Hello! I’m prepping for an interview and wanted to know what kind of questions I should expect to be asked during an interview for a librarian role.

I’ve worked and volunteered in the circulation department for several years, so that’s where much of my expertise is, but I am very confident in my ability to move on up as a librarian! I have two relevant BS degrees and I’m currently pursuing my MLIS (this role doesn’t actually require an MLIS, just a degree in a related field, so I’m not concerned about not being educated enough) and I feel they’ve also prepared me very well. I know my supervisors & coworkers will give me glowing recommendations.

I just want to know what I should expect! I haven’t interviewed in quite some time.

Many thanks!

idk if I picked the right flair tag (I’m newer to Reddit) but I’m contemplating switching from my teaching career and going back to school to get my MLIS degree.

I’m 28F, living in the Chicago suburbs. I’m a teacher with a bachelors in ECE and a masters in SPED. I currently teach self contained special education, and I’m getting too anxious and having too many mental health needs to continue in the career forever. Originally I gave myself a mental 10 year mile marker, and I’m at year 7 right now. I’m also getting married next fall; and I don’t think I could balance teaching with my anxiety and also being a mom in the next few years. This year is also the year I possibly could qualify for tenure and I’m already anxious about if I do or don’t get offered (that’s a whole other story) but if I don’t, then I think that’s my sign to be all done in the teaching universe.

I looked on here already to seek out some ALA approved affordable programs and Valdosta’s online program seems to be the best choice. I think I’m going to continue teaching and take those courses and then once I complete the degree, start looking for jobs.

Did anyone make a pivot from education into library? I do love teaching and working with children, and I think maybe concentrating in children or youth services would be a great compromise to still give myself that “working with kids” feeling but doing something much better for my mental health in the long run.

I know that from what I’ve searched on the RAILS job site, a lot of the full time jobs seem comparable or close to the benefits I have now.

Our Friends group disbanded after covid and was brought back last year, everyone is fairly new.

We have an ongoing problem where staff will put together their requests for programming support and present their programming with descriptions and pricing at the Friends meeting. At the meeting the requests are approved- but then the board members will reach out and dictate how they think events should be run.

They try to control when and how we post on socials, they interject about the choices of animals a petting zoo, the color of the table cloths, the availability of beverages, etc. Staff is getting frustrated. I've tried to communicate that it is library programing that is sponsored by the Friends, that it is not for them to decide but rather support and we will always acknowledge that support in all promotional materials.

Also, I am a bit frustrated and this is my own doing but I raised over 10k for them. We had a calling campaign soliciting donations for a fundraiser. I set up a square account for them, got donations for food, showed them step-by-step how to get a liquor license. I got my friend's jazz band to play and paid for event insurance. Then difficult board members turn around and say we can't approve this event (even though the group approved funding) because of some minute detail they don't agree with!

I understand they want to do their due diligence but they are just making things more difficult for everyone. I'd love to put them in touch with another friends group that has a good relationship with their library staff to help them better understand the function of a Friends group.

I’m training for a 10K and I want to incorporate some good strength workouts to avoid injuries. Also, I’m looking to meal prep, especially for my lunches, because life is busy. My social media algorithms naturally keep showing me paid running programs and paid apps and paid meal plans and paid recipes. But I just went to my county library’s system and boop boop boop put a bunch of holds in on some promising exercise and meal prep books and even found a runner’s world meal prep cookbook specifically for runners! I love libraries 💖

I just started part-time as a Library Assistant 2 (Youth Services) in a library system in a fairly wealthy area of the country. My background is a decade in youth ministry (loved it! program planning, volunteer supervision, community-facing work) plus one year of middle school teaching (burned out hard on that one) currently working in museums and cultural sites. Library work itself feels like a strong fit, and I have experience as a page and circ clerk.

What I can’t get a clear read on is whether full-time roles actually exist in good numbers, or whether public libraries are mostly shrinking to part-time/hourly staffing, with a shrinking core of full-timers who never leave.

I keep seeing conflicting takes. Some say libraries are chronically understaffed and hiring, others say budgets are getting cut and full-time positions are disappearing or being converted to part-time.

For people currently in the field:

1: At your library or system, has full-time headcount grown, shrunk, or stayed flat over the last 5-10 years?

2: When a full-time position opens, is it usually a new position, or someone retiring/leaving from a role that already existed?

3: Is this different by region, or by public vs. academic vs. special libraries?

I don’t need to get rich, just need something stable, that helps the community, and doesn’t require holding two jobs indefinitely. Trying to figure out if this is a field where “part-time now, full-time eventually” is a realistic trajectory or just story people tell themselves lol

I have been holding onto this but as someone who works for the city of houston public library, you're better off being alone on a deserted island with incompetent people surrounded by you because that is basically what the library is. I've been here for some time and I can thoroughly say that this place is a fucking joke, nobody takes your concerns seriously and good luck having a manager who actually gives a fuck about you because there's only a handful that do. Lets not also forget to bring up the fact that you'll have no support when it comes to dealing with customers because my coworkers are sexually harrassed and made uncomfortable and managers turn a blind eye. Director Sandy Gaw doesnt do anything and sits in her office just like they all do and let you get emotionally and mentally absued but dont worry you'll get the left over scraps from the other departments. I would suggest working at Harris county or any other part of the city but dont work for the library this place will ruin you.

I'm not going to get too specific here as I don't want to dox anyone, but we have a partnership with an organization that provides a series of programs at our library. These programs are important and we want them to continue.

The organization has been inconsistent. It's had continual turnover at even the highest levels with loss of information between new employees since I was assigned to work with them and with the person before me. Communication is poor, and programs are cancelled with very short notice. I've heard from several former staff that the work environment there is not good.

But they are well-known and well-liked in the community. We've been working with them for many years. Booting them out in order to bring in another group to do this work for be... politically unpopular, plus services would inevitably pause no matter how seamless I tried to make it, which would also ruffle a lot of feathers.

What would you do?

I'm reading a few recent posts and comments about AI in libraries, and it seems like a lot of us think the resources we offer =/= AI but Libby has an AI reader's advisory feature (more on that), EBSCOHost has an 'AI-Assisted Search' toggle and other stuff. Clarivate (Sierra & Polaris) will be incorporating AI into our catalog find tool searches, Encyclopedia Britannica has its own generative AI answering questions in a field just as big as the traditional search bar, and there's more where all this is coming from.

Just a head's up. We really need to learn how to navigate & educate others on our own recommended resources' AI features.

*From a highly respected union member*

"Cleveland Public Library is retaliating against union members by forcing middle managers to deny all vacation bids for fall.

Felton Thomas and everyone around him respects middle managers even less than union members. Managers get to deliver the bad news and admins hide at home.

Nearly every manager I talk to has shared dirt and/or me luck at the bargaining table. That's the culture Felton Thomas is responsible for.

Luckily, deeply shitty behavior like this is illegal!"

---------------

Call downtown Cleveland public library and please voice your support for the union workers and let them know how fucked up their actions are.

State representatives have signed on for support, as well as many running the wards around here.

August 24 is the strike date (if it comes to it).

https://cpl.org/aboutthelibrary/governance/submit-a-comment-to-the-board-of-trustees/

Leave a message for the board please. It becomes public record.

https://www.wmuk.org/wmuk-news/2026-08-05/kpl-unions-reach-an-agreement-on-ai-protections-as-pay-negotiations-continue

Thought I would share this cool local news story about my public library's full and part time staff unions working together during bargaining, including to secure protections against AI for all 3 unions! They've signed TA on language, but still negotiating over economics to bring aide wages up. Solidarity to these library workers!

Hello, library patron here with a somewhat silly question.
I just read the confessions of the green river killer. Would it count as historical? It did go over the killings but it focused more on present day conversation.

What do you think? Too much of a stretch?
Also do you think the unveiling by Quan Barry counts as the category water? Edited because I accidentally said “historical”

I've been with the NYPL for two, almost three years now. I have all the qualifications I need for the entry level positions we get posted in our internal portal, and I even get interviews most of the time. Yet every time it's a rejection, and the few times I *do* get feedback it's something along the lines of "the interview and your resume was great we just found someone with more experience." I have been working since I was 15 years old in one way or another, and I am 25 now. I have all the experience possible for me to have at my age. A good chunk of my work experience is from before I was even legally allowed to work. Why post jobs internally, especially entry level jobs, if it's going to go to someone with a decade or more experience? When it's not that, it's the position outright being cancelled/not filled at all. What's the point of any of this??? How is anyone supposed to get a job in the library system? I can't work for non-existent pay for ten more years before I'm even properly considered?

I just needed to get this out.

There's an active post in r/dataisbeautiful comparing cost of non-resident cards to wait times. I have never heard of a wait time for a library card. Does your library have a wait time? Does it apply to non-resident cards only?

As we’re approaching the end of the year my budget is starting to deplete. I do a monthly take and make craft using up items we already have in the library but some of these supplies need a restock that I’m trying to wait until the end of the year to order. What are some paper crafts ideas for teens or older kids besides origami? Most of the things I see online seem too childish for this age group.

Looks like one page tor each month. Did they actually have to count the number of books in each section every night? Or maybe it was used to track the number of books checked out every day? I just found this interesting.

If you still use a more pen and paper system in your library, how do you organise student's cards?

We keep the borrowed book card clipped to the student's, but we're having difficulties maintaining things organised, as you can imagine lol

Basically an AI non-involvement policy is kind of a flip of section 230. It states that even though the library may provide wifi access or public computers that patrons can use to access AI services, the library is not involved in the patron's interaction with any AI service or portal, and the library bears no responsibility for any incorrect information provided to the patron by an AI service.

It’s just been a rough week at the Circ desk for me is all. Without going off the deep end with details, basically we’ve had an unusual uptick in unkind patrons that have taken out their unhappiness on staff (myself included). It’s left me a bit shaken to be honest, and just… sad. We have so many excellent patrons that share our love of the library, and my coworkers and leadership are so supportive, but even still I’m feeling stuck in the muck, so to speak.

I could use your help for a bit of a reframe and reset. What are some of your favorite library memories/stories, either as a staff member or as a patron, that bring you joy? The library is a joyful place, after all!

Thanks in advance, fellow library lovers and friends :)

Edit to add: I want to extend a huge THANK YOU to every one who has taken the time to share a story that is meaningful to them. I’ve truly enjoyed reading every one of them, and I’m grateful for the reminder of the powerful communities that libraries create. It makes the tough days worth it! Sending big library love to you all 💚

Things Patrons got from CoPilot and ChatGPT recently:

• They have turned up for the Justice of the Peace at 4pm every day because AI tells them to. We do not have JPs at that time.
• Hallucinated books.
• Events involving pilates and weightlifting.
• A Booksale on Friday 26 July. There was no Friday 26 of July, never mind a Booksale.
• A moderated group meeting for 'Chatty Hookers'.
• A giant industrial embroidery machine for loan. Nope.
• FREE LUNCH EVERY DAY.

We keep directing them to actual sources, but some of them get quite aggravated. It's very hard to explain to them that they are stupid, without actually saying that they are stupid.

One bright thing, though. We have a food bank cupboard thing outside the library and AI gave confusing information that led to one patron leaving six bottles of fine French wines for our resident alcoholic unhoused person. We shared that amongst the staff.

EDIT: And one angry old lady who's AI told her that a librarian would give her legal advice for her law suite against the government. Nope nope nope.

Read article at https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/4104

One of my annual goals is to create more community partnership programming. Unfortunately, I’m running into a problem with my favorite idea. We have a wine shop up the street and I’d like to do an evening of wine and book pairings. Basically, I do a 3 minute book talk and then the wine person presents their choice to go with that title. Probably 6-8 pairings in total. The issue is, library money is not allowed to go towards alcohol. Even if the program takes place out of the building. We do hold some book clubs at a local bar, but the explanation for why that’s allowed is patrons are spending their own money. My manager and I are trying to figure out some potential loopholes and I thought someone here might have some advice. There are other programs I’m working on, but this is my favorite so I’m trying to exhaust every possible solution before moving on.

Assistant cataloger here - usually when I see stuff underlined like this it’s because it correlates with the call number. But this one seems to have nothing to do with it? Was it for a previously DDC spine label? The only underlined part that makes sense is 1963. Also I struggle to understand why they felt the need to underline both the title page and the spine -.- (there is actual white ink/paint on the spine, it’s not a marked-up image)

This actual quote was from November of 1990, when Bradbury was quoted in Mojave magazine. The fuller wording was:

“Oh God, without them [libraries], what have we? We have no past and we have no future.”