A Human Resources Dilemma? Emergent Themes in the Experiences of Part-Time Librarians

Wilkinson, Zara

doi:10.1080/01930826.2015.1047253

Cited by 5 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…If surveys of library directors and managers dominate the literature on the organizational benefits and costs of contingent librarianship, first-person accounts, published in professional journals and blogs convey the nuances of working as a librarian without a job security. The few existing systematic surveys of contingent librarians (Hogue and Sisson, 1994; Wilkinson, 2015) corroborate the satisfactions and concerns articulated in these first-person accounts.…”

Section: Contingent Librarianship: Advantages and Disadvantagesmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…Over 30 years ago, Brustman and Via (1988), who conducted one of the early surveys to assess academic libraries’ reliance on part-time librarians, noted that “No research fully describes the past or present situation of the part-time academic librarian” (p. 87). The same dismay at how few studies examined the topic in depth was echoed by other researchers who attempted to cast light on the contingent academic librarians’ experience (Chervinko, 1986; Gover, 1994; Hogue and Sisson, 1994; Pontau and Rothschild, 1986; Wilkinson, 2015, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

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Contingent appointments in academic libraries: management challenges and opportunities

Bladek

2019

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Purpose Academia’s overwhelming reliance on non-tenure track, or contingent, faculty is a well-known fact. While the status and working conditions of contingent classroom faculty have been well studied and documented, the corresponding trend in academic libraries has not been explored as deeply. As this paper reviews the limited LIS literature on the subject, the purpose of this paper is to provide administrators and managers with a deeper understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of contingent appointments. It also offers strategies for fostering a workplace culture that recognizes contingent librarians’ contributions and promotes their professional growth. Design/methodology/approach An overview of scholarly and professional literature on contingent librarianship, this paper is based on published research studies and academic articles; given the prominence of anecdotal and personal writing on the subject, columns and first-person essays from trade publications, as well as library-related blogs and job search sites, are also included. Findings Contingent librarians have been a steady presence in academic libraries for the last few decades. The trend is continuing. There are specific practices that can be applied to effectively manage contingent librarians. Originality/value The paper offers academic library administrators and managers a concise yet comprehensive overview of the issues related to contingent appointments.

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Section: Contingent Librarianship: Advantages and Disadvantagesmentioning

confidence: 61%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Contingent appointments in academic libraries: management challenges and opportunities

Bladek

2019

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“…In the United States, Wilkinson (2015) surveyed 73 current and former part-time librarians who graduated from MLIS (Masters in Library and Information Studies) programs between 2008-2012 and had held at least one part-time position following graduation (p. 348). For these parttime positions, the majority of respondents worked in academic and public libraries and over 55% worked concurrently in more than 1 position (Wilkinson, 2015, p. 348 & p. 352).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Associated with the Prevalence of Precarious Positions in Canadian Libraries: Statistical Analysis of a National Job Board

Henninger¹,

Brons²,

Riley³

et al. 2020

EBLIP

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Objective - To collect and share information about the prevalence of precarious work in libraries and the factors associated with it. Methods - The authors collected and coded job postings from a nationwide job board in Canada for two years. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to explore the extent of precarity and its relationship with job characteristics such as job type, institution type, education level, and minimum required experience. Results - The authors collected 1,968 postings, of which 842 (42.8%) were coded as precarious in some way. The most common types of precarious work were contracts (29.1% of all postings) and part-time work (22.7% of all postings). Contracts were most prevalent in and significantly associated with academic libraries and librarian positions, and they were most often one year in length. Both on-call and part-time work were most prevalent in school libraries and for library technicians and assistants, and they were significantly associated with all institution types either positively or negatively. Meanwhile, precarious positions overall were least prevalent in government and managerial positions. In terms of education, jobs requiring a secondary diploma or library technician diploma were most likely to be precarious, while positions requiring an MLIS were least likely. The mean minimum required experience was lower for all types of precarious positions than for stable positions, and the prevalence of precarity generally decreased as minimum required experience increased. Conclusion - The proportion of precarious positions advertised in Canada is substantial and seems to be growing over time. Based on these postings, employees with less experience, without advanced degrees, or in library technician and assistant roles are more likely to be precarious, while those with managerial positions, advanced degrees, or more experience, are less likely to be precarious. Variations in precarity based on factors such as job type, institution type, education level, and minimum required experience suggest that employees will experience precarity differently both within and across library systems.

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“…These effects included financial and psychological vulnerability, difficulties with physical and mental health, difficulty pursuing social activities, and choosing to delay significant life decisions. Participants' responses especially supported the findings in Wilkinson's (2015) study of part-time librarians, which also noted features such as financial insecurity, unevenly gained experience, limited options based on geography, a mentality of getting a "foot in the door" (p. 359), and disconnection from full-time staff. Like Wilkinson, our study found that negative aspects of this employment were more extensively detailed than positive ones.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Perceptions and Experiences of Precarious Employment in Canadian Libraries: An Exploratory Study

et al. 2019

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Precarious employment is a labour practice characterized for employers by flexibility and economic efficiencies and for workers by vulnerability and uncertainty as to job duration, scheduling, and pay. It is increasingly common in Canada and can result in physical, mental, financial, and social strain for people who experience it. In libraries, it has the potential for negative effects on individual staff members, organizational health, and service quality. However, literature on precarious library work is scarce, and it is unclear how its effects on library staff compare to those described in the broader literature or how it affects the library field as a whole. The purpose of this study was to gather information about library workers’ perceptions and experiences of precarious employment and to see how it played out in library contexts. Thirteen library workers both with and without experiences of precarious employment participated in qualitative, semi-structured interviews, which were synthesized into a narrative summarizing their thoughts and experiences. Results indicated that while there were some positive effects of precarious work, they mainly benefited library organizations from scheduling and financial standpoints, while negative outcomes were more numerous, more salient, and affected individuals as well as organizations. Awareness of such perceptions and experiences may help to spark conversations and support for those experiencing negative effects from precarious work, and it can serve to reduce or eliminate factors leading to those effects. However, failure to address them may result in negative outcomes for library workers and organizations, such as stress, turnover, marginalization, burnout, leaving the field, reduced service quality, and more. Accordingly, this paper provides some of the first qualitative information on precarious employment in libraries and may be used to support broader discussions about the topic.

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A Human Resources Dilemma? Emergent Themes in the Experiences of Part-Time Librarians

Cited by 5 publications

References 4 publications

Contingent appointments in academic libraries: management challenges and opportunities

Contingent appointments in academic libraries: management challenges and opportunities

Factors Associated with the Prevalence of Precarious Positions in Canadian Libraries: Statistical Analysis of a National Job Board

Perceptions and Experiences of Precarious Employment in Canadian Libraries: An Exploratory Study

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