So I work in an incredibly petty library. The library I am in most days is one of five libraries in an affluent city system.

Today a circulation staffer complained that "someone" placed a bookend on a shelf. She doesn't like it there so it's wrong of anyone else to place it there. I spoke up and said I put it there to make it easier to reach the books.

Now, in other libraries I have worked in, which is several, a staffer would just remove the bookend and move on. In our library, which is famous in system for its crappy culture, she has to make a big deal and lecture me at every opportunity. I'm a senior librarian with another very patr-time job in an academic library. You know how people complain about the politics in academic libraries? Well, at least the disputes are about ideas instead of just trying to control where people place bookends.

I am so tempted to quit. It's been a rough few years here and if I had not had to take out a loan to make home repairs required by our insurer (California!), I'd have been out of this crappy atmosphere already. AND our supervisor has zero spine. Sick of it, and thanks for listening.

How do you all handle it when you just feel like you've reached your limit and you'd like to walk out?

I used to be an overachiever at my library. I've worked there for over a decade and worked my way from a substitute weekend position to a full time librarian. I got this far because I always volunteered for extra work and went above and beyond by finding projects to help make the daily workflow smoother. I volunteered for committees, helped other departments when they were short without needing to be asked, and I even spent the pandemic finding and working on all kinds of projects that could only be done while we were closed to the public.

I have no interest in joining management so I have gone as far as I can professionally. I no longer get raises. My cost of living increase every year is less than a dollar and doesn't keep up with inflation. Insurance and union dues go up so every year I make less money than the previous year. I have no incentive to try so I basically stopped doing work. Over the years I realized that my managers were the ones receiving recognition and even promotions based on the work I was doing. I feel that my work ethic was taken advantage of.

At first when I began to pull back I felt immense guilt and paranoia that I was going to get caught slacking, until I noticed my managers spend their days shopping online and staring at their phones. The people around me in our office just talk and show each other videos. No one even notices that I'm not doing anything either. I see managers come in late and leave early. Many of the people who make considerably more money get to "work" from home several times per week. The people who get paid the most, make all the decisions, and criticize everyone else's work are never even in the library.

I stopped suggesting projects and stopped doing basic things like straightening the new books to make it look more appealing to the public. I realized I was the only person doing this and now our collection looks like a yard sale. I spend weeks on tasks that should take me a day and no one calls me out on it.

Part of me wants to find a new job where I can use my brain or work in an environment where there's a shared objective of making the library the best place it can be, but I feel like I'll just hit the same wall where there's nothing left to gain from it. I don't know what's worse, being burnt out by being one of the few people who tries, or being burnt out from going to work everyday at a place where no one cares.

Hey everyone! I work in libraries and my colleagues and I were sent a small study conducted by conservators at the Natural History Museum London. They tested a small sample size of books with leather rot and found above the permissible amounts of Arsenic, Cadmium, and Lead. I share this because I work in a large institution and we are implementing a *requirement* of PPE (N95 respirators, gloves, aprons. Sleeve covers and goggles are recommended, but they're optional for now until more testing is done). We are also handling books with leather rot in a separate room to contain the dust as much as possible.

Basically there was a sizeable reaction and sudden importance of wearing PPE, so I think it is important to note. I'm not telling anyone to do anything because I know gloves can often do more harm than good when handling fragile books. However, if this information is of use to anybody I'd rather get it out there.

I likely won't be able to answer many questions if you have them, I'm just spreading what's being relayed to me!

Here is the citation:

Tarnowska, M., Montgomery, W., Konstantinidou, K., Clatworthy, I., & Jiang, L. (2026). Deteriorating leather bindings and red rot – health and safety considerations. Journal of the Institute of Conservation, 49(1), 36–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/19455224.2025.2602927

Hi everyone! I’m a 25-year-old woman who is currently pursuing my MLIS and I’m considering taking a library position at a jail/correctional facility.
I actually feel pretty okay about the idea myself. I’m not particularly afraid of working with incarcerated people, and I think the position could be really interesting and give me valuable library experience. However, my family and boyfriend are very concerned about my safety, which has made me start second-guessing myself.
I’m also pretty petite, so I know I’m not exactly physically intimidating. 😅 My concern is less about being uncomfortable around incarcerated people and more about whether I would realistically be putting myself in a potentially dangerous situation.
For those of you who have worked in correctional libraries, jail libraries, prison libraries, or other library positions within correctional facilities:
What was your experience actually like?
Did you generally feel safe?
Are correctional officers present while library staff are working?
What kind of safety/de-escalation training do you receive?
Do library staff ever work alone with incarcerated individuals?
Are there situations where you felt genuinely unsafe?
Would you recommend this type of position to a young woman starting out in librarianship?
Is there anything specific I should ask the employer before accepting the job?
I’d especially appreciate hearing from people who have actually worked in correctional libraries, rather than just general assumptions about what working in a jail is like.
I’m open to the possibility that my family is being overly worried, but I also want to be realistic and make an informed decision. Thanks!

I’m wondering if anyone has any good discord servers for librarians!

I’ve worked at a public library for three years now. I have an MS, and hesitate to get an MLIS (mainly because I love doing outreach programs and makerspace things). During my time I have taken LJA and professional development via the state.

If I were to apply for non-MLIS library jobs in the future, how serious would the certificates & classes be taken?

The 100th anniversary of the publication of Winnie the Pooh is coming up on October 14 and I am looking for suggestions on programming ideas for our K-5 school library.

I can (and will) definitely do a special read-aloud at recess and with individual classes… but I’m looking for additional ideas. I do not want to ask students to dress up in costume, as that is really just creating work for their parents / families (not to mention the fact that it ends up being a distraction in the classroom).

Hit me with what ya got!

Hello all

Short story

I'm entering year 3 of my time at a public library. I have no degree in anything. Just some credits at a community college many moons back but general studies essentially.

I have connected with this job and would like to find ways to grow/evolve in the library or public sector as I do believe I've found a home. I don't want to do a masters in library science, but of course that could be down the road.

My main goal is a bachelor's that can be a good one to get that can help within the library and/or potentially in other public sectors.

I don't necessarily have a strong skill set out of being good with the public and such. I'm 39 years old. Tech savvy enough to help my patrons and all the jazz.

Just hoping to use this subreddit for some fun insight from others instead of using AI to dive into this.

A bachelor's allows me to move up a little bit within this library setting so my goal in a way is it helping in a variety of ways

1. It can help me in this current system to move up

2. It could help me transfer to another library

3. It helps with moving within the public sector

4. It helps just with the job itself if I wanted to blend it with a masters in library science

EDIT: I did y'all dirty. Sorry. I didn't include as much as I should've. I don't feel I'm particularly strong in many areas when it comes to book smarts. I struggled in school growing up so this job I'm in has me always feeling like I lucked out.

I'm not a math person. I don't gravitate toward one subject super heavy honestly but I'm loving what y'all have said so far.

One time it's much faster than Firefox, other times it's plenty slower. What the hell gives?

Firefox is on the left half of the screen, Chromium is on the right half.

Hi! Just wondering if anyone has completed any LIS certifications at CCCC? I’m interested in hearing opinions about all certifications, but especially the Library Technical Services Certificate.

I’m not starting my MLIS for another year and I’ve been looking to continue my education in other ways in the meantime.

Link to programs - https://www.cccc.edu/all-programs/library-and-information-technology

Thanks!! :)

Hello all!

I’m looking for recommendations on an iPad app to take photos on a green screen. The one we used to use (I can’t for the life of me remember the name and it’s been deleted already, maybe chromavid) stopped being supported and I can’t find a good replacement.

I’ve got permission to buy an app, as we use it at various events and for programs. The old one had its faults but it let me zoom in/out on the chosen background and to move it around on the screen to put it in the perfect position to make the photo work. Ideally I’d like an app that I can crop/edit the picture without having to go to photos to do so.

Any suggestions or ideas?

- we are in Canada so needs to be available in the Canadian App Store.

Hello all!

I’m looking for recommendations on an iPad app to take photos on a green screen. The one we used to use (I can’t for the life of me remember the name and it’s been deleted already, maybe chromavid) stopped being supported and I can’t find a good replacement.

I’ve got permission to buy an app, as we use it at various events and for programs. The old one had its faults but it let me zoom in/out on the chosen background and to move it around on the screen to put it in the perfect position to make the photo work. Ideally I’d like an app that I can crop/edit the picture without having to go to photos to do so.

Any suggestions or ideas?

- we are in Canada so needs to be available in the Canadian App Store.

Hi! My name is Ayda. I am a library assistant who is getting my MiLS with the goal of being a Youth Librarian. I was granted the opportunity to present at my state library association's conference in October. My topic is about self-censorship and the effects it has on collection development and the libraries we serve. I am hoping for library worker's opinions and experiences with self-censorship, book challenges, policies, biases and related topics.

I am hoping to either do a virtual interview or have responses in a survey. Your name in the survey/interview is not required!

If you are interested in the virtual interview or have any questions for me, please DM me! Below is the google form for the survey questions. If you choose to be interviewed, they will be the same questions in this survey.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe66Lc5hEDoapDG947UqviTuu_yRtdv7z-Hbkav2jQhn7ckkw/viewform?usp=publish-editor

(Please delete if not allowed)

Best advice for someone about to become a first-time library manager?

Busy saturday, with no shelving done. Full overnight drop, and 3 pages of holds...

Why am I hearing Dory from Finding Nemo? "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming"

As stated, I’m looking for public libraries (hopefully in bigger cities with multiple branches) that switched away from Dewey to BISAC or some other hybrid shelving. My library is considering the change and wants to think through how to make this change as effectively and painlessly as possible, also whether you used ALL BISAC categories or did a shortened/modified group of headings.

I offered Information Literacy workshops to teachers thinking that they wouldn’t be interested (Like last year). Now teachers at my college are taking me up on the offer for their students and I don’t feel like I can back out because it’s part of my job and I was the one who offered. I’m very anxious about presenting an hour long in front of a group, but I’m also not completely confident in my ability to explain the material clearly.

I understand it in my head, but struggle to put it into practice and simplify it for others. My first workshop is probably happening soon, and I’m terrified.

Any advice from librarians who struggled with teaching at first?

Many have mentioned that they use Microsoft Excel to create work schedules for their libraries. At times, the spreadsheet format isn't easy on the eyes to digest/decipher.

Is there a way to issue prompts through AI to make sure there aren't gaps in the work schedule? I've noticed that with a staff of 10+ clerks, all with various availability, it gets hectic trying to determine the best way to make sure all shifts are adequately scheduled.

For example, our library is open 9am-9pm every Monday. We always have two people on the opening shift, at least one during the midday, and another two closing up the library 4-9 or 5-9.

Is this something like writing code to tell the program to always recognize if the required amount of staff are present during a given time?

Just looking for an easier way to create monthly schedules without having any gaps.

Great selection!