[quote name='PenguinoMF']To all the library assistants/workers, what qualifies a librarian to be a librarian. I always thought if you work at a library you are a librarian. So what makes them special? They have to go to school for that?
Spacepest, my girlfriend works at Barnes and Noble and she usually doesn't have anything to complain about but during holiday time last year all she did was complain about the uneducated people that probably can't even read that came in during that time.[/QUOTE]
Let me respond to your comments.
As other people have also said, you need a specialized degree to become a full fledged librarian, a master's degree in library science. In our area, to get a bachelor's+master's costs about an estimated $70k. (About $40K for a state school degree and then $30K for the library school degree). Its a surprisingly competitive field--every one of our district's open positions receive hundreds (and often a thousand) applications. I've kind of resisted going back to school, because in good conscience, I can't see paying $70K for a $20k a year job, no matter how much I love it. Yeah, there is the chance that you could advance in position and make more money, but that's it--only a chance. And what I've seen so far, it could be very a small chance.
Penguino, your comment about a GF working at Barnes and Noble reminded me of a situation one of my coworkers is going through. She went to library school and now has a $40k student loan debt over her head, which requires her to work a second, non degree'd position at Barnes and Noble just to make ends meet. So two jobs, to pay for one degree. I feel very sorry for that coworker.
My coworker has also stated that surprisingly enough, Barnes and Noble has turned out to be the less stressful job. They are more flexible with her hours, offer better benefits, and the customers exhibit nowhere near the level of insanity that some library patrons do. Oh, and don't ever buy children's books from a bookstore, order them straight from the warehouse. She's seen too many children with unwashed hands (that were in their diapers a few seconds earlier) handling the new books.