Children's Librarians

Less than half (42 percent) of public libraries had a children"s librarian on staff in 1988-89 (not shown in tables).⁹ Children"s librarians were most commonly found in libraries with many library patrons per week (Figure 5) and in main libraries with branches (Figure 6). Over three-quarters (79 percent) of libraries with heavy patronage had a children's librarian on staff, compared with 42 percent of libraries with moderate patronage, and only 11 percent of libraries with light patronage. Children's librarians were also found more frequently in main libraries with branches (73 percent) than in either main libraries without branches (39 percent) or branch libraries (39 percent).

It is important to note that the presence of a children's librarians on staff was related to the total number of public service librarians on staff. Libraries that had a children's librarian averaged 6.3 public service librarians on staff libraries without a children's librarian averaged only 2.0 public service librarians on staff (not shown in tables).

The number of children's librarians on staff ranged from O to 14 in this survey, with a mean of 0.6 across all kinds of libraries (not shown in tables). Over half (58 percent) of libraries did not have any children's librarians on staff, about one-third (34 percent) had only one children's librarian, and 8 percent had 2 or more children"s librarians on staff (not shown in tables). Main libraries with branches averaged the largest number of children's librarians (1.6), compared with an average of only 0.5 children's librarians at main libraries without branches and branch libraries. Similarly, libraries with heavy patronage averaged 1.2 children's librarians, compared with an average of only 0.5 at libraries with moderate patronage, and only 0.1 at libraries with light patronage.

Overall, children's librarians represented 15 percent of public service librarians (not shown in tables). There was little variation in this percentage by library type or patronage. In the 42 percent of libraries that had a children's librarian on staff, about one-fifth (22 percent) of the public service librarians were children"s librarians (not shown in tables).

About half (49 percent) of all children's librarians had a Master of Library Science (MLS) degree (Table 1). About one-third (32 percent) of children's librarians had at least a 4-year college degree but not an MLS, and 19 percent had some other educational background. As with the education of public service librarians discussed previously, level of education varied with patronage and library type. Over half (58 percent) of children's librarians in libraries with heavy patronage had an MLS degree, compared with 38 percent of children's librarians in libraries with moderate patronage, and only 11 percent in libraries with light patronage. In main libraries with branches and in branch libraries, 59 percent of children's librarians had an MLS degree, whereas in main libraries without branches only 36 percent of children's librarians did.

While a larger proportion of children's librarians than all public service librarians had an ML-S degree, it is important to remember when comparing the educational level of public service librarians with the educational level of children's librarians that only 42 percent of libraries had a children's librarian. Thus, the percentages for the various types of education represent public service librarians in 99 percent of libraries (1 percent of libraries did not have any public service librarians), while the percentages for children's librarians represent only 42 percent of libraries. In those libraries with a children's librarian on staff, approximately the same proportion of public service and children's librarians had an MLS degree (Table 1).

⁹This 42 percent is based on libraries that had any paid public service librarians on staff; 1 percent of libraries did not have any paid public service librarians. A children's librarian was defined as someone whose primary job is serving children.

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