When members of the public think about what a library is they often think of books and buildings. It’s understandable, really: books are essentially the library’s “brand” (even though we do much more than just books!) and the building is the manifestation of the institution within the community it serves.
The books and the building are great, and very much needed for a library to function as intended, but what libraries actually DO wouldn’t be possible without the people who work inside of them. Staff is also the largest part of a public library’s budget. Per the American Library Association, roughly two thirds of the annual operating expenditures of a public library in the United States goes towards staffing (salaries, benefits, etc.).
When searching for a private sector/for profit analog, consultants sometimes lump libraries in with retail as a comparable industry…but that analogy doesn’t completely work (for so many reasons it’s probably a blog post of its own). If libraries ARE like retail, then they are like a retail store that accepts 100% ofwhat it sells as returns. Ask your favorite store if they could pull that off, and not just in terms of making money (which they couldn’t) but in terms of staffing.
Everything in our collection not only has to get back on the shelf, but it has to get back to a specific linear inch of shelving, one that doesn’t necessarily stay in the same place, but moves around based on what other materials are also on the shelf at that time.
It is a lot.
Which is why I’ve been thinking specifically about our clerks. That title may not translate to the uninitiated, but clerks are the folks who take the carts of books that have been checked back in out to the public service floor and get the books back on the shelf so our patrons and staff can find them.
It is detailed work made more complicated by the level of physicality it requires. It is one of the more physical kinds of library work. In fact, often people who take these jobs find themselves surprised at the repetitive motion required.
AND this is critical work. Without clerks and other public service staff who shelve books as a part of their job (JCLS has 13 branches at which all staff have shelving as a regular task), the library ceases to function. If the books don’t get back on the shelves accurately, there would be NO finding anything (or, perhaps, more accurately, there would be a lot of finding of things, but next to ZERO finding of the thing one wants).
Everything would devolve into chaos. CHAOS, I TELL YOU.
So these agents of order, our amazing clerks, are important. Super important. And they are the unsung heroes of libraries everywhere! So: today, clerks, we salute you!