Libraries & Librarians in the News

 Compiled by Kate Bird

A Lack of Librarians is One for the Books; retirements, pay, image thin ranks.

The Washington Times July 23, 2000, Sunday, Final Edition. The booming technology job market and a rapidly graying work force have combined to create a serious shortage of librarians in public schools, universities and at community facilities around the country. www.libraryhq.com/News/article2.html

Internet Increases Workload for Reference Librarians

by Joe Mandak Globe and Mail 12 July 2000 p. M2 (Managing). Mostly about public libraries, but carries over to special librarians too. Besides, not often we see "Librarian" stories in a major paper. "For one thing, people's expectations of the Internet are so high they no longer seem to accept the idea that some questions cannot be answered."

Association of Research Libraries' Annual Salary Survey

Compilation of data covering over 12,000 professional positions in ARL libraries. Tables display average, median, and beginning salaries; salaries by position and experience, sex, and race/ethnic background; and salaries in different geographic regions and sizes of libraries. Additional tables cover law, medical, Canadian, and nonuniversity research libraries." Published since 1973, the Web site has statistics back to 1995. www.arl.org/stats/salary/

How to Boost Your Bargaining Powers

By Toddi Gutner. BusinessWeek (16 Oct 2000) p. 212 (Hers.online section) "Few people enjoy negotiating a salary or raise. But for a number of reasons, men just naturally do a better job at it than women. Why? Women tend to set low aspirations, don't promote themselves, and are reluctant to promise more than they can deliver." The sidebar, "Getting what you're worth" lists nine tips. The web version (www.businessweek.com/investor/index.html) has the article in subscribers only section.

In the Library, You're Bound to Succeed

Quote from article as follows: There is, however, another group of highly talented professionals whose role plays a vital part in any environment where the practice of law is found. That group is the law library's information professionals, who are still also fondly know as librarians. It also goes on to call librarians "friends", "gems" and "online research maven" and talks about librarians having "intimate knowledge". New York Law Journal at: www.nylj.com/associates/summer/00/6.html

Recruiting a Corporate Dream Team

Librarians make great additions to information-industry organizations. Information Today (September 2000) by Barbara Quint. The article is aimed at vendors, but has a "hmmm" factor as well as humour. One of the "benefits" of hiring a librarian: "knowing that you've hired the brightest and the best, people with the talent and training to do the job and, even sweeter, to do jobs not yet even assigned to them". One of the "problems" of hiring a librarian: "Librarians may be a lot more fun-loving than their public image would indicate". Great conclusion: "One final factor. Pay them well." www.infotoday.com/it/sep00/quint.htm

Boldly Bookish

by Gary Lawrence. At a time when technology is being accused of threatening the future of books, governments the world over are spending fortunes on the construction of new public libraries. Is it a coincidence or is there some kind of link? To find out, Gary Lawrence visited Denver's new library, a good example of the latest in libraries. Reprinted from the September 2000 EnRoute magazine on the Canadian Library Association's site www.cla.ca/top/whatsnew/enroute.htm

Bibliotherapy: "A spoonful of Dickens

British doctors prescribe "bibliotherapy" for the stressed-out and depressed" Salon.com (08 Aug 2000) by John Bowen www.salon.com/books/feature/2000/08/08/bibliotherapy/index.html?CP=SA

For Knowledge, Look Within: businesses are discovering the value of internal infomediaries

By Daniel Costello in Knowledge Management Magazine (Sept 2000). Interesting article discussing the what happens next ... disintermediation doesn't seem to be the cure. Institute for Knowledge Management recent examination of this "emerging role" of infomediaries identifies three categories: stewards, brokers & researchers.. Includes quotes from David Bender, SLA Executive Director. www.destinationcrm.com/km/dcrm_km_article.asp?id=404

Competitive Intelligence: a librarian's empirical approach

By Margaret Gross in Searcher (September 2000). Article proposes "to examine various types of information required for the CI activity, as well as reliable sources to monitor." Comprehensive article which includes selected Internet sources (with a Canadian bias). Full text of article available at www.infotoday.com/searcher/sep00/gross.htm

Business in Vancouver

HOT WEB SITES column profile of Labrador Communications Ltd. (Public Relations firm) - bit of humour in his lists of top five web sites: Librarians' index to the Internet www.lii.org "Ten thousand librarians can't be wrong. Links to everything you need to know about everything." but then.... CEOExpress www.ceoexpress.com More links than 10,000 librarians.