It’s a question I absolutely love. “How did you get into your role and is that something I can do?”
Working in a school libraries is the best job in the world (I’m biased, but just try and prove me wrong!). Yet becoming someone who works in a school library is a path shrouded in mystery. I know I certainly didn’t realise it was an option that was open to me until much later on in my search for a career that felt right and fit me.
In my years working in school libraries and sharing about my work online, I’ve been approached by lots of people wanting to know how they might become a school library staff member. So, this post series is all about celebrating the people who work in school libraries, exploring the different roles available and the steps you can take to become a school library staff member.
In this post in the series, we are going to bust some myths around working in a school library.
There are some popular myths and stereotypes about people who work in school libraries. If you are thinking about a career change or exploring working in a school library, you might want to know what’s fact and what’s fiction when it comes to the role.
Only women work in school libraries
False. Nope, people of all genders work in school libraries. While the profession is female dominated, lots of men, transgender and non-binary people work in school libraries and the more diversity we have in the profession the better.
You have to be old to work in a school library
Absolutely not. School libraries have, due to their history, sometimes been predominately staffed by people in a second career, or because they love working in school libraries and never leave, might be a little older. You’ll see school library staff of all ages. From student volunteers to expert staff, the more variety in ages and life experiences we have working in school libraries, the better.
School library staff must love reading
Yes and no. Loving reading and being able to share this love with your library users is an important part of the role. It also helps to have a wide and current knowledge of books for readers’ advisory and collection development. However, this can be learned and there are lots of different roles and specialisations in a school library. If reading isn’t your greatest love, that’s okay. You might be the world’s best cataloguer due to your attention to detail or maybe your skill set lies in the world of coding and technology. Everyone brings something unique to the role. We don’t all need to love reading the same thing. What I love to read varies hugely to what my AmazingLibraryTech reads and that’s perfect so we can both help a wide variety of staff and students find their next perfect read.
School library staff have to be good at everything
Actually, this one is kind of true, or at least it feels true a lot of the time. Because working in a school library requires so many different skills, it can feel like you need to be good at everything. Knowing good books to recommend, attention to detail, big picture thinking, leadership, management, marketing, technology, robotics and coding, information literacy, graphic design, events management, connecting with others, customer service, collection development. But remember, everyone has different skills and brings something different to the role. While it’s important to upskill in areas that are not your strengths, it’s also okay to focus on those strengths and what you bring to the role that others might not.
You get to sit around reading all day
Hard no. I actually don’t remember the last time I had time to sit down at work, let alone read. Working in school libraries is an incredibly busy job. You are usually trying to do multiple things at once, get interrupted a million times a day (that’s part of the job) and are trying to do more than the resources and time you have available allow. So no, there is no time to read, limited time to sit depending on your role. I actually read a lot less now I work in a school library. While it’s important to stay up to date with new book releases and publishing trends, all your reading will happen in your own time at home or on weekends.
School library staff must love cardigans
Okay, I’m just throwing this in for fun. Cardigans are actually really helpful. Libraries are often well ventilated and air conditioned and because the job varies so much, you might be reshelving one minute, moving resources around, madly prepping items for your next class or generally just being on the go. Other times, you might be in one location covering or cataloguing, and being still can mean you get a little chilly. So the flexibility a cardigan offers in warmth and coziness, can’t really be beaten.
What other myths about school libraries have you heard? Share them so we can prove or bust them together.