LJ BackTalk: Go "Title Rogue"
Sami Lange works in instruction, reference, and student outreach at the Sonoma State University Library, CA. She can be reached at Samantha.lange@sonoma.edu. We welcome opinion pieces for BackTalk. Please send them to ffialkoff@mediasourceinc.com
What is it with the library profession and our obsession with individual titles? Is it insecurity? Fear? Elitism? Maybe the focus on titles is not entirely our fault. Perhaps the variety and inherent inconsistency found in this era of ever more creative job descriptions cause us to view titles as the most crucial part of the position.
I ran into a librarian I knew at an Association of College and Research Libraries conference last year. Obviously surprised to see me, she asked, “They let you come? Aren’t you a staff member?” I was too dumbfounded by the question to offer a snappy reply. Then at a poster session I gave at a local state conference, I got a similar reaction. The squinting of the eyes, the pause…and then, “Well, how are you teaching as a staff member?” This time, my answer was much better: because I have an MLIS with an emphasis in instruction, am an adjunct at another institution, connect well with the students, and have experience designing curriculum. In other words, my skills and qualities fit the job.
Focus on the job content
I took part in a discussion session at the same conference where we were told never to take a paraprofessional position at libraries where we want to work in a professional capacity and that if we are an adjunct for longer than two years, we are an adjunct for life. What an inspiring, healthy message—work experience is actually irrelevant, and all hiring committees care about is the title on the paper. We need to focus on the content underneath the title and on what people really do.
Another significant problem with titles in librarianship is the perceived line between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” It used to be between those who had an MLIS and those who didn’t. With the abundance of paras who either have or are getting an MLIS as well as those in the library in another capacity with an MLIS, the new “haves” are those with the title of librarian or its equal. Rifts can arise among colleagues if some are excluded from decision-making based solely on their lack of “the correct title.”
We are obsessed
Some in the profession are concerned that one day there will no longer be the special title of “librarian,” the latter having been replaced with “library assistant,” “information professional,” and other similar names. Others develop titles that seem to infer “librarian” isn’t special enough anymore; now, we must be “content development specialists” or “acquisitions plan specialists,” and so on.
Official titles often include words such as technician, assistant, consultant, emerging technologies, information services, etc. What do these titles really mean, anyway? Do they confuse and complicate the profession? Absolutely, and that’s the point.
Rogue solutions
Don’t look at titles on a hiring committee: this is also called going “title rogue.” Buck tradition and look at the candidate, not the title. It’s not about image. It is not about hiring someone from X school or X place of employment. It is about looking at the skill sets of your candidates and deciding if there is a match with your institution or library. What do they bring to the table, regardless of their previous titles?
Let’s start a wave of title secrecy. I recently had business cards printed with no title. They instead state the departments in which I work. Is this really a good idea? Yes, because who cares that I am a Library Assistant III? What is relevant is I work in instruction and outreach. People I meet on campus need to know what I do a heck of a lot more than what my official title is.
Stop with the fancy titles. When you have to read the entire job description to even begin to understand if your education and skills are relevant, then the job title is not clear. Go with words like instruction, reference, and access services.
What do you do?
Ask people what they do and what the main projects are that they work on. These are questions that actually get to the heart of a person’s job. That way, when you are at a conference you will know if what they know is something you want to learn more about.
Don’t exclude someone based on title. Paras teach. Paras run libraries. Paras should continue to win Movers & Shakers recognition. Managers should be included in decisions relating to their areas. Everyone involved in a library should attend a conference. It just makes sense. When people are engaged and knowledgeable about the whole organization, everything works better.
As colleagues who share similar goals, we need to get over our titles. What each person brings to the table is the most crucial element to our organizations. Of course, certain lines cannot always be crossed (union restrictions, internal political hotbeds, etc.). Still, open your eyes and look past the titles at your library. I guarantee there is a staff member with a very special skill who, because of their “title,” is currently unable to assist your organization.
