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i

Pamela H. MacKellar

Medford, New Jersey

 ii

First printing, 2008

The Accidental Librarian

Copyright © 2008 by Pamela H. MacKellar

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or
by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and
retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except
by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by
Information Today, Inc., 143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, New Jersey 08055.

Publisher’s Note: The author and publisher have taken care in preparation
of this book but make no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and
assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for
incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the
use of the information or programs contained herein.

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish

their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear
in this book and Information Today, Inc. was aware of a trademark claim, the
designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

MacKellar, Pamela H.
The accidental librarian / Pamela H. MacKellar.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-57387-338-3
1. Libraries science--United States--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2.
Libraries--United States--Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.
Z665.2.U6M33 2008
020.973--dc22
2008036937

Printed and bound in the United States of America

President and CEO: Thomas H. Hogan, Sr.

Editor-in-Chief and Publisher: John B. Bryans
Managing Editor: Amy M. Reeve
Project Editor: Rachel Singer Gordon
VP Graphics and Production: M. Heide Dengler
Book Designer: Kara Mia Jalkowski
Cover Designer: Ashlee Caruolo
Copyeditor: Pat Hadley-Miller
Proofreader: Dorothy Pike
Indexer: Beth Palmer

www.infotoday.com
iii

This book is dedicated to the success of the

Corrales Community Library
iv
Contents

Figures and Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii

Foreword, by Karen Strege . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
About the Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxi

PART I: Basic Library Principles

Chapter 1: What Is a Librarian? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Why We Become Librarians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
How We Become Librarians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Library School Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Kinds of Librarians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
What Is an Accidental Librarian? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Sidebar: How I Discovered That Not All Librarians
Have MLS Degrees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Sidebar: Linda Hardy Dydo, Los Gatos (CA)
Public Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The Facts About Accidental Librarians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
What Makes a Librarian? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Sidebar: Eileen Gilbert, Boscawen (NH)
Public Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
What Do Librarians Do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
What Else Do Librarians Do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Sidebar: What Do Librarians Need to Know? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
What Skills Do Librarians Need? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
What Are the Characteristics of Librarians? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Chapter 2: What Are Libraries? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Types of Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Who Uses Libraries? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Library Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
The Future of Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Libraries as Community Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

v
vi The Accidental Librarian

Chapter 3: The People Libraries Serve . . . . . . 39

Who Does Your Library Serve? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Your Community’s Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Chapter 4: Determining the Needs of

the People Libraries Serve . . . . . . . 51
Community Needs Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Decide What You Want to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Assessment Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Customer Satisfaction Surveys vs. Needs Assessments . . . . 58
Analyzing the Data and Sharing the Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Using the Results in Library Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Sidebar: Tamara Sandia, Jemez Pueblo (NM)
Community Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Chapter 5: Letting Your Vision, Mission,

and Plan Be Your Guides . . . . . . . . . 65
Does Your Library Have a Real Vision, Mission,
and Plan? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Common Reasons Why Libraries Don’t Have a
Vision, Mission, or Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
The Vision Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
The Mission Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Sidebar: Do You Need Both a Vision Statement and
a Mission Statement? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
The Library Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

PART II: Basic Library Practice

Chapter 6: Developing the Library’s
Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Performing a Collection Assessment or Collection
Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Creating or Updating Your Collection Development
Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Donations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Weeding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Preservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
 Contents vii

Chapter 7: Acquiring Information

for the Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Automated Acquisitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Steps in the Acquisitions Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Sidebar: Cathy Butterfield, The Community Library,
Ketchum, Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Approval Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Electronic Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Acquisitions Budgets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Chapter 8: Organizing the Library’s

Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
The Importance of Cataloging and Classification . . . . . . . 117
Library Catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Providing Access to Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Cataloging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Copy Cataloging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Authority Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Sidebar: Finding Sean Combs Using
Authority Headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
The Price of Saving Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
How Is Your Library Doing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Cataloging Is Not Dead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Chapter 9: Retrieving and Disseminating

Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
The Library Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Knowing Your Library’s Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Information Retrieval Defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Online Catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Databases and Electronic Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Determining the Best Resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Making It Easy for Others to Retrieve Information . . . . . . 146
Disseminating Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Chapter 10: Library Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Customer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
The Library Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
viii The Accidental Librarian

Online and Computer Access to Information . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Reference Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Readers’ Advisory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Children’s Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Young Adult Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Sidebar: Lita Slaggle, Baylor County (TX)
Free Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Adult Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Services for the Underserved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Sidebar: Jessica Fenster-Sparber, Passages Academy . . . . 170

Chapter 11: Library Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Purpose of Library Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
The Four Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Fair and Equitable Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
What Is the Big Deal About Policies? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
How Does This Happen? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Policies Every Library Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Tips to Get You Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
How to Write a Library Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Policy Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Chapter 12: Library Management

Essentials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
What a Library Manager Does . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Sidebar: Patti Newell, Sullivan Free Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Personnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Governing Boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Sidebar: Diana Lorton, Camino Nuevo
Correctional Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Local Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Friends of the Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Budgets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Are You a Micromanager? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
 Contents ix

Chapter 13: Library Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Marketing Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Branding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Your Library’s Public Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Communicating to the People You Serve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Events and Themes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Sidebar: Seven Things You Can Do Now to
Market Your Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Staying Connected to the Larger Organization . . . . . . . . . . 223
Social Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

Chapter 14: Removing Barriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Barrier 1: Your Library Is Disadvantaged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Barrier 2: Things Are Fine Just the Way They Are . . . . . . . . 226
Barrier 3: You Know All There Is to Know About
Librarianship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Barrier 4: You Know All There Is to Know About
Your Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Barrier 5: Your Library Is Different . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Removing Barriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Sidebar: Martha Liebert, Martha Liebert Public Library . . . 229

PART III: Technology and the Library

Chapter 15: Public Access Computers . . . . . 237
What Makes a Computer a PAC? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Software for PACs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Security, Maintenance, and Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Sidebar: What Is Malware and What Can You
Do About It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
The “Look” and Location of PACs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Selecting PACs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
What PAC Support Staff Must Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
What PAC Users Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Internet Connectivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Technology Planning and PACs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Computer Use Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

Chapter 16: Automated Catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

To Automate or Not to Automate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Integrated Library Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
x The Accidental Librarian

Selecting Automation Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Selecting a User-Friendly OPAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Chapter 17: Online Reference Tools . . . . . . . . 267

Online Reference Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Electronic Reference Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Knowledgeable Reference Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
How Has the Internet Changed Reference Service? . . . . . . 272

Chapter 18: Library 2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

What Is Library 2.0? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
What Does Library 2.0 Mean for You? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
What Can You Do to 2.0 Your Library? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Library 2.0 Technology Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Library 2.0 Nontechnology Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Planning, Promoting, and Educating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

PART IV: Career Development

Chapter 19: Getting Connected and
Finding Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Your Own Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
State and Regional Library Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Library Systems and Consortia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Online Communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
National Library Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Sidebar: Evelyn Pockrass, Indianapolis (IN)
Hebrew Congregation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306

Chapter 20: Librarian Certification . . . . . . . . . . 309

Public Librarian Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Sidebar: Michele Haytko, Perkiomen Valley Library . . . . . 310
Library Practitioner Certificate Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
School Librarian Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Academic and Special Librarian Certification . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Certified Public Library Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
 Contents xi

Chapter 21: Continuing Education,

Distance Education, and
Degree Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Colleges, Universities, and Postsecondary Institutions . . . 315
Sidebar: Felicia Cheney, Edgartown (MA) Free
Public Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Library Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Other Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
State Library Continuing Education Departments . . . . . . . 319
Library Membership Organizations and
Cooperatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Free Web-Based Training and Tutorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

Appendix A: Sample Library Policies . . . . . . . 323

Appendix B: LIS Education Resources . . . . . . 335

Appendix C: Library Issues and

Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345

Recommended Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
xii
Figures and Tables

Table 1.1 States in which less than half of public

librarians have ALA-accredited MLS degrees . . . . . 13
Table 1.2 States in which more than half of public
librarians have ALA-accredited MLS degrees . . . . . 14

Figure 2.1 Sign similar to the one that appeared at the

end of the stacks in the Sandia Laboratories’
Technical Library one day in 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Figure 3.1 Alaska’s community database online . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Figure 3.2 Selecting a community from the list . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Figure 3.3 Sample community profile summary . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Figure 3.4 More detailed community information is
available here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Figure 3.5 U.S. Census Bureau website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Figure 3.6 U.S. Census Bureau fact sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Table 5.1 What is the status of your library’s plan? . . . . . . . . . 68

Figure 9.1 Library A default search screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Figure 9.2 Library B default search screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Figure 9.3 Library A Subject search for “cats” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Figure 9.4 Library A “cats” Subject search results . . . . . . . . . . 142
Figure 9.5 Library B offers Keyword and Browsing choices . . 142
Figure 9.6 Library B Keyword search for “cats” . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Figure 9.7 Library B Browsing search for “cats” . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Figure 9.8 Saving a search in PubMed so that updated
results are sent daily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Figure 9.9 Table of contents alerting services from
the Optical Society of America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

xiii
xiv The Accidental Librarian

Figure 9.10 RSS feeds offered by the Hennepin

County Library in Minnetonka, MN . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Figure 16.1 Search via a dropdown menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Figure 16.2 Search using radio buttons (note the
Visual Search, Reading Lists Search, and
Reading Program Search options) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Figure 16.3 Choices that could be included before
searching begins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Figure 16.4 Quick Catalog Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

Figure 17.1 Selected Internet Resources from the

Glendale (AZ) Public Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Figure 17.2 Email reference request from Oregon
State Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Figure 17.3 Live reference chat from University
of Washington Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Figure 17.4 Web form for reference requests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Figure 17.5 Meebo widget for IM reference from Briggs
Library at the University of Minnesota . . . . . . . . . . 276
Foreword

Through most of my career, I have been fortunate to work

closely with “Accidental Librarians”—library directors, managers,
and staff without an MLS degree. In Montana, where I was State
Librarian, most public library directors do not have an MLS, and in
Idaho, where I was the State Library’s consultant for the 10 north-
ern counties, most libraries are run by men and women who acci-
dentally became library directors. In these sparsely settled states
where rural economies sometimes do not allow communities to
hire librarians, Accidental Librarians face the same challenges as
their MLS counterparts in more prosperous communities. Yet, in
most cases, these important public servants have little or no for-
mal training.
Beyond the limited training, I’ve found that Accidental
Librarians share two characteristics: an overwhelming eagerness
to learn everything they can about library science, and a dedica-
tion to providing exceptional library services to their communities.
I recall that the public library in Libby, Montana, was one of the
very first in the state to offer Internet access, while the Boundary
County public library in Bonner’s Ferry, Idaho, received the presti-
gious National Medal for Museum and Library Service award from
the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Accidental
Librarians in charge of these two libraries showed the rest of us
how to provide exemplary library service.
State and regional libraries try to help fill the training gap by
providing multiple education opportunities and in some cases,
one-to-one assistance, but tight budgets and limited time often
prevent this assistance from reaching Accidental Librarians when
and where they need it the most. That’s where this book will pro-
vide invaluable assistance, and, just as important, calm reassur-
ance. Pamela MacKellar offers information and practical advice on

xv
xvi The Accidental Librarian

all the fundamentals of running your library, from understanding

the role of the library board to ordering library materials.
It’s apparent that Pamela not only understands library funda-
mentals but respects and values the important work of Accidental
Librarians. All you need to add to this wealth of knowledge is your
own dedication!

Karen Strege, PhD

Director, Library Support Staff Certificate Program,
American Library Association
Former Montana State Librarian
Acknowledgments

This book would not have been possible without all the acci-
dental librarians I have met and worked with over the years. Thank
you for your hard work and dedication to our profession and for
the very existence of some of our best libraries. I have learned
more from you than you will ever know. Thank you to Joanne
Berglund, Susan Halloran, Martha Liebert, Nancy Madigan, and
Carmen Weinreich for gently introducing me to accidental librari-
anship so many years ago. A special thanks to my good friend,
Stephanie Gerding, who suggested that I write this book to reach
more accidental librarians who are eager to learn. Thanks to Bill
Katz, an outstanding teacher, who was the first to suggest I pub-
lish. Rachel Singer Gordon, editor extraordinaire, it is a real pleas-
ure working with you. And lastly, I am grateful for Bruce, my life
partner, for supporting me in everything I do and for accepting me
as I am—especially during the past year.

xvii
xviii
About the Website
www.accidentallibrarian.com

This book explains the basic principles and practices of library

and information science for accidental librarians. It is intended as
a starting point—a place where you are introduced to some new
ideas and encouraged to think about others with which you are
already familiar. You will no doubt want to pursue some of these
concepts by reading further and investigating topics of particular
interest.
I have provided many links to resources in this book, but there
is always something new to read or learn. All the links in this book
will be updated on a companion web page, www.accidental
librarian.com, which will also include additional resources and
information for accidental librarians. Please take advantage of this
site and email me at pam@accidentallibrarian.com with your
ideas, input, suggestions, and contributions. I look forward to
hearing from you!

Disclaimer
Neither the publisher nor the author makes any claim as to the results that may be obtained
through the use of this website or of any of the Internet resources it references or links to.
Neither publisher nor author will be held liable for any results, or lack thereof, obtained by
the use of this page or any of its links; for any third-party changes; or for any hardware, soft-
ware, or other problems that may occur as the result of using it. This website is subject to
change or discontinuation without notice at the discretion of the publisher and author.

xix
xx
Introduction

Did you become a librarian without planning on it? Maybe you

volunteered at your local library and were so good at doing library
work that the director encouraged you to apply for a paid position
as a librarian. Perhaps your town library was searching for a music
librarian, and, as an accomplished musician with extensive music
education, knowledge, and experience, you thought you were as
equipped as anyone to do the job. As a young mom, you may have
offered to read at your library’s story hour and assist with children’s
craft programs. Then, after your children were in school, you
applied for the Children’s Librarian position and were offered the
job, even though you had never worked in a library before or even
finished college. Maybe you stepped forward when your syna-
gogue was looking for someone to organize its extensive collec-
tion. Before you knew it, you were the librarian at your synagogue.
The possibilities are endless.
Many of you took on the task of librarianship when there was no
one else to do the job. Some of you volunteered to start the first
libraries in your communities or organizations and even bought
books for the library with your own money. Without you, your
communities, organizations, churches, synagogues, schools, and
associations wouldn’t have libraries. Often, communities that can-
not afford to hire a librarian with a master’s degree in library and
information science are delighted to hire someone with a high
school diploma or undergraduate degree to fill a librarian position.
A church, organization, or school may be happy just to have a
library and someone to run it at all. We are fortunate to have peo-
ple who step up to the plate when the job of librarian needs to be
filled.
The traditional route to becoming a librarian is to attend an
American Library Association (ALA)-accredited school of library

xxi
xxii The Accidental Librarian

science and earn a master’s degree. Depending on the school, this

degree might be a Master of Library Science (MLS), Master of
Library and Information Science (MLIS), Master of Science in
Information Science (MSIS), Master of Science in Library Science
(MSLS), Master of Arts in Library and Information Science (MA in
LIS), or Master of Information Science (MIS). The debate about
whether librarians must have one of these degrees to practice
librarianship has been going on for decades. Some insist that a
librarian without an MLS is not a “real” librarian. However, accord-
ing to the report, Public Libraries in the United States: Fiscal Year
2004 from the National Center for Education Statistics, 32.1 per-
cent of all librarians practicing in public libraries in the U.S. do not
have ALA-MLS degrees. 1 This percentage is likely comparable in
special libraries and may be even higher in school libraries.
So, who makes up this third of librarians, if they are not “real”
librarians? For the purposes of this book, accidental librarians are
librarians without a formal education in library and information
science, librarians with no professional library experience prior to
becoming librarians, those who didn’t set out to be librarians
through the traditional channels. If this sounds like you, you are
probably an accidental librarian.
Since becoming an accidental librarian, you may have done
your best to learn about librarianship by reading books and jour-
nals about libraries and librarianship, joining library associations
and chapters, meeting and talking with other librarians about the
profession, attending library conferences, watching other librari-
ans do their work, asking questions, or taking classes and work-
shops. Even under the best of circumstances, it is challenging to
learn the basics of librarianship while working a demanding job in
a small rural school or a public library, or as a solo librarian in a
special library.
Some of you may think it has been pretty easy to learn all there
is to know about librarianship. You are confident that you’ve
 Introduction xxiii

picked up all the skills you need “on the fly” and that there’s noth-
ing new you can learn. I hope this book will change your mind.
Many librarians understand that there is always something to
learn about librarianship, especially at this time of immense
change when technology is having such an impact on libraries and
the profession overall.
Our society holds so many misconceptions about librarians that
we must be assertive in educating people about the work librarians
do, our value, and the value of libraries in our communities,
schools, organizations, and corporations. To do this, we must all be
certain about our role and know the value of libraries. We must
know what we are doing, where we are going, and why. We must
lead our libraries into the future with purpose and show by exam-
ple. Many people assume that librarians spend their time buying
bestsellers, checking out books, socializing, surfing the web, and
reading. Some people think that everyone working in a library is a
librarian, and, based on what they see, they deduce that anyone
can be a librarian. It is our job to change that perception.
Some libraries will probably never have funding to hire an MLS
librarian; some librarians aren’t ever likely to pursue an MLS. If all
librarians, though, have a common understanding of the founda-
tions of our profession; are clear about the role of libraries in our
communities, centers, organizations, churches, and corporations;
know with certainty our value and the value of libraries in the lives
of the people we serve; competently perform our jobs; and are sure
of what we are doing and where we are going, then together we can
take the risks and make the continuous changes necessary to
ensure that our libraries not only succeed, but thrive.
This book provides a straightforward introduction to basic
library principles and practice for accidental librarians. If you are
practicing librarianship, it is essential that you understand:

• The fundamentals of what librarians do and why

xxiv The Accidental Librarian

• The basic theories behind and functions of information

acquisition, collection, organization, retrieval, and
dissemination
• Your place in the changing role of libraries in society
today

Part I, Basic Library Principles, discusses how people become

accidental librarians and provides some inspiring stories.
Chapters cover the function of libraries in our society, including
the relationship of libraries to the people they serve, and outline
the evolution of librarianship, highlighting the influence technol-
ogy has had on libraries in recent years. There is also discussion on
how to understand the people libraries serve and determine their
needs and how to use the library’s vision, mission, and plan to
guide you in your work. Part I establishes a big picture of librarian-
ship that will facilitate your understanding of the basic library
practices covered in Part II.
Part II, Basic Library Practice, begins with a discussion on devel-
oping a library’s collection based on the needs of the people
served. Subsequent chapters detail the basic functions of acquir-
ing information, organizing information, and information
retrieval and dissemination—including why it makes sense for
librarians to do these things, and tools to help you do them. Other
topics covered include library services, such as programs for all
ages, reference, readers’ advisory, and more; essential library poli-
cies, their purpose, and how to write them; management, includ-
ing leadership, personnel, communication, working with boards,
your relationship to the larger organization, library budgets, and
volunteers; and marketing, including your library’s public image
and brand, ways for librarians to inform the community about
library news, services, and programming, and methods for attract-
ing new users. The section concludes by outlining common barri-
ers faced by librarians and suggesting how to move beyond them.
Part II gives an overview of basic library practices to help build a
 Introduction xxv

foundation for those new to the field and serves as a way for all
librarians to focus on our primary practices.
Part III, Technology and the Library, covers public access com-
puters, automated catalogs, online reference tools, and Library 2.0.
Highlights include how to maintain and manage PACs, selecting
integrated library systems, using online reference tools such as
Internet reference sites and online databases, and the opportuni-
ties Library 2.0 has introduced (including library websites, blogs,
and social software). Part III provides information about how tech-
nology impacts the work of librarians, shows how we can use tech-
nology to enhance what we do, and gives some guidance on
selecting appropriate technology for your library.
Part IV, Career Development, suggests ways for librarians to con-
nect with and support each other through library associations,
state libraries, library systems and consortia, electronic discussion
lists and blogs, and conferences. Librarian certification, continuing
education, distance education, library science degree programs,
certificate opportunities, and web-based tutorials are listed. Part
IV encourages readers to move forward in their careers by con-
necting with other librarians, staying informed, and finding sup-
port, and to learn more about the profession by taking classes,
becoming certified, or earning degrees.
Appendix A contains some sample library policies, including a
Weeding Policy, Computer Use Policy, and Donations Policy.
Appendix B provides LIS education resources, and Appendix C
covers some library issues and legislation such as the Library Bill of
Rights, the Freedom to Read Statement, the Copyright Law, the
USA PATRIOT Act, and the Children’s Internet Protection Act.
These appendices include policy samples, educational resource
lists, and supporting documents that will help you in your daily
work and in pursuing librarianship as a career.
While reading this book, I hope you will open your mind to
learning something new that could help you in becoming the best
xxvi The Accidental Librarian

librarian you can be and in becoming an active participant in the

future success of libraries. Stay connected and keep learning by
visiting www.accidentallibrarian.com.

Endnotes
1. Adrienne Chute, Patricia O’Shea, Terri Craig, Michael Freeman, Laura
Hardesty, Joanna Fane McLaughlin, and Cynthia Jo Ramsey, Public
Libraries in the United States: Fiscal Year 2004 (Washington, DC:
National Center for Education Statistics, 2006), 62.
1

Part I

Basic
Library
Principles
2
 Chapter 1

What Is a Librarian?

In his book Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the 21st

Century, Michael Gorman defines a librarian as a person who earns
a master’s-level education at an accredited school and receives on-
the-job training, as well as carries out one or more of the following
tasks:

• Selects materials and electronic resources

• Acquires the selected materials and resources

• Organizes and gives access to them

• Preserves and conserves them

• Assists library users

• Instructs library users

• Administers and manages the library, library personnel,
services, and programs1

Many librarians, though, perform these duties with neither a

master’s-level education in library and information science (LIS)
nor school library media specialist credentials. Some of these non-
degreed and noncredentialed librarians are even certified by their
states as librarians or library directors. Aren’t they librarians?

Why We Become Librarians

Why do we choose librarianship? Some people know they want
to become librarians from a young age. They were read to as tod-
dlers, attended library story hours, learned to love reading and

3
4 The Accidental Librarian

discover the hidden joys in books, felt comfortable in the children’s

room of their local library, loved attending children’s and teen pro-
grams as they were growing up, and maybe found a mentor in a
librarian.
People interested in technology may aspire to be systems librar-
ians. Inquisitive types may strive to be reference librarians, desir-
ing to help people find information by using electronic databases,
while others might long to contribute to the educational role of
libraries as centers of lifelong learning in their communities.
Future leaders in our profession may see themselves playing an
instrumental role in the acquisition, collection, organization,
retrieval, and dissemination of information. When American
Libraries editor Leonard Kniffel asked a class of library school stu-
dents at Dominican University what made them choose librarian-
ship, he found that “they were attracted by the books, the place, the
people, and the need to find a job worth doing.”2

How We Become Librarians

How do we become librarians? Those determined early on to
become librarians proceed straight through school, graduating
from high school and college and going directly to graduate school.
Although this is the most straightforward path to librarianship, it is
not the most common way people become librarians. For most of
us it is a much longer and more circuitous road—in fact, librarian-
ship may not even be our first career choice. Some people may earn
their bachelor’s degrees only to find out that there are no jobs avail-
able in their field or that they are not suited to that particular field.
Those with bachelor’s degrees in English, history, philosophy, reli-
gion, or fine arts, for example, often require advanced degrees to
secure a job in their field, which are limited primarily to college or
university teaching, research, or scholarly publishing positions. If
you aren’t interested in a lifetime of teaching or scholarly research
 What Is a Librarian? 5

and publishing, you might start looking for another career.

Librarianship attracts people with education, interests, and back-
grounds in all subject areas. No specific undergraduate program of
study is required for acceptance into library school, so people from
many disciplines enter LIS graduate programs.
According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, librarian
positions in most public, academic, and special libraries, as well as
in some school libraries, require a master’s degree in library sci-
ence (MLS) or library and information science (MLIS). The U.S.
government requires that the librarians it employs have an MLS or
the equivalent in education and experience, while other employers
often require librarians to be graduates of the more than 50
schools accredited by the American Library Association (ALA).3
The ALA website (www.ala.org) states that the educational require-
ments for a librarian position can span a large range:

• Four-year undergraduate degree in any field

• Master of library science (MLS) degree

• MLS degree from an ALA-accredited school

• ALA-accredited MLS degree plus a teaching certificate
(often the case in school libraries) or an ALA-accredited
MLS plus a second degree, for example, a law degree4

School media specialists (also known as school librarians or

teacher-librarians) can pursue either an ALA-accredited master’s
degree or a master’s degree in education with a specialty in school
library media from an educational unit accredited by the National
Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).5

Library School Education

Melvil Dewey founded the first library school in 1887 at the
Columbia School of Library Economy in New York. Dewey pioneered
6 The Accidental Librarian

the education of librarians, believing that the best way to prepare

people for library work was through classroom instruction com-
bined with practical work in a library. He helped to set standards
for the profession of librarianship in terms of education, ethics,
and the role of the librarian in society. Columbia admitted women
to its first class, which was a point of contention with the trustees.
This disagreement eventually resulted in the school’s closing two
years later and its move to the state library in Albany in 1889. The
curriculum in early library schools emphasized technical subjects
such as cataloging and bibliography.
Graduate-level education for librarians wasn’t introduced until
1926, when the Graduate Library School at the University of
Chicago opened. The Carnegie Corporation provided funding for
the school to create an advanced, research-oriented library school;
its first graduates accepted positions as academic librarians,
library school teachers, and deans. The need for this level of edu-
cation was slow to be accepted by librarians; however, several
important works and conferences on library education between
1936 and 1948 led to the consensus that professional librarians
needed a graduate degree. Library education thrived in the 1950s
and 1960s, when federal funding supported libraries, library
schools, and students of librarianship to a greater degree than ever
before. Libraries improved, the demand for librarians increased,
and library school recruiters were busy enrolling new students.
The 1970s were not so favorable for the profession, and in recent
decades a number of library schools have closed.
Over the last 60 years, library science education has continu-
ously adapted to the changing needs for library and information
services. The increasing importance of library automation, elec-
tronic information systems, and online access to information has
caused some changes in library school curricula, but ALA’s
Standards for Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Library and
Information Studies does not include a core curriculum. The
 What Is a Librarian? 7

standards mention that curricula “encompass information and

knowledge creation, communication, identification, selection,
acquisition, organization and description, storage and retrieval,
preservation, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, synthesis, dis-
semination, and management.”6 However, since these 14 elements
aren’t defined, and the standards don’t mention which ones
require greater emphasis, there are wide differences among ALA-
accredited schools in how these areas are covered and what MLS
librarians need to know.
Due to this lack of a common core curriculum in LIS education,
graduates from ALA-accredited LIS programs aren’t mastering
comparable skills. Some schools cover in a week what others take
a semester to teach. This inability to define a core curriculum con-
tributes to the difficulty in maintaining the status of librarianship
as a profession. Other professions, such as medicine, nursing, den-
tistry, law, architecture, and real estate, have clearly defined stan-
dards, comparable certification exams from state to state, and
minimum requirements for continuing education.
You can earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in library sci-
ence, associate’s degrees, and certifications as a library assistant or
library technician. Some states certify library media specialists,
public librarians, and library directors. Continuing education,
online education, and distance education opportunities have
become more important than ever as a way to keep up with con-
stant change, learn new skills, and acquire degrees and certificates.
Today, you can earn LIS degrees and certifications wherever you
may live.

Kinds of Librarians
Librarians are generally categorized according to the type of
library in which they work:
8 The Accidental Librarian

• Public librarians work in public libraries.

• School librarians, library media specialists, and teacher-

librarians work in school libraries or media centers.

• Academic librarians work in college, university, or post-

secondary school libraries.
• Special librarians work in specialized information centers
such as corporate libraries, government agencies, military
libraries, law libraries, art libraries, museum libraries, or
medical libraries.

In larger organizations, librarians may specialize in technical

services, administrative services, electronic services, or user serv-
ices. In small libraries, librarians typically perform duties encom-
passing all aspects of librarianship. Some librarians choose to
work with specific groups such as children, young adults, students,
adults, or special populations.

What Is an Accidental Librarian?

ALA itself recognizes that the educational requirements for
librarian positions do vary, including a four-year undergraduate
degree in any field. In states where an MLS is not required to prac-
tice public librarianship, librarians—even library directors—with-
out MLS degrees are common. Many smaller libraries, especially
those in rural areas, have a difficult time filling librarian and library
director positions. They often hire people with other degrees or
equivalent experience. In many rural areas throughout the U.S.,
there is no MLS librarian to be found for miles. Even if there were,
most small towns cannot afford (or are not willing to pay) an MLS
librarian’s salary. Many small communities cannot afford librari-
ans with college degrees, much less those with graduate degrees in
library science.
 What Is a Librarian? 9

How I Discovered That Not All

Librarians Have MLS Degrees

If you live in a part of the country that requires an MLS to

be a librarian, it may come as a surprise to you that many
librarians don’t hold this advanced degree. I grew up in
Massachusetts and New York, where it was commonly known
that the way to become a librarian was to go to library school
and earn an MLS. Before deciding to pursue librarianship as
a career, I worked as a paraprofessional in a public library
where the librarians all had MLS degrees. No one without a
professional degree would consider calling herself a librarian.
When I moved to New Mexico, I met many librarians; how-
ever, outside of the university it was rare to find one who had
been to library school. There wasn’t (and still isn’t) a library
school in New Mexico, and online degrees didn’t exist at the
time. Most of the librarians I met came to librarianship out
of a love for their communities; they valued books and
reading, recognized the power of information, and sup-
ported education and lifelong learning on behalf of their
communities. Many of these librarians founded the first
libraries in their communities, volunteering their time to do
so, and some even used personal funds to purchase books
for the libraries they started.

Librarians without MLS degrees are essentially accidental

librarians—increasingly being hired as frontline librarians in
libraries of all kinds and sizes, performing duties that were for-
merly carried out exclusively by professional librarians, while MLS
librarians can be found working behind the scenes in manage-
ment and administrative positions, including technical services,
marketing, systems administration, and personnel. It is not
uncommon to see advertisements for librarian jobs in large city
systems that require a four-year degree in any field plus library
experience, while an ALA-accredited MLS degree is listed only as
10 The Accidental Librarian

being “preferred.” A recently posted Assistant Librarian position in

my area required only a high school diploma or GED, plus two
years of postsecondary education.
Throughout this book, successful accidental librarians (such as
Linda Hardy Dydo in the sidebar on this page) share their stories of
how they found success and what they do in their jobs. I hope they
will motivate, inspire, and encourage you to learn more about
librarianship as you move ahead on your chosen path.

Linda Hardy Dydo,

Assistant Library Director,
Los Gatos (CA) Public Library
I had recently moved to San Jose, and I was looking for a
job. I went to the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission) to look at the job boards and to CETA
(Comprehensive Employment and Training Act), a federal
employment program that was just starting. I registered, and
they sent me out on interviews.
My first interview was with the police department as a
record keeper. Before the interview, I sat down on the curb
and cried. I was a secret anarchist, an anti-war protestor, a
free-love proponent. How could I work for the cops? I wiped
my face and went into the station, but it was too late.
Someone else got the job. Yahoo!
My second interview was with the library department. I
got hired two minutes after the oral interview. I didn’t even
make it to the elevator. I was a library aide! Promotions fol-
lowed—to clerk, then library assistant (leaving the CETA pro-
gram and entering civil service at this point). Librarian tests
were scheduled, and no degree was necessary, so as not to
disqualify all the students from San Jose State library school
(which was having accreditation challenges at the time). I
 What Is a Librarian? 11

placed high on the list, and I was respected for my work ethic,
attitude, and skills. I worked my way through Children’s
Librarian, Teen Librarian, Branch Manager, Head of the IT
Department, and Head of Reference at Main. I was part of the
team that established the agreement between San Jose Public
and San Jose State to occupy and run a new eight-story
library together, and part of the team that implemented this
merger.
Thirty-two years later, here I am, the Assistant Director at
Los Gatos Public Library. I am proud of myself and proud of
a profession that could look beyond credentials.

The Facts About Accidental Librarians

Accidental librarians may be more numerous—and impor-
tant—than you think:

• For decades, great research libraries have hired scholars

over degreed librarians for director positions.

• Many deans of library school programs do not hold MLS

degrees.

• No special qualifications are prescribed by law for

Librarians of Congress, who have come from the varied
professions of newspaperman, novelist, poet, physician,
and diplomat. In 1899, at the urging of the ALA, President
McKinley appointed the first experienced librarian,
Herbert Putnam, to the position of Librarian of Congress.
L. Quincy Mumford, Librarian of Congress from 1954
through 1974, was the first Librarian of Congress to have
graduated from library school.

• The Council on Library and Information Resources

(CLIR) offers postdoctoral fellowships in research
12 The Accidental Librarian

libraries to humanities scholars to develop meaningful

linkages between disciplinary scholarship, libraries,
archives, and evolving digital tools. Study in the area of
LIS is not a requirement for this fellowship.
• The Virginia code does not require the state librarian to
have an MLS. Sandra Treadway served as Deputy State
Librarian at the Library of Virginia for more than a decade
and became the Virginia State Librarian before she had a
library degree. Treadway “learned about library opera-
tions the old-fashioned way—climbing the ladder to the
top one rung at a time.” She never intended to do library
work.7

As you can see, many accidental librarians are both accom-

plished and prominent.
According to Public Libraries in the United States, only 67.9 per-
cent of FTE (full-time equivalent) public librarians in the U.S. hold
ALA-accredited MLS degrees.8 Table 1.1 lists the states in which
less than half of the total FTE public librarians have ALA-accred-
ited MLS degrees. Table 1.2 lists the states where more than half of
the total FTE public librarians hold ALA-accredited MLS degrees.
As you can see, the situation varies considerably between
Montana, where 20.9 percent of FTE public librarians hold an ALA-
accredited MLS, and Hawaii, where 99.7 percent hold such a
degree.
In most states, school librarians (also known as teacher-librarians
or school media specialists) are not required to have MLS degrees.
School librarians are usually required to have an undergraduate
degree in education, with a school library media specialist certifi-
cation. This certification requires coursework in library science or
passing a qualifying test. School librarians are certified at the state
level, and each state has its own requirements.
Often an organization or corporation will add a librarian’s duties
to the job of a secretary or administrative assistant when materials
 What Is a Librarian? 13

Table 1.1 States in which less than half of public librarians have ALA-
accredited MLS degrees (Data from Public Libraries in the United States: Fiscal
Year 2004. National Center for Education Statistics: Washington, DC, 2006.)

State Total FTE

Librarians
(percentage)

Montana 20.9

Wyoming 21.5

North Dakota 22.6

Kentucky 23.8

Iowa 25.6

Mississippi 26.3

Vermont 26.9

Nebraska 27.2

West Virginia 27.2

South Dakota 28.9

Oklahoma 33.6

Idaho 33.7

Kansas 36.8

New Hampshire 37.2

Alabama 38.4

Arkansas 40.3

Louisiana 41.2

New Mexico 43.2

Maine 45.6

Tennessee 49.4
14 The Accidental Librarian

Table 1.2 States in which more than half of public librarians have ALA-
accredited MLS degrees (Data from Public Libraries in the United States: Fiscal
Year 2004. National Center for Education Statistics: Washington, DC, 2006.)

State Total FTE

Librarians
(percentage)

Delaware 50.7

Maryland 52.0

Utah 53.5

Wisconsin 53.6

Missouri 55.0

Alaska 58.1

Illinois 62.8

Massachusetts 64.9

Indiana 65.0

Minnesota 65.5

Pennsylvania 67.7

Michigan 68.0

Colorado 70.0

Nevada 71.8

Texas 71.8

Ohio 73.3

Oregon 75.3

Connecticut 76.3

Arizona 78.3

South Carolina 78.9

Florida 83.4

Virginia 83.9

New York 84.0

 What Is a Librarian? 15

Rhode Island 85.5

District of Columbia 88.5

California 93.2

Washington 94.3

Georgia 95.1

North Carolina 95.4

New Jersey 99.6

Hawaii 99.7

purchased for shared use by employees have accumulated to the

point that they are no longer accessible. In such a case, manage-
ment realizes the need for someone to organize and manage the
collection, track usage, and retrieve information. They may not
recognize that this is a “librarian” position, or that the job requires
any special skill or knowledge.
Other special librarians, such as church or synagogue librarians,
often begin as volunteers. Many prison librarians are not required
to hold MLS degrees; some hold the title of Library Aide or Library
Technician, but are actually running their libraries single-handedly.
Because academic librarians work in an environment that val-
ues the degree, postsecondary, college, or university libraries are
less likely to hire librarians without MLS degrees, making it less
common to find accidental librarians in academic situations.
Mary McKinley Ingraham, University Librarian at Acadia
University in Nova Scotia, driving force of the Maritime Library
Institute and editor of its Bulletin, said in a 1939 editorial, “There is
no doubt that specialized training is a necessity for most of us who
would work in libraries, but is there any absolute norm by which
we may determine the method or content of that training? Despite
the unquestioned value of the many schools of library service, we
have to admit that the greatest librarians in the world, from
16 The Accidental Librarian

Zenodatus at Alexandria to Putnam at Washington, were not grad-

uates of library schools.” She was careful to stress that librarian-
ship requires education and training, calling it a “learned
profession,” but suggested that this training can take place in
many contexts and by diverse means.9

What Makes a Librarian?

By now you can see that there really are no universal criteria in
the U.S. for determining what makes a librarian. It’s no wonder
that librarians have such varying levels of education, experience,
and knowledge about library and information science. Librarians
come from all subject backgrounds and educational levels, and
have varying degrees of library experience.

Eileen Gilbert, Director,

Boscawen (NH) Public Library
I’m so glad this author has acknowledged the fact that not
everyone working in a library has an MLS! I would like to earn
mine fairly soon, but I’m enjoying my work without it. I am 26
years old and the Library Director in a town of around 3,500.
I worked as a page at a different library in high school and as
a student aide in my college library. I really enjoyed both jobs
and when I graduated with a degree in English I knew I didn’t
want to teach. In my current job I plan programming, work
the circulation desk, order and process books, and shelve.

Although some states and schools have established standards,

with very few exceptions these are voluntary or optional. Some state
standards can easily be met with very little education, experience, or
training, and it may be possible to be certified as a librarian or
 What Is a Librarian? 17

library director in your state with no library education or experi-

ence. If you don’t qualify as a librarian in one state, you can go to
another state and easily become certified as a library director
there. Some people assume that passing their state certification
test is equivalent to an MLS, but even if you have an MLS there is
no common basic foundation of knowledge you are required to
master in graduate school. Confused?
The lack of national standards in the U.S. for qualifying librari-
ans creates a chaotic professional atmosphere. Disagreements
about who is and isn’t a librarian abound. We engage in ongoing
discussions about the state of LIS education and our profession,
“illegal librarians,” and what makes a “real” librarian. In this
atmosphere, insisting that someone has to have an MLS to be a
librarian is unrealistic: There are plenty of practicing librarians
who do not have the degree.
Unfortunately, when nondegreed librarians reject learning from
MLS librarians because they feel threatened by them, and when
MLS librarians reject nondegreed librarians because of the belief
that they are not “real” librarians, they overlook some of their
greatest opportunities to learn from each other, advance our pro-
fession, and improve our libraries. Misunderstandings on both
sides of this issue abound, causing our profession to be frag-
mented. We cannot afford a “librarian vs. librarian” mentality. We
are facing some of the most challenging and exciting changes in
our field, and this is the time to join together and move forward.
Degreed and nondegreed librarians alike are responsible for creat-
ing and upholding the standards of our profession, and for valuing
librarianship and each other.

What Do Librarians Do?

The primary functions of a librarian are to:
18 The Accidental Librarian

• Collect information

• Acquire information

• Organize information

• Retrieve information
• Disseminate information based on the needs of the pop-
ulations we serve

These five functions create a foundation for the practice of

librarianship, and understanding them as such helps librarians
stay focused on our main purpose. As our profession rapidly
changes and evolves it is essential for us to be grounded in a set of
core functions that we can easily apply to new developments in the
information field. Brief descriptions of these functions follow, and
each will be covered in detail in Part II of this book.

Collect Information
Librarians develop collections to meet the information needs of
their communities. They must constantly assess their commu-
nity’s changing information needs and collect, as well as deselect,
materials and resources based on those needs.

Acquire Information
Librarians evaluate, select, and purchase or lease materials and
information resources to meet the information needs of the popu-
lations they serve.

Organize Information
Librarians organize information by (1) classifying it according to
subject, and (2) cataloging it by describing it in a way that makes
the information easily accessible. Librarians also make library
resources, services, and programs available electronically in a way
that users can easily access and utilize.
 What Is a Librarian? 19

Retrieve Information
Librarians find information to meet the needs of library users.
This involves analyzing users’ needs to determine what it is they
want and at what level, and searching for and extracting informa-
tion in multiple formats from multiple sources. Librarians also
assist people in finding the information they need.

Disseminate Information
Librarians play an important role in facilitating the transfer of
knowledge and ideas from the sources of the knowledge and ideas
to the people who need and want the information. Librarians do
this by synthesizing and delivering information to people who
request it in a form that is useful to them.

What Else Do Librarians Do?

In the process of acquiring, collecting, organizing, retrieving,
and disseminating information, librarians also:

• Assist and instruct

• Provide services and programs

• Utilize technology
• Preserve and conserve library materials

In the process of doing our work, librarians are also responsible

for upholding the basic principles of intellectual freedom, or the
right of every individual to both seek and receive information from
all points of view without restriction. ALA’s Library Bill of Rights
affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas and
articulates basic principles to guide their services. Librarians sup-
port the Freedom to Read and the Freedom to View under the
Constitution of the United States, and we are responsible for advo-
cating for these rights.
20 The Accidental Librarian

Additionally, we must be aware of legislation that affects libraries

or that may threaten these basic rights. We need to take responsi-
bility for acting in support of the freedom of information on behalf
of libraries and the citizens of our country. We are expected to pro-
tect the creators of works being shared in our libraries by seeing to
it that the Copyright Act is observed (see Appendix C).

Assist and Instruct

Librarians play an instructional role, which includes teaching
users how to access information, synthesize it, and use it. They
also teach users how to effectively use library tools, technology,
and resources. The desired result is for users to be able to search
for information, analyze it, synthesize it, and use it on their own in
the future. Librarians also develop content and design materials
for instructional purposes.

Provide Services and Programs

Librarians plan, budget, and manage programs such as story
hours, literacy skills classes, book groups, programs for all ages,
and educational classes based on the needs of the community.
Other services librarians provide include reference service and
readers’ advisory service.

Utilize Technology
Because technology has become such a large part of informa-
tion storage and delivery, librarians evaluate information tech-
nologies; develop, design, and manage digital access and content;
use technology appropriately and effectively; administer and
manage computer systems; and train users on using technology to
retrieve information and for other purposes.

Preserve and Conserve

Librarians are responsible for maximizing the life of library
materials by preserving and conserving them.
 What Is a Librarian? 21

What Do Librarians Need to Know?

Librarians need to know the following to be successful:

• The philosophy, theory, principles, and techniques of

acquiring, collecting, organizing, retrieving, and dis-
seminating information and how to apply them and
adapt them to constantly changing environments

• The role of computers, the Internet, and emerging

technologies in libraries

• Basic library materials and resources in all formats

and how to use them

• Methods and techniques for researching, analyzing,

synthesizing, and delivering information

• Reference interviewing techniques

• Community needs assessment methods

• Library planning processes and methods

• Budgeting methods

• Policy creation and development methods

• Management methods

What Skills Do Librarians Need?

In recent years, the LIS field and the practice of librarianship have
undergone tremendous changes due to the growth of information
technology and the resulting changes in the methods of acquiring,
collecting, organizing, retrieving, and disseminating information.
There has been a fundamental shift in libraries from ownership to
access, and a corresponding shift in the skills librarians need.10
Today, librarians not only need to understand the basics of man-
aging and disseminating information, they also need to:
22 The Accidental Librarian

• See the big picture

• Make things happen

• Remove barriers

• Create vision and mission

• Work independently and on teams

• Exercise initiative and independent judgment

• Think creatively and innovatively

• Create partnerships and alliances

• Evaluate, select, and apply new technologies

• Troubleshoot technology

• Communicate clearly and effectively verbally and in

writing

• Seek additional funding to meet unmet community

needs

• Write grant proposals

• Develop new systems and adapt old ones to new

situations

• Work with diverse populations

• Teach

What Are the Characteristics of Librarians?

Librarians are:

• Change agents

• Proactive

• Creative
 What Is a Librarian? 23

• Inquisitive

• Initiators

• On the leading edge

• Customer service oriented

• Collaborators

• Risk-takers

• Active communicators

• Flexible

• Advocates

• Continuous lifelong learners

• Leaders

• Networkers

• Visionaries

• Team players

• Analytical thinkers
• Strategic planners

(This list is inspired by SLA’s Competencies for Information

Professionals, www.sla.org/content/learn/comp2003/index.cfm,
and ALA’s Accreditation Draft Core Competencies, www.ala.org/
ala/accreditationb/Draft_Core_Competencies_07_05.pdf.)
Don’t be shocked if you are beginning to realize that there is
much more to librarianship, what librarians do, what they need to
know, and the skills and qualities they need to possess than you
previously thought. You aren’t alone. Perhaps you haven’t had a
positive librarian role model or mentor, you didn’t work in a library
before becoming a librarian, or you were never in a position where
you learned what is really involved in librarianship. You came into
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