Recruitment and Retention of New Academic Librarians in Their Own Words

1. Recruitment and Retention of New Academic Librarians in Their Own Words Who They Are and What They Want

2. Why this project?

3. Project Details • Surveyed new librarians summer 2004 • Distributed through listservs • 502 total responses; filtered to 378 (academic and working less than five years) • Phase II: The Experienced Librarians (255 responses)

4. The Future: Who They Are (Demographically Speaking) • Survey respondents were: • 79.1 % female • 26-35 years old • 84.1% Caucasian • 69.6% holding only an MLS

5. Experience • All respondents have been librarians for five years or less • 0-2 years (50.5%) • 2-5 years (49.5%)

6. Involvement • Majority are involved in national professional organizations (82.9%) and state or regional organizations (66.3%)

7. Working environments • Cross-section of libraries

8. Really new, new librarians • 70.4% are in their first jobs • 41.5% for less than one year

9. Tenure-track or not?

10. What kind of librarians are they? • Ambitious • Bookish • Creative • Innovative • Intellectual • Liberal Progressive • Technologically Adept

11. What they are not… • Traditional (46 people) • Conservative (44 people)

12. They also think they are… • “sometimes overly enthusiastic” • “full of contradictions” • “…NOT traditional. I like to be an agent for change.”

13. Personalities • Introvert versus Extrovert • 147 (Introverted) • 103 (Extroverted) • In comments, several responders noted being “on the fence” or conflicted

14. They became librarians because… • Worked well in an academic setting • Love of research • Interaction with students • Love of books

15. Not really because of.. • A calling to the profession • Always wanting to be a librarian • A secure job market

16. What They Like About Their Jobs • Working Environments • Support for Professional Development • Collegiality of Librarians and Faculty • Collegiality of Workplace

17. and • “excitement of scholarly communication field—experimentation and reform” • “freedom to be creative when solving problems” • “variety of responsibilities”

18. They are least satisfied with… • Pay • Perception/respect for the profession • Administrative support

19. And even less satisfied with… • Tenure Process • Job Market • Lack of Leadership • Generational Tensions/Resistance/Respect • Workload

20. Who Will Lead? • Are you interested in being an administrator in an academic library setting someday? • 56.6% yes • 43.4% no

21. What Skills They Need • Budgeting • Management • Project Planning • Fundraising and Development • Publishing • Networking Skills • Subject Knowledge

22. Where will you learn these skills? • Which of the above skills/experiences do you think you will be able to gain in your current place of employment? • None: 7.8% • Less than Half: 44% • More than Half: 36.8% • All: 11.5%

23. How well do you think you are being prepared for your future career responsibilities? • Not being prepared at all: 38% • Somewhat prepared: 52.3% • Sufficiently prepared: 27.6% • Very prepared: 8.6%

24. What are the future challenges for libraries • Budget/Funding • Being Overworked (More Work/Less People) • Compensation Issues • Keeping up with Technology • Recruitment/Retention • Diversity

25. Would you recommend librarianship? • Yes: 90.7% • No: 9.3%

26. MLS Only (263) Technologically Adept Worked Well in an Academic Setting Large Research University Professional Status Multiple Degrees (98) Intellectual first Worked well in an academic setting Large Research University Tenure Track MLS Only vs. Multiple Advanced Degrees

27. Least satisfied with pay Most satisfied with working environment Administrator someday—58.2% yes Least satisfied with pay Most satisfied with collegiality of workplace Administrator someday—51.7% yes MLS vs. Multiple continued

28. Second part of survey: the administrators • 255 total responses • Created after the original new librarians survey in order to compare opinions

29. The bosses were… • Predominately female (70.2%) • Have 20+ years experience (54.1%) • Mostly working at Master’s Level institutions with tenure-track librarians

30. New Librarians Working Environment Support For Professional Development Collegiality of Workplace Administrators Working Environment Collegiality of Librarians and Faculty Collegiality of Workplace What are new librarians satisfied with?

31. New Librarians Pay Perception/Respect of Profession Administrative Support Administrators Pay Perception/Respect of Profession Support for Professional Development New Librarians are Least Satisfied With?

32. New Librarians Budgeting Management Project Planning Fundraising/ Development Publishing Administrators Management Interpersonal skills Project Planning Subject Knowledge Budgeting What Skills Do New Librarians Need to Acquire?

33. Comments from Administrators • New librarians will need to acquire administrative skills more rapidly than those in the past as people retire and the pool of deeply experienced managers becomes smaller • Trend awareness • Political savvy • Ability to "sell" the library and its services

34. New Librarians Budget/Funding Compensation Issues Being overworked Administrators Keeping up with technology Compensation issues Being overworked Top Challenges

35. What does this all mean?

36. What we are prepared for… • Something dynamic • Change • Diversity

37. What we would like… • Mentorship • Money • Marketing • More training • Business • Technology

38. We’re challenged by… • Red tape   • Disconnection

39. PUBLISHING

40. The good ones will go.

41. Who we are • Michelle S. Millet, Information Literacy Coordinator, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas • Liza Posas, Information Services Librarian & Collection Manager, University of California-Santa Barbara