've put in for librarian jobs at the same old places and  others.  
The short straw gets me.  If the fortunate party is a  library, then the 
Council nominating committee may expect to see my answer; if  not, then I'm likely 
to become a representative of the bus driver's local, which  may actually hold 
their conventions in better places than Orlando in  mid-summer.  
 
In any event, time marches on, and I really would like to get to work on  
that minimum salary resolution for non-librarians.  That seems to me an  
absolutely essential partner to the salary resolution for librarians, and should  
certainly be pursued.  The alternative is to do a bunch of new research on  dog 
kennel perks, and I don't want to get too deep into that.  See you  around town.
 
Michael McGrorty
former Councilor-at-large, will work for drinks



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