Job Responsibilities
Administrative - hiring, training and orienting staff, personal
leave forms to business office, administrative and department
meetings or meetings with individual staff, supervising staff
workload (2 FT professionals, 4 part-time professionals, 2 FT
support staff and 8 part-time support staff), speak at
orientation to students regarding library services - 5hrs week
Collection Development - Selection of materials for the
collection, evaluating the collection (areas need to strengthen
and areas that be weeded) - 15 hrs
Reference - work the reference desk - assisting patrons finding
research materials needed in print and online resources - 10 hrs
Teaching - preparation and actual teaching of electronic
resources - 3 hrs a week
Professional Development - attending professional meetings,
workshops and conferences, reading professionally related
materials 1 hr week
Public Relations - attend student functions, School
Administrative Meetings, Local Events - 1 hr week.
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Job Requirements
I am not sure what you mean by this question -- so I will answer
it to the best of my ability. Law Librarianship is primarily a
dual degree profession, requiring both a Masters in Library and
Information Science and a J.D. If one wants to work in Technical
Services or Circulation -- the J.D. is not needed. However, if
one wants to work in Reference the J.D. is preferred (and
sometimes required). Most all administrative positions require
both the library and law degrees. There is one school,
University of Washington that confers a degree of a Masters in
Law Librarianship. In most other Library and Information schools,
one will take a focus on Academic Librarianship. The amount of
credits of the Masters will vary from institution to institution
but generally range from 36-40 hrs. The J.D. is a 90 credit
program. Quality of classes, east of getting popular classes,
grading, professors and workload depends on the istitution. If
you would like my personal experience in the two schools I
attended, please let me know.
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Uppers
Seeing the light blub go off when students grasp a research concept.
Variety - there is always something new, a new question, new resource, new
technology - change is constant.
Interaction with a variety of patrons (students, attorneys, public)
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Downers
Libraries are open 7 days a week with extensive hours requiring
evening and weekend work.
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Lifestyle
Work hours vary from library to library and position to position. Senior
admnistrators work 8-5 or 9-5 usually. Reference and Circulation Librarians may
have to work evenings and or weekends on either a set schedule or a rotating
schedule. Depending the educational schedule, some librarians work a 10 month
contract with summers off. Most libraries are supportive of attending
professional conferences and workshops. But it depends on the amount of funding
available. Some libraries will pay for everything (loding, travel, meals), other
libraries will pay a portion or a set amount, and others will not contribute any
funds but may give time off. Dress codes vary from position to position and
institution to institution. Some require business casual, others are more even
more casual. When teaching or in a meeting one should probably wear professional
attire for that profession (e.g. suit). Each educational institution is
different in the types of social events offered. I can only speak for my
institution. There is a Christmas Party every year for employees, as well as a
summer lunch/picnic to thank employees for their hard work. There are also
student/faculty/staff events (mixers, guest speakers, subject programs, etc.)
Librarianship is one of the most diverse professions with all genders, ethnic
backgrounds and sexual orienations represented and respected.
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Compensation
Varies as to whether one has a library degree and law degree.
My position salary is $71,000 (that includes base salary with 5
years of step increases and flex options). There are no bonuses
or stock options available from my employer.
Benefits include (26-36 personal leave days per year --depending
on how may years one has worked for this institution), Medical,
Dental, Vision, Prescription Coverage. There are also options
for Employees purchasing AFLAC coverage for several AFLAC plans.
The following holidays: Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day,
Thanksgiving & the Friday after Thanksgiving, 2 days at Christmas
and 2 days at New Years.
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Advice to Jobseekers
The job outlook for law librarians is very positive. There is a
high number of "boomers" that will be retiring soon. While many
people think that there is no longer a need for libraries (given
the technology age), there is always a need for qualifed people
to assist people in finding information whether it is in print or
electronic resources.
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