To be shocked the librarian was so poorly read?

[bendmeoverbackwards]

In the library recently reserving some books for dd. Librarian had not heard of A Handmaid’s Tale and did not know that As you Like It was written by Shakespeare.

These are not exactly obscure books!

AIBU?

@Moondust001 actually libraries are a statutory service but local authorities are only obliged to provide an "adequate" service and adequate" has not ( as far as I know) ever been defined.

Sorry I know the discussion has moved on but I'm only on page 6

@Readingispower I agree completely

Those of us who value general knowledge are being berated by those who think it is much overrated.

Even if one knew nothing of Margaret Atwood, THT has been a popular book in libraries following the tv series, so surely anyone working there might have spotted one of the multiple copies in circulation.

I guess librarianship is not what it used to be. The link to the Sheffield course makes it sound like a purely IT job. But someone must select books for libraries - is this person hidden in the bowels of the council offices?

Until reading this thread it had never occurred to me that a librarian should know about books!

I'm now doubting my own view.

I assumed (based on our local very low key library) that it was administrative work. We predominant have seemingly retired ladies doing a couple of hours. I'm bit entirely sure that they aren't volunteers?

Maybe bigger libraries have actual Librarians?

@bendmeoverbackwards

Well hats off to the volunteers.

But even applications for voluntary jobs are massively over subscribed surely? I’m currently waiting to hear about a voluntary job in a museum. You can’t just walk into any job, voluntary or other, without being suitable.

Museum volunteer here. I can absolutely guarantee that members of the public will one day approach you to ask about an item in the collection, and you won’t be able to answer.

I agree with you @bendmeoverbackwards - you, as the customer, did not have to know the correct title (although I’m sure you did!) but would expect a librarian to at least recognise the book.

Really, you expect the library staff to know exactly what book you're talking about without the correct title or author? I've had students come in looking for a book. They couldn't remember either of those details but could tell me the vague subject area and 'oh it's got a blue cover'. I asked them if they had a module code for their reading list and I could have a look on there. Couldn't provide that information either. So you really expect the librarian to know?

Library suppliers tend to offer bundles of books rather than qualified librarians selecting them these days.
There used to be Book Selection meetings where the Senior Librarian: Stock would sit with branch managers and choose according to stock gaps from a large range (monthly, iirc). Then it became cheaper to let the supplier choose for you, with free jacketing etc thrown in.

To those of you who work in/have worked in public libraries, is the job of Library Assistant one you would recommend? I'm considering applying for a 4 hours a week Saturday role (£9.55 an hour for those interested in salary) at my local library.

@Crinkle77 are you seriously suggesting that if the OP had said The Handmaid's Tale instead of A Handmaid's Tale this would have made all the difference to the library assistant recognising the title?
I mean COME ON.

@TedGlenn

To those of you who work in/have worked in public libraries, is the job of Library Assistant one you would recommend? I'm considering applying for a 4 hours a week Saturday role (£9.55 an hour for those interested in salary) at my local library.

These days? Probably not. You're often very undervalued and overworked.

How depressing that some on here would find it acceptable for an English teacher not to have heard of major literary figures just because they aren’t on the syllabus or in their specialism. If a teacher hasn’t heard of Chekhov, I’d be surprised, but if they were otherwise knowledgeable I’d chalk it up to being one of those gaps we all have. If they hadn’t heard of Chekhov or Hemingway or TS Eliot or Maya Angelou... well, it’s obvious they lack any real intellectual interest in their own subject
What's more depressing is that people seem to think that English equals English Literature and miss that people can, and do, have specialisms in something other than Literature. Unless people are expecting everyone in every English department to be equally well-versed in linguistics, English language, media, journalism, drama and theatre then the obsession with naming a handful of literary figures doesn't stack up.

Why is it an issue if a well-educated linguistics graduate, who knows the curriculum and reads widely around the areas they are teaching doesn't know about Russian dramatists?
Why is it awful if an intelligent Media and Journalism graduate, who has a wealth of knowledge about sociology and the politics doesn't know about Hemmingway?

Like I said up thread, a teacher who reads widely about sociology, politics and theology is going to have much more useful knowledge to support and stretch their class than the teacher who can say "I have heard of these authors".

What I'm trying to get to grips with is that people are saying they don't expect English teachers to have any meaningful knowledge about authors outside of their specialisms, but find it depressing that they can't name drop them.

There seems to be a great deal of confusion between "educated and reads widely" and "can name drop authors that I think are important".

For those saying THT is now an 'old' book, not only has it now been on telly, but its sequel came out last year and won the world's most famous literary prize (jointly, for the first time ever). It was massively high profile, you really would have to have zero interest in literature not to be aware of it. And it's absolutely fine to have zero interest in literature by the way, what is odd is to have zero interest in literature and work in a library…

And for those saying it was probably a volunteer rather than a librarian, surely that's even more odd – who volunteers for something in which they have no interest?

@TedGlenn only if you genuinely like working with people as it is much more about people/customer service skills. Not if you think it will be a nice quiet place.
Incidentally I am a librarian who selects books and (before lockdown) from a desk in the basement.

Those of us who value general knowledge are being berated by those who think it is much overrated
I don't think general knowledge is overrated. It's good to read and to know things.

I think people who look down on others for not holding the knowledge that they possess and value are quite arrogant, and think a lot of the faux-surprised "I can't believe someone didn't know (insert fact I know)" is about them patting themselves on the back.

I have an MA and BA in literature and don't expect every librarian or assistant to have the same knowledge or taste as I do or as the canon requires and it's THE Handmaids Tale.

@TedGlenn

To those of you who work in/have worked in public libraries, is the job of Library Assistant one you would recommend? I'm considering applying for a 4 hours a week Saturday role (£9.55 an hour for those interested in salary) at my local library.

If you like people (in all their glorious, variety), are fit and active and have a positive attitude to sorting things out then it’s not a bad job. Shit wages though. Do you use your local library and do you think it would be a nice place to work? I’d choose it over part time shop work tbh.

I don’t recall knowing As You Like It was written by Shakespeare

I’m sure I learnt this at school but I don’t remember the title at all

I read quite a lot

@pamelat But surely even if you're volunteering, you would pick a particular field because you have at least some interest in it? You wouldn't just randomly decide to volunteer in a library if you had no interest and no knowledge of books?
Yes the tasks may be just admin, but you could do admin or customer service in a number of other fields...a library is quite specific.

And I didn’t particularly like The Handmaid’s Tale

OP- I think you have already been told that you are coming across as a snob (literature is pretty subjective after all) and you do not understand what a libarian does. However, for those of us who still have an actual functioning library, this thread is really important to 'big up' what they continue to do with an increasing lack of funding. Lots of us will just get a book we want on kindle, maybe we will take the children to the library as a bit of a novelty. However- for disadvantaged families they are a lifeline. Access to the internet, printers, newspapers, advice and story telling time for young children. In my city they have also become hubs for housing/benefit/debt advice support. They continue to be very relevant and important within the community. The person on the desk may not be able to tell you if The Handmaiden's Tale is in stock though without checking.

@LolaSmiles - I’m not impressed by name dropping either. But not having heard of at least most of these names if you’re a specialist in one of those areas just suggests you aren’t very intellectually curious. That’s because you tend to build up this sort of knowledge just by reading, watching, listening... It isn’t about sitting down and memorising pointless lists as you seem to think.

I don’t even know how I know Hemingway’s name, for example. Never read a novel of his or watched a documentary about him. His work doesn’t really appeal, so it’s not an interest of mine. He’s just a part of the culture, and I’ll have come across references to him by reading and watching other cultural things. So, yes, I’d expect a graduate in language or literature to have heard of similar figures for that reason.

My friend is a surgeon and was at a dinner where it came up that she hadn’t heard of kafka’s metamorphosis. Well, the shock and raised eyebrows from the arts graduate present who reads all day long while my friend has spent the past 10 years up at night and in at weekends working in theatre. So odd they think everyone should bow to what they know (or cares).

That's because it's an over-rated so so comedy Ohwhynot
I'd be more impressed with people being able to identify the themes and characters than name drop the title. I doubt anyone arguing it's suçh an important literary work can give à summary.

thing47 who volunteer for something they aren't interested in? Usually people who have been sent by the job centre or lose their job seeking benefits or people having to do community service.

YouShouldSeeMyNewHouse
Because someone could know a lot of literary figures, but not one, and if they were unfortunate enough to encounter some of the people on this thread, they'd risk being the subject of "oooh I can't believe the teacher didn't know..." based on one encounter.

Equally, literature is huge. The idea that someone lacks intellectual curiosity because they don't know a Victorian author who someone else deems important is silly, when the same person might be very well versed in war poetry and 20th century science fiction.

With a lot of these sorts of posts people are making value judgements based on 'stuff I value and think others should know', when in reality it's more likely to be 'we are all human with different interests and different knowledge banks'.

In the classroom people make mistakes or don't know things. Most of the class, across a range of abilities, will be absolutely delightful. There is a minority who scoff, or laugh, or side eye their mates, or mock someone for not knowing or getting an answer wrong. It's an unpleasant attitude in teenagers, but hardly surprising when there's adults who model it.