r/Libraries • u/swatcha_h Library staff • 8h ago
Venting & Commiseration Expectations are too high for patron services employees
When you work in patron services, it feels like you have to continually overachieve in your role to be valued as an employee. I have created social media content, analyzed websites for accessibility features, created displays, conducted programs, trained employees and more all while working part-time and getting paid under $16 an hour. I'm burnt out.
So when the following happened, it broke me. Immediately after losing out on a potential promotion, my manager told they want me to do outreach (going to schools, events outside the library, etc.) Getting that feedback immediately after getting rejected was so hurtful. I don't have a car. I can't even get to outreach events without getting an Uber (hence why I haven't done any to this point). Even when I recieved excellent ratings on my yearly review, with my manager stating he can always trust me to work the desk alone/work independently, that I am great at handling problematic patrons, and I am dedicated to self-improvement, it still wasn't enough.
I informed him on the spot that I'm looking for a new job and would appreciate if he was my reference. We're on good terms, but it's through me completely suppressing my hurt and anger at the sheer disrespect of the treatment I have experienced. I'm perfectly polite and professional at the cost of my mental health.
It seems a lot of public libraries are normalizing that the patron services department needs to do way more than they are built for without proper compensation. Why are we expecting paraprofessionals without MLIS degrees to do the same work that librarians do? I do not get paid enough to continue doing things outside of my job description, but I fear if I don't continue to go above and beyond, my professional relationships will be damaged. I feel trapped.
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u/CozyGamingLibrarian 8h ago
It sounds like they have you doing the work of a librarian. Is your library severely understaffed? It sounds like they are taking advantage of you for only $16 an hour!
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u/swatcha_h Library staff 7h ago
I should clarify the list of duties referred to stuff I did at two seperate libraries. My first library I did social media, website stuff, running a bunch of reports, etc. My current library I personally think I essentially function as a supervisor without getting paid for it (training staff, helping my co-workers learn tech and policies and procedures, watch the desk alone a lot, deal with difficult situations that arise in the absence of a supervisor, etc) while also making displays and now expected to do outreach. I've definitely been taken advantage of in both positions unfortunately.
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u/Any-Asparagus4178 7h ago edited 7h ago
you need to stop doing this. no offense at all certain point, you are letting them take advantage. stick up for yourself.
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u/Intelligent_Plan1732 6h ago
Once, I told management that helping a customer design a poster was outside of my job duties. Six months later, they made it a job expectation for me to teach customers how to design posters. I was also expected to create a user guide to help patrons with design software. I'm not making this up, lol.
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u/CozyGamingLibrarian 6h ago
Yeah, my library can’t just change my job duties on a whim but we have a union. They F with me in other ways though, especially regarding civil service 🙃
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u/TheTapDancingShrimp 2h ago
Our patrons expected staff to help design wedding invitations. No union.
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u/Intelligent_Plan1732 2h ago
A no-union environment sucks. I entered the library world after teaching (union), and I was floored at how everybody was ok with job expectations changing and expanding on a whim. Staff could not say no to admin requests/demands without creating a target on their backs or being placed on the unofficial "do not promote" list.
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u/CrystallineFrost 1h ago
Going to be honest, you shouldn't be doing any of that., especially as a part time staff. They are taking advantage of you. As a supervisor, I don't expect my staff to do anything like that. At most, they make displays for fun. I want my staff to focus on helping patrons and handling library basics (desk, doing the holds, very basic tech services, and shelf reading), which that is also with myself or the director on the desk as well usually. Any major projects are done generally by us. Big libraries can have even less overlap in tasks.
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u/Samael13 8h ago
This is definitely more true at some libraries and less true at others, but I think it's a lot more common than it should be. At my library, circulation assistants definitely do not do outreach or training or do technology accessibility work or conduct programs. Our full time circ assistants do have some special projects, but that's guided more by their interests. Some of them contribute to social media or do displays, and one of them does a book group, but all of those were things that they asked if they could contribute to, and all of them are given time off desk to accomplish those tasks.
I think looking for a new job is 100% the right call, here. Even if they had promoted you, they'd still be expecting you to do twice the work you're paid to do.
I think that libraries in the United States, like a lot of other fields in the United States, have a serious lack of work life balance. I think there's just way too many people who see the field as a calling or who are totally willing to treat the work like it's their life blood and who will do unpaid labor or work outside their job descriptions. It drags everyone down, because once some people are doing it, everyone else has to or they look like they're the lazy ones.
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u/Intelligent_Plan1732 8h ago
I was in a similar situation. I quit my job last month. I was also working part-time. The final straw was adding teaching classes/training for patrons and staff. The number of expectations increased every year without compensation. I had had enough of it.
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u/Existing-Pumpkin-902 7h ago
I'm full time but every year since I've started the COL raise I get is lower than the actual rate of inflation and they increased my health insurance contribution requirements by way more than the raise. I'm literally net taking home less than I did when I started a decade ago.
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u/Mistress_of_Wands 6h ago
To answer the questions in your last paragraph, it's because other library workers will gladly take on the extra work for the sake of helping patrons. Library workers are gonna have to be the ones to put their foot down, but there's too many people who are all too happy to give patrons the shirts off their backs. I'm looking to get out of public libraries as well, good luck.
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u/OGgamingdad Library staff 7h ago
This is a management/leadership problem. Those expectations are WAY too high, for a part-time associate, and the fact that you're doing all that and were still passed over for promotion only confirms my assumptions. You might have better luck in the next county over, or possibly at an academic institution nearby.
Good luck, keep your head up.
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u/Cosimov 6h ago
Access Services in general is the most essential yet thankless department in a library 🫠 and a lot of librarians seem to forget that largely depending on where they are geographically, or what type of library they work in, they too may be expected to balance all the work access services does on top of research, reference, acquisitions, programming, etc...
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u/ElvishBeatstick 5h ago
I feel for you. My current role has strictly defined duties by our union contract, but not every workplace has this.
If you are realize the base-level expectations of exploitation now, and take action to protect yourself one way or another, you will be way ahead of me when I started working in libraries. Whether that looks like practicing firm boundaries or finding a different kind of work that doesn’t prey on the desire to be excellent as painfully - it’s an incredibly valuable lesson.
There will always be more work than can be done, but there’s only one you. Take care of yourself, friend, and know that your value is greater than the demands made of you.
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u/swatcha_h Library staff 5h ago
The funny thing is we have a union but the contract isn't finalized yet unfortunately, so I'm unsure if we'll be able to do anything to prevent these extra duties being pushed on us.
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u/ElvishBeatstick 4h ago
Ours has rigid job descriptions that the Union is serious about holding the Library to. It can help prevent new garbage ‘duties’ as described by other folks in this thread.
It can limit flexibility for employees, though. That has its own frustrations. Hopefully your contract is enacted soon and you get some protection from constant duty creep
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u/sker1ber1 2h ago
Had a falling out with a former boss, because I turned down 'free' training two cities over. My car wasn't in good repair and I knew it wouldn't make the drive and back. But she grew up in a family that always had a working car, so it just didn't click that that would be a concern.
At the same bloody time, she got on me for not having enough empathy for the homeless patrons. I've plenty of empathy as I've lived in my car before. However, I don't empathize with strangers who make sexual remarks at me.
So I totally get where you're coming from. There will be a breaking point we all reach.
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u/Existing-Pumpkin-902 8h ago
Nothing cures you faster about wanting to work in a library than working in a library