[Neasis-l] An Open Letter from ALISE Board of Directors to USA Today Editor

[Rong Tang]

Dear Colleagues,

ALISE Board of Directors has sent an open letter to Ms. Joanne Lipman,
Editor-in-Chief of USA Today regarding the USA Today career advice feature
on October 13, 2017 entitled “Careers: 8 jobs that won’t exist in 2030,”
which declared that "librarian" is the number one career among the eight
jobs that will disappear in 2030.

Please see the attached letter which was sent yesterday October 20, 2017.
In case the listserv does not allow for email attachment, the fulltext of
the letter is posted below.

Best Regards,

ALISE Board


===
October 20, 2017

Ms. Joanne Lipman

Editor-in-Chief of USA Today

7950 Jones Branch Drive

McLean, VA 22108



Dear Ms. Lipman,


In our roles as the Board of Directors of the Association for Library and
Information Science Education (ALISE), we are writing to express our
profound disappointment with the *USA Today* career advice feature on
October 13, 2017 entitled “Careers: 8 jobs that won’t exist in 2030,”
<https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/careers/2017/10/13/8-jobs-that-wont-exist-in-2030/104219994/>
which declared that "librarian" is the number one career among the eight
jobs that will disappear in 2030. This is a false and inaccurate statement
on two fronts: first, that the profession is declining, and second, that
this alleged decline is a result of libraries as warehouses of printed
books.

The author of this article may not realize that a professional librarian
position in the U.S. and many other countries requires a Master’s degree.
According to a recent article in *Library Journal*
<http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2017/10/placements-and-salaries/2017-survey/librarians-everywhere/#_>*,
*86% of recent graduates from American Library Association (ALA) accredited
schools have found jobs. Another recent report
<https://futureskills.pearson.com/#/welcome-video> (released on September
28, 2017) by Pearson, Nesta, and Oxford University predicts growth in the
information professions, including librarians, curators, and archivists.
They are among the top ten jobs likely to experience increased demand in
2030. The report is summarized by *Library Journal *in its article entitled
“The Job Outlook: In 2030, Librarians Will Be in Demand.
<http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2017/10/opinion/editorial/job-outlook-2030-librarians-will-demand-editorial/>”
Furthermore, your own job posting section for librarian positions does not
show the decline of our profession. A close reading of the job titles
should have indicated to the author that librarians do more than simply
check out books.

This article demonstrates a lack of understanding of librarians' work as
information professionals. Libraries provide access to print and special
collections of media, and subscription-based or free electronic resources.
All of these must be curated, cataloged, or organized by professional
librarians to make them accessible to their users. College and university
librarians carry out research consultations and instruct student and
faculty in finding, evaluating, and using information. Public librarians
connect patrons to community resources, lead programming for children and
adults, and engage in community outreach and advocacy. Special librarians
work for corporations, federal and state institutions, focusing on
gathering competitive intelligence and making sure their organizations have
access to the information they need to make sound business or strategic
decisions.


The article also inaccurately presents libraries as dedicated solely to
books:

More and more people are clearing out those paperbacks and downloading
e-books on their Tablets and Kindles instead. The same goes for borrowing —
as books fall out of favor, libraries are not as popular as they once were.
That means you’ll have a tough time finding a job if you decide to become a
librarian. Many schools and universities are already moving their libraries
off the shelves and onto the Internet.


In addition to providing access to books, journals, newspapers, and other
media, both electronically and in print, libraries provide access to
technology, from computers, laptops, and iPads to 3D printers, multimedia
software, and recording studios. Many libraries have expanded their
non-print collections and are circulating a wide variety of objects
including tools, musical instruments, toys, wifi  hotspots, and artwork.
Libraries are highly valued as community centers and safe spaces that allow
people to connect with information and with each other. Research shows that
libraries are one of the most trusted and valued public institutions in the
country.


The article further argues that librarians and libraries are not needed
because printed books are falling out of favor. However, there is
considerable counter-evidence that printed books are still in demand,
including the articles cited below.

Cain, S. (2017, March 14). Ebook sales continue to fall as younger
generations drive appetite for print. *The Guardian. * Retrieved from:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/mar/14/ebook-sales-
continue-to-fall-nielsen-survey-uk-book-sales

Jenkins, S. (2016, May 13). Books are back. Only the technodazzled thought
they would go away. *The Guardian. *Retrieved from:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/may/13/
books-ebook-publishers-paper

Milliot, J. (2017, January 20). The Bad News About E-books: Nielsen reports
units fell 16% in 2016 compared to 2015*. Publishers Weekly. *Retrieved
from:  https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/
retailing/article/72563-the-bad-news-about-e-books.html





We respectfully request an open response from you or from the author of the
article.



Sincerely,



ALISE Board of Directors

Dietmar Wolfram (President), Heidi Julien (President-Elect), Louise Spiteri
(Past President), Denice Adkins (Secretary/Treasurer), Leanne Bowler
(Director for Special Interest Groups), Cecilia Salvatore (Director for
Membership Services), Rong Tang (Director for External Relations)



-- 
Rong Tang, PhD.
Associate Professor
School of Library and Information Science
Director, Simmons Usability Lab
Director, SLIS PhD Program
Simmons College

Director for External Relations, Association for Library and Information
Science Education
rong.tang at simmons.edu
1-617-521-2880 <(617)%20521-2880>
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