Librarians, job opportunities and unemployment
Part 1

Niels Ole Pors,Library Link Regional Editor/Convenor

One of the things that worries Danish library directors at the present time is a possible future lack of graduates to take up positions in Denmark�s libraries.

During the 1980�s the unemployment rate for most university graduates was rather high - in some professions up to 15 - 20 %. This situation has changed quite considerably. At the moment the unemployment rate among graduates who have a degree in library and information science is 3.5%, which is the lowest in 20 years. Among the unemployed are graduates from the 1980�s and they are unlikely to get a permanent job in the profession. It implies that, in fact, we have a situation with full employment at the moment.

The reason for the concern is, of course, that the public library system was built up in the 1960�s after the Danish Parliament passed the library law in 1964. A huge number of librarians were employed at that time and the capacity at the school of librarianship was high. These librarians have now started to withdraw from the labour-market and this process of withdrawal will continue for at least the next 10 - 12 years. It is estimated that at least 200 librarians will take retirement during each of these years. Nearly all of them are employed in the public sector.

It will be a real challenge for the profession and - to a certain degree - the Royal School of Library and Information Science. The School has a yearly intake of 260 students. The drop-out rate is around 35 %, which means that a maximum 175 students will graduate. It is not enough to cover the demand. The students take a 3 year bachelors programme in library and information science. In itself the bachelor-degree will not qualify the students for a position. On top of the 3 years of study they have to take a 6 month professional and project-oriented study programme to obtain the qualifications to become a librarian. It is estimated that quite a large number of students will want to continue study after the bachelors degree with a masters programme in either information science or cultural planning. It is also estimated that a number of the bachelors will continue with a master degree in a totally different field such as computer studies, economics, or management or that they will simply be picked up by the private sector.

It is interesting to note that the school has a national monopoly and that the intake of students up to 1983 was 360 students. This number was reduced due to the rather high unemployment figure.

The pertinent question is, of course, whether the students will really look for a career in the public sector.

During the last 15 years we have seen that a rather substantial number of our graduates have gone to the private sector in very diversified types of jobs. It is estimated that 30 - 40 % of the graduates take up positions outside the public sector.

Every year the school conducts a survey of the 1st year students. Some of the questions ask why the students chose librarianship and their career aspirations. These investigations show that the students are very open to so-called alternative careers.

It is of course evident that the public library system will have a very hard time attracting a sufficient number of graduates in the coming years. There has been quite a lot of attention given to the kind of qualifications and personal skills the employers require from graduates. I guess that the coming years will demonstrate that the new graduates are the ones that will put forward requirements in relation to employers skills, attitudes and their ability to establish promising, fulfilling and satisfying conditions at the workplace.

It does raise some pertinent questions.

• Will it be necessary to change the existing balance between professional and para-professional staff in the libraries in the coming years?
• If yes, how will it influence the service quality?
• Will it be necessary to recruit graduates with other academic backgrounds and if yes - is it desirable?
• Will library managers be in a position in which they are able to establish jobs and opportunities that can attract young people that really can be selective?
• How much can we allow the pay or wage structure in the public and private sector to differ?

Part 2 of this paper will consider the same type of problems in a broader European context. In this context especially the standing and image of librarians are important. Important also is the increasing inequality between the emerging private sector and the public sector in Eastern European countries. These issues will also be addressed in Part 2 of this paper.

Further reading

Goulding, Anne (1995) "Investing in public library people", Library Management, Vol. 16 No. 4

Hannabuss, Stuart (1998) "Flexible jobs: changing patterns in information and library work", New Library World Vol. 99 No. 3

Johnson, Ian M. (1998) "Challenges in developing professionals for the "information society": and some responses by the British schools of librarianship and information studies", Library Review, Vol. 47 No. 3

Pors, Niels Ole - The Changing Labour Market of the Information Professional: Challenges for Library School Education. Librarian Career Development, Vol 02 Issue 3 1994

Back to Careers Around The World Viewpoints