How Can a Public Librarian Get an Academic Job?

Public librarians and academic librarians share a common educational and professional foundation. But when public librarians attempt to transition to academic roles, they often find themselves at a disadvantage. Despite their wealth of experience, public librarians are frequently overlooked in academic library hiring processes, not because they lack the necessary skills, but because they haven’t branded themselves for an academic environment. Bridging this gap requires public librarians present their expertise in a way that resonates with academic expectations. The key to success is not changing what they do, but how they communicate their expertise and value.

Reflections of a Hiring Manager

The first time I led a professional librarian search in an academic library, I noticed a significant gap between the search committee’s expectations and the public librarian candidates’ understanding of the qualifications and experience required. Even highly experienced public librarians struggled to progress in the search process. Having spent ten years in public libraries before transitioning to an academic setting, I found this confusing. The candidates all held degrees from American Library Association (ALA)-accredited programs, so I assumed their qualifications would be similar.

As a hiring manager, I reflected on the barriers preventing these qualified candidates from advancing. I realized that candidates were often assessed based on implicit criteria that weren’t clearly stated in the job postings, like academic publishing, professional service, experience in an academic library, and classroom instruction.

These “hidden criteria” represent a traditional model of hiring in academic libraries that is based on exclusion (Houk & Nielsen, 2023) and whose inefficiencies and barriers could limit academic institutions’ ability to secure the best candidates (Raschke, 2003).

At my institution, I worked to update the hiring model to remove these barriers for public librarians. This included clearly communicating all expectations in job advertisements and evaluating candidates solely based on advertised criteria. We also restructured our interview questions to ensure they allowed candidates to fully demonstrate their skills and qualifications. Additionally, I reached out to candidates who were otherwise qualified and asked them to submit demonstrated contributions to the field such as academic publishing and professional service. These adjustments refined our evaluation process, aligned the criteria with the actual needs of the roles, and ensured we gathered the information necessary to evaluate candidates effectively.

My next step was to help translate between the conventions of public and academic librarianship. For instance, librarians often use different terminology for similar tasks—public librarians might use the term “circulation,” while academic librarians say “access services.” Taking the time to discuss these differences made members of search committees I led more aware of how candidates communicate their experience and qualifications.

Translating the Academic Library Brand

As I continued to lead professional librarian searches, I observed that some public librarians were omitting critical aspects of their professional experience from their applications, including service on professional committees, presentations they had delivered, grants they had received, and publications in academic journals, professional magazines, and blog posts. While public librarians did participate in these activities, they were not always communicated through their resumes or cover letters. These communication gaps led to otherwise qualified candidates being disqualified simply because key information wasn’t conveyed effectively. They didn’t brand their expertise for the academic audience, nor did they consider the relevance of their full experience.

To position themselves more effectively for academic library positions, public librarians should consider six key factors: the formal search process, the potential for ranked or tenure-track positions, the emphasis on academic scholarship, the importance of professional service, the need to highlight technical expertise, and the value of demonstrated experience in their specialization (Alexander et al., 2009; Harper et al., 2019; Raschke, 2003).

The academic library search process is often long and detailed, facilitated by a committee of professionals. While some institutions may use filtering software or AI tools, it’s likely that a person will review your application materials. Committees closely examine resumes and cover letters for evidence of the required and preferred criteria. Tailoring your resume and cover letter to each position is crucial (Alexander et al., 2009; Harper et al., 2019). Address the job criteria directly, and if you lack certain qualifications, explain your plan for acquiring them.

In academic libraries, librarian ranks, faculty status, and tenure are important considerations, even for staff roles. According to the ALA (2021) Standards for Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure of Academic Librarians, librarians should be evaluated and appointed similarly to faculty members at their institution. Ranks like Librarian I-V, or titles like assistant, associate, or full librarian, are based on criteria that may include academic scholarship, professional service, specialized expertise, and leadership (Harper et al., 2019). There is no standard consensus on how many years of experience correspond to specific ranks. However, in academic libraries, there is generally an expectation of 5–6 years of experience between librarian appointment ranks (Donkor et al., 2024; Harper et al., 2019). Understanding how your experience measures against these standards will help set expectations.

Academic libraries value scholarship because librarians often support the research efforts of students and faculty. Demonstrating expertise through your own research can strengthen your application (Alexander et al., 2009). Public librarians often excel in grant writing, project management, and innovation, but they don’t always share these contributions with the broader Library and Information Science (LIS) community. Start leveraging your experience and expertise to contribute to the field by publishing articles, contributing to book chapters, or delivering professional presentations.

Professional service is another critical area. Serving on committees within your library or in local, regional, or national organizations shows your ability to collaborate and lead (Rutledge et al., 2023). Progressing from a committee member to a chair or a leadership role is especially valuable for candidates applying to higher-ranked positions. In public libraries, outreach initiatives or partnerships with community organizations can also reflect valuable service experience. Additionally, public librarians often work across districts to organize large-scale events, conferences, and workshops that benefit their communities. Be sure to highlight these activities in your resume and cover letter.

When applying for academic positions, it’s essential to connect your public library experience to the academic setting. Explain how the workshops you’ve taught translate to instructional roles in an academic library and emphasize your subject matter expertise as it relates to the job description. Demonstrate your familiarity with library technology by aligning it with the specific software requirements of the role. Additionally, link your experience in library workshops and reference services to information literacy instruction. Clearly outlining these connections reflects thoughtfulness and attention to detail and significantly enhances your chances of success.

Conclusion

Public librarians’ expertise in collaboration, innovation, professional service, and scholarship equips them to make significant contributions in an academic setting. To ensure success, public librarians must tailor their application materials to each position, effectively translating their diverse experience and expertise into terms valued by academic institutions. Additionally, leveraging their public library background to make scholarly contributions will not only strengthen their applications but also bring fresh perspectives to the field. If public librarians communicate the full scope of their work and brand themselves for the academic roles they aspire to attain, they can successfully transition to roles in academic libraries.

References

Alexander, S., Dowdy, J., & Parente, S. (2009). Demystifying the academic search process, or getting that academic librarian position. Tennessee Libraries, 59(2).

American Library Association. (2021). A standard for the appointment, promotion and tenure of academic librarians. Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL).

Donkor, A. B., Asimah, A. P. A., & Nwagwu, W. E. (2024). Torn between two worlds: Perceptions of the role, status, and career progression of librarians working in university libraries. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 50(2), 102861. 10.1016/j.acalib.2024.102861

Harper, E. S., Jordan, W., & Kapel, S. (2019). Nothing happens unless first a dream: Demystifying the academic library job search and acing the application process. Paper presented at the Charleston Library Conference, https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/wcu/listing.aspx?styp=ti&id=29037

Houk, K., & Nielsen, J. (2023). Inclusive hiring in academic libraries: A qualitative analysis of attitudes and reflections of search committee members. College & Research Libraries, 84(4), 568. 10.5860/crl.84.4.568

Raschke, G. K. (2003). Hiring and recruitment practices in academic libraries: Problems and solutions. Portal, 3(1), 53–67. 10.1353/pla.2003.0017

Rutledge, L., Casucci, T., & Kelly, S. L. (2023). Investigation of tenured and tenure-track academic librarians' service satisfaction at public association of research libraries' (ARL) institutions. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 49(2), 102651. 10.1016/j.acalib.2022.102651