Librarians, libraries: how they function.

[chocolate_ari]

Hello guys. I'm working on a novella-type project. It's a light-hearted mystery novel that takes place during our times in and around Chicago. It involves a police detective who ends up investigating a crime (but he's really trying to figure out why his girlfriend has been acting so sketchy

Comments

[pixie_on_acid]

Library technician here, which isn't quite a librarian (librarian requires a Masters of Library Science, tech is a 2 year program), nor something recognised in the United States, but rather common in Canada. We're quite often the ones doing what people think of as 'library work' -- cataloging, working the reference desk, that sort of thing.

There are definite hierarchies, often based on seniority and/or training. To use the Canadian example with technicians, an actual Librarian would be the administrator, techs would do the cataloging and reference desk work or handling programs (like Childrens' Storytime) which is considered more important/higher up than the circulation desk which may be manned by either techs or clerical staff. I would imagine that in American libraries, the tech work would be done by 'junior librarians'.

At the bottom of the ladder are the pages. In my local library system these are generally students, always part-time and their ONLY job is to shelve books. About the only question they're allowed to answer is 'Where can I find the bathroom?' Anything else, they have to refer the patron to the more 'senior' library staff. Only techs and above are allowed to work on the reference desk and answer other kinds of questions. Even 'Do you know where to find Book X' is supposed to be handled by techs or above.

As for your specialisation question, yes, librarians (or techs) do specialise. "Media in Libraries" is a whole course-set, 'media' referring to anything other than books. Some may be internet specialists. A lot of it depends on (a) the size of the library and how many people they can afford to employ (b) the patron demands (if there is only a small demand for non-book materials, hiring someone who specialises in those things may not be a priority) and the size of the collection.

Most libraries will also have a Children's/Youth librarian, though whether that applies to your story is hard to say.

Again, it depends on library size, but most (any place over a couple of hundred books and more than seven patrons a day) would have a contracted custodial crew for things like cleaning. Librarians command too much per hour to be scrubbing toilets or scraping gum off the undersides of tables. Generally, they'd complain to their union if told to do so.

This is where I got my education: http://www.ufv.ca/libtech.htm Handily, on that page is also an email for the program head. If you're interested in learning some of the nitty-gritty details about libraries, it might not hurt to try emailing directly. Explain that you're writing a story and you want to get the details right. She may or may not have time to get back to you with an answer right now (what with the new semester coming up and all) but she might, or might be able to steer you in the right direction.

That's one thing about library people. We generally like to help.

I hope this wasn't too overwhelming.

[peefy]

My gosh, my comment turned out way more long-winded, and your information was more precise (though I'm happy to see I was maybe mostly on-target!).

[pixie_on_acid]

Alternatively, you could also just email a librarian through the "Ask a Librarian" link here: http://www.chipublib.org/ That's the Chicago Public Library's page.

And don't EVER feel like you're imposing on a librarian by asking questions about anything. That's what they're there for. Especially anyone working the "Ask" email system.