Vantaggi
Lots of books, Great, helpful, knowledgeable teammates, Meaningful, varied, and mostly fulfilling work. Mostly great patrons. Part time work available.
Svantaggi
Low pay for experience/skills required, Out of touch/remote administration values conformity and control over collaboration and creativity. (See: giant bureaucracy.) Though starting pay is better than other local library systems, still does not pay front line staff a living wage for the local economy, and on call employees are paid less than their experience level merits. Like teachers and nurses, front-line library employees are in the "prestige/meaning" bind, which weaponizes the desire to be of service to get more work for less pay than many other professions, Compensation has NOT kept up with the stunning post pandemic rise in mental health incidents faced by branch employees. Employees now expected to provide social work as well as all library tasks. Library system now hires fewer librarians and have lower-paid employees do most of their work. (And only 3 states in the US pay librarians a living wage...) The organization profits off of part time workers. Part time workers pay 4x what full-time workers pay for insurance, and yet there are exponentially fewer full time positions.