Anderson, A. J. (1986). Once a Public Librarian, Always a Public Librarian. Library Journal, 111(17), 51-52. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier.
This article follows one librarian's plight as a job hunting librarian. After many years working in various public libraries, including a five year stint as an assistant director and eight years as a director, the librarian took her glowing recommendations and published professional articles and began applying for academic librarian positions. She felt as though she had accomplished what she wanted in public libraries, and was ready for new challenges and a new type of library. She was rejected by the academic libraries and told that her skills were best suited for the public library field.
This lead to her questioning of why are the different branches of librarianship so different, and why do they find it so difficult to understand and accept each other? Are the skills not the same? Why, unlike so many other fields and businesses, aren't libraries willing to court those from different fields? Librarians become "branded" once they take their first job as being that type of librarian. Although no answers are given, if there are any, this article brings up a great point to think about for librarians just leaving school and entering the job market. It is also, in a way, a word of caution to pick carefully and to be as broadly educated and experienced as you can.
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