undefined | Better HN

0 pointsstillsut8y ago0 comments

Let me give you a hypothetical company IT department: while you are allowed to work there with any education background, only an MBA can be a manager. How do you think they would perform at IT tasks?

Who runs libraries? People with Masters in Library Science. I expect severe budget and certification crises would come to any library that won't put a certified librarian in a head position.

Or, I'm a working class guy and it's Sunday, my traditional off from work, can I go to the library? No, it is closed because there needs to be Master Librarian on duty and they've negotiated a contract to never have to work Sunday. Now the facility sits there unused 14% of the time, during the most likely time it would be used.

0 comments

21 comments · 5 top-level

soperj8y ago· 6 in thread

Libraries in Canada have the same stipulations, but are actually funded and are open all the time. Our downtown library is open 9am-9pm every day of the year.

the_unknown8y ago

Hm, I'm East of Toronto and thought my small town library was closed Sunday and Monday... just checked - no, open 7 days a week. Pleasantly surprised.

The small, small, small town north of here though is closed on Sunday.

jgmjgm8y ago

I live in Canada in a mid-sized city and my library is closed on Sundays. Just as a poster above, it appears to be the case that the librarians negotiated a great deal for themselves. (Closed on Sundays during the summer, open on Sundays during the winter.)

However, it is a great library. No arguments there. It's a pain that its closed on Sundays just when kids want to use it most.

soperj8y ago

Which city? I'm in a mid-sized city as well. I find it quite surprising since I've lived in many places around Canada from small towns to big cities from Toronto all the way out to the West Coast, and have never had access to at least one library that was open all the time.

surement8y ago

https://www.vpl.ca/hours-locations

rubatuga8y ago

That's a severe overgeneralization and I can tell you that is not the case.

Sumaso8y ago

Please do. Where is that not the case.

Blackthorn8y ago· 5 in thread

> Who runs libraries? People with Masters in Library Science. I expect severe budget and certification crises would come to any library that won't put a certified librarian in a head position.

And you would be wrong. My local library is considered one of the best small-town libraries in the nation (I believe at one point it literally won an award for being the best) -- and does not have a certified librarian in a head position.

Also, to compare MLS librarians with MBAs in regards to the workings of what's under them is exceptionally unfair. Most librarians I know (a set which includes my father in law, who is a county library director, and two close friends, who hold MLS degrees) are extremely academically curious about new things they can do to make their libraries more accessible and attractive.

MR4D8y ago

No, he would be right.

Source: https://www.jamesgmartin.center/2014/07/do-librarians-need-a...

Blackthorn8y ago

Libraries do not all follow those rules. The existence of my local library, as I discussed, shows that.

1 more reply

stillsutOP8y ago

There are MBA's who are also curious and interested in "going digital", "leveraging big data", etc. Left to initiate programs under these banners, and evaluate themselves I expect the MBA to perform sub-optimally.

My point is not to disrespect MLS, in fact as even as a programmer, I'd probably be terrible as a head sys-admin/tech-support for a library too.

I'm wondering why we've never heard of anyone making a good career move by setting up tech at a library (other than as a fat and easy contract)? If we can all relate to these deficient computer networks being run in public libraries, why has nobody succeeded in this space? I'm suggesting perverse incentives in management structure is why this much needed service isn't being filled by our extremely talented tech workforce.

> it literally won an award for being the best and does not have a certified librarian in a head position.

kind of my point, no?

johnjhayes8y ago

>>I'm wondering why we've never heard of anyone making a good career move by setting up tech at a library

Because they are underfunded, Bezos seems to be addressing that.

>>kind of my point, no?

No, the provided example seems to be counter to your point.

1 more reply

notfromhere8y ago

Because libraries are underfunded, as is most public infrastructure. Libraries bring a lot of beneficial resources to a community, but they're the first things to be cut

SolaceQuantum8y ago· 5 in thread

Every library I've been to in every town I've been to had Sunday hours. This includes New York City and its surrounding suburbs, Buffalo and its surrounding suburbs, several towns in Conneticut and several more in Toronto Canada and its surrounding suburbs.

Even my university library has sunday hours.

jnordwick8y ago

Definitely not NY. The NYPL only has a few of locations open on Sunday. The vast majority are not open.

malynda8y ago

Multiple libraries in small town Iowa do not have Sunday hours. Just to hazard a guess at the nearest place to have a library with Sunday hours probably requires a minimum 60 mile drive.

mixmastamyk8y ago

In LA only the central library is open Sunday, for 4 or 5 hours.

qohen8y ago

While most of the 70+ branches are closed Sundays, there are some 8 or 9 that are open from 1-5 on Sundays. E.g. the branch on Robertson, a few blocks south of Pico.

The hours for all branches are on the following page; to find the ones open on Sunday, just search on the page for:

Sun: 1-5

https://www.lapl.org/branches

Also, the Beverly Hills Public Library -- which is, of course, not part of the LA library system -- is open 12 - 6 on the weekends:

https://roxbury.beverlyhills.org/

alphonsegaston8y ago

Yeah but that's an LA thing, not specific to libraries. Lots of stuff closes way early or has weird hours

Also, the main branches of suburban libraries in places like Glendale and Pasadena are open all weekend too.

enraged_camel8y ago

Why does here have to be a master librarian on duty? Do you mean it's in the negotiated contract, or are there legitimate reasons?

throwaway76458y ago

Being closed on Sunday is a bummer.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

21 comments · 5 top-level

soperj8y ago· 6 in thread

Libraries in Canada have the same stipulations, but are actually funded and are open all the time. Our downtown library is open 9am-9pm every day of the year.

the_unknown8y ago

Hm, I'm East of Toronto and thought my small town library was closed Sunday and Monday... just checked - no, open 7 days a week. Pleasantly surprised.

The small, small, small town north of here though is closed on Sunday.

jgmjgm8y ago

However, it is a great library. No arguments there. It's a pain that its closed on Sundays just when kids want to use it most.

soperj8y ago

surement8y ago

https://www.vpl.ca/hours-locations

rubatuga8y ago

That's a severe overgeneralization and I can tell you that is not the case.

Sumaso8y ago

Please do. Where is that not the case.

Blackthorn8y ago· 5 in thread

> Who runs libraries? People with Masters in Library Science. I expect severe budget and certification crises would come to any library that won't put a certified librarian in a head position.

MR4D8y ago

No, he would be right.

Source: https://www.jamesgmartin.center/2014/07/do-librarians-need-a...

Blackthorn8y ago

Libraries do not all follow those rules. The existence of my local library, as I discussed, shows that.

1 more reply

stillsutOP8y ago

My point is not to disrespect MLS, in fact as even as a programmer, I'd probably be terrible as a head sys-admin/tech-support for a library too.

> it literally won an award for being the best and does not have a certified librarian in a head position.

kind of my point, no?

johnjhayes8y ago

>>I'm wondering why we've never heard of anyone making a good career move by setting up tech at a library

Because they are underfunded, Bezos seems to be addressing that.

>>kind of my point, no?

No, the provided example seems to be counter to your point.

1 more reply

notfromhere8y ago

Because libraries are underfunded, as is most public infrastructure. Libraries bring a lot of beneficial resources to a community, but they're the first things to be cut

SolaceQuantum8y ago· 5 in thread

Even my university library has sunday hours.

jnordwick8y ago

Definitely not NY. The NYPL only has a few of locations open on Sunday. The vast majority are not open.

malynda8y ago

Multiple libraries in small town Iowa do not have Sunday hours. Just to hazard a guess at the nearest place to have a library with Sunday hours probably requires a minimum 60 mile drive.

mixmastamyk8y ago

In LA only the central library is open Sunday, for 4 or 5 hours.

qohen8y ago

While most of the 70+ branches are closed Sundays, there are some 8 or 9 that are open from 1-5 on Sundays. E.g. the branch on Robertson, a few blocks south of Pico.

The hours for all branches are on the following page; to find the ones open on Sunday, just search on the page for:

Sun: 1-5

https://www.lapl.org/branches

Also, the Beverly Hills Public Library -- which is, of course, not part of the LA library system -- is open 12 - 6 on the weekends:

https://roxbury.beverlyhills.org/

alphonsegaston8y ago

Yeah but that's an LA thing, not specific to libraries. Lots of stuff closes way early or has weird hours

Also, the main branches of suburban libraries in places like Glendale and Pasadena are open all weekend too.

enraged_camel8y ago

Why does here have to be a master librarian on duty? Do you mean it's in the negotiated contract, or are there legitimate reasons?

throwaway76458y ago

Being closed on Sunday is a bummer.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse