When I received a message from a librarian who was complaining about being
overpayed I responded that librarians are required by an archaic system to
have a masters degree which results in their being underpayed. Here at
the university we have a glut of librarians who surf the internet due to
lack of patron need. It may be that this is an unusual situation. There
certainly is a need for more moneuy in libraries- the only library (of the
8 colleges and universities I have attended) that had a comprehensive
collection was Harvard. As a library patron I thiink that funds should be
expended on print resources not human resources. Universities have
faculty members that can assist in recommending publications and students
who can be clerks. One reference librarian is sufficient for all the
library experiences I have ever had.
Subtle petty comments about grammar aside, why are librarians complaining
about their jobs on Museum-L. The original discussion focussed on why
museum profs. salaries are low. Comments were made about the
anachronistic nature of many museums in light of how people choose t spend
their time. Responses were 50% to 50% regarding maintaining the status
quo. Social and cultural Darwinism will determine whta lives and what
dies.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Christopher Whittle College of Education &
Box 72119 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Albuquerque, NM 87195 University of New Mexico
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^