Vantaggi
Some good colleagues and a variety of tasks that keep me busy. Some nice people from all walks of life work with me. You're around books all day and helping to provide essential public service. Local history staff are dedicated and so are most of the staff in information services. It feels good when you help people. There's a union, which can be a good thing. Benefits are fine and I wish they would expend them a little but they are tied to city benefits I think.
Svantaggi
Staff surveillance is a thing here…emails are actively monitored and they use security cameras at both the front at back entrances of main branch to check when staff arrive or leave. They pretend cameras are for security but it is more than that the past few months....positively Orwellian and you don't dare be a minute late from a lunch break. Lots of mystery vanishing acts lately... Leaders targeted for removal are put ‘under investigation’ in most antagonistic and taxing ways possible, usually have to take a leave or are forced to take a leave, then a few weeks/months later a terse email is sent to all staff saying so & so doesn’t work for the library-effective immediately. This has happened over and over and over. It’s scary. Sad to see widespread ineptitude at all levels of the library in terms of wasting Public funds. Directots spout trendy terminology and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on third party consultants, but these are for optics more than anything. One consultant I know outside of work told me that they were shocked at the overall ignorance of the directors. Promotions are few and far between.