Monday, January 7, 2013

Where have all the good jobs gone?

As a degree holding librarian with oodles of years of experience under my belt why is it so damn hard to find a librarian job? Those that know me know that I have been working in the same library for over 15 years. I received my MLIS in 2009 and cannot find a job. Granted, I do want to move back home to Beaufort, SC to be near family, friends and a calmer life, but I have applied for literally every library job that comes open there for the past few years and nothing. The one interview that I was able to obtain was a disaster due to the fact that I could tell from the first 5 minutes that they already had someone lined up and had no interest in me at all. Uncomfortable!!!  I'm likable, fun, an all around go-getter and know almost everything there is to know about academic libraries (which I feel is transferable knowledge). So why I am stuck being a glorified secretary doing three positions with a Masters? Is there any logic to that at all? 
I hear young people say that they would love to be librarians so they could help people and it's all I can do to not grab them in a bear hug and tell them to not be a doofus and get a degree in basket weaving or origami. They would have better luck finding a job!