[Publib] Downgrading the profession

[Alana Abbott]

>
> I suppose if reference interviews, displays, making expresso and customer
> service skills are what being a librarian is really all about, then yes. I
> see the point. However, I would hesitate to hire a cataloger simply because
> he worked at a bookstore. Or a reference librarian. Or anything involving
> acquisitions. A circ clerk? yeah, sure. Lots of circ clerks come from
> bookstores, and I've known quite a few that were really good at their jobs.
>

This definitely gets back to the point I was making in the other e-mail. A
lot of the skills needed for a lot of positions in a library are skills that
can be learned in a variety of positions. A lot of positions definitely need
additional training.

I can't speak to Jesse's position, and I certainly don't think that
bookstore clerks are interchangeable with department heads, genealogy
experts, or reference historians--all of which I'd expect to find at a
reasonable sized public library, by some title inside a reference
department. I can only speak to my position, and my prior training. I also
realize that all bookstore training is not equal--it sounds like Jesse and I
had really good managers who wanted their booksellers to get customers the
information they wanted through ordering books from other locations, making
recommendations, and really delving into what the customers wanted. That
obviously doesn't happen at every store, as per Lesley's example and
Kathleen's big-box experiences.

I do, however, think that good training for working in the service-industry
end of libraries (not the academic side or in the internal workings--those
are certainly positions I'd agree require an ML(I)S!) can be gotten with
on-the-job training. And while the goal at the bookstore was much different
(i.e. get as many books into the customer's hands that they're likely to buy
as you can, and convince them they need a lot of resources rather than
narrowing it down to an exact fit), a lot of the training is applicable.
Certainly, the focus on customer service there was more comprehensive--and
while customers and patrons may not be identical, when your patrons have a
positive experience at your library, they'll return, and possibly tell their
friends. If they have a negative experience, they'll tell everyone that they
can. (We talked about that particularly when we added Satisfied Customers
Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3000 to our collection!)

-Alana
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