Female Librarians Research Articles

Free to All: Carnegie Libraries & American Culture, 1890-1920.

Familiar landmarks in many American towns, Carnegie libraries today seem far from controversial. This study shows that the classical facades and symmetrical plans of these buildings often mask the complex and contentious circumstances of their construction and use. This is a social and architectural history of the Carnegie library phenomenon, an unprecedented programme of philanthropy that helped erect over 1600 public library buildings in the United States. Van Slyck untangles the overlapping and conflicting motives of the many people involved in erecting, staffing and using the libraries: Andrew Carnegie himself; small-town civic boosters avid for new investment; metropolitan library trustees anxious to maintain the elite character of urban libraries; architects reacting to increased professional specialization; a growing number of female librarians; and the children and adults, frequently immigrants, who came to borrow books.

Wonen's status within libraries 1950s to 1980s

Oral histories drawn on in this paper, as well as touching on the personal lives and the workplace practices which impinged on the lives of twenty retired female librarians, provide insight into broader social and cultural changes occurring at the time. While formal equality may have been obtained during the period under analysis female librarians had not achieved substantive equality in terms of equal pay and the sexual division of labour which began in the 1890s persisted. The thrust of librarianship towards professionalism was directed towards the establishment and attainment of tertiary qualifications (McKinnon 1985:7). In addition, professional leaders increasingly identified with the information technology aspects of librarianship which resulted in changes to the labour process. For the most part the women who are the subject of this article conformed to a masculine standard of workplace practice because they were constrained by the image of the professional ‘who didn't get involved in union issues’ because ‘it wasn't a nice thing to do.’ It was this image of professionalism with the emphasis on ‘the improvement of libraries rather than individual status’ (Cook 1977:110) which led to the image of women librarians as passive sufferers of rather than as resisters against discrimination. While the image worked contrary to the voicing of a feminist politics of resistance within libraries, there were some who chose to resist.

Success for women library managers ‐ but on whose terms?

Notes that women have made significant inroads into Australian library management over the last decade. Identifies a double‐glazed glass ceiling in Australian libraries and an organizational culture inhospitable to women as managers. Reports on investigations with 20 successful women managers to explore these concerns further. Finds that while management is still presumed to be a full‐time occupation which demands an individual’s total commitment, stories of the women in many instances reveal interruptions for childbearing and child‐rearing. Questions the meaning of “success” in organizational discourse. Highlights the need for a comparative analysis between male and female librarians in terms of career development.

The “double‐glazed glass ceiling” in Australian libraries

Discusses the findings from a recent Australian study on the status of women in libraries. Poses the question of whether a “double‐glazed” ceiling exists for women in librarianship despite their movement since the late 1980s into library management positions and legislative initiatives. Utilizes both survey data and information obtained from follow‐up interviews with female librarians. Also questions the usefulness of the metaphor, the “glass ceiling”, as an explanation for gender inequality.

Comparison of the Publishing Patterns between Men and Women Ph.D.s in Librarianship

Previous research examining librarians' publishing patterns has established the significance of published research for personal advancement. Studies have found, however, that in comparison with male librarians, female librarians tend to publish in disproportionately small numbers. One rationale offered for this discrepancy is that men receive the Ph.D. more frequently than do women (doctorate-holding librarians have been isolated as the most prolific writers). This study tests the hypothesis that men and women exhibit similar publishing patterns if education is held constant at the doctoral level. The population studied is limited to a random sample of library science Ph.D.s who received their degrees between 1969 and 1979. A list of each person's publications was compiled for the five-year period following receipt of the Ph.D. The citations are classified by gender, occupation, and type of publication and authorship. On the basis of this study, the hypothesis that men and women will exhibit similar publi...

Sex Segregation in Librarianship: Demographic and Career Patterns of Academic Library Administrators

This incisive work is a detailed examination of intraoccupational sex segregation in librarianship. Irvine examines the demographic and career characteristics of male and female library administrators. She explores why women have struggled so long for the status and recognition so easily achieved by their male counterparts. Included are data on the educational and occupational achievements of parents and spouses, the educational background of male and female librarians, and their professional affiliations and activities. Their career history is considered with regard to mobility patterns, middle management and executive positions, and mentorship and role models. The author also examines related research on women and men in higher education and corporate management. Irvine concludes that historically the role models for managerial positions have not favored women but that a significant change has occurred during the last decade.

CHANGES IN THE STAFFING OF UK SPECIAL LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION SERVICES IN THE DECADE 1972–81: A REVIEW OF THE DES CENSUS DATA

The information presented in this paper is derived from a census conducted in March 1981, and published in 1983. Subjective observation of special libraries in the interim would suggest an overall retrenchment, particularly severe in smaller units. During the decade 1972–81, there appears to have been a net decrease in the number of special library and information service units, though probably a small growth overall in the number of staff in the special library sector, particularly those in qualified posts. Special librarians, as a group, tend to have less professional LIS qualifications than their counterparts in public and academic libraries, but are more likely to have a degree in another field. There has been a considerable growth in the number of staff with qualifications of all types in special libraries during the decade. Women constitute a majority of the staff in posts of all types in special libraries though less so than in academic and public libraries. Nevertheless, there has been a significant growth in the number and percentage of females occupying professional posts in special libraries during the decade, a trend which seems likely to continue, despite a much higher ‘wastage’ of females in the profession. Whereas female special librarians are more likely than males to have a formal LIS qualification, they are less likely to hold non‐LIS degrees. The bulk of ‘information science’ posts are in special libraries and the majority of these are in industry and commerce. Nearly 70% of all special library posts are in the south east of England—a situation that has not changed during the decade.

Personality Patterns of Public School Librarians and Teachers

Personality traits of 43 female public school librarians were compared to traits exhibited by 50 female public school teachers. Differences in personality structure were found to exist on four factors of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire: G and M (p < .05) and I and Q1 (p < .01). Personality of public school librarians and teachers should provide a meaningful variable for study of successful working interaction between the two groups. The implication is that in order to effect a smooth professional relationship between these two groups, school personnel should be aware that a heterogeneity of personality traits does exist.

地底の声を響かせよう

The role of female librarians and some problems they will be confronted with when they have been married and bringing up their children are discussed. And, moreover, the necessity of the establishment of National Medical Library and the political issue of Japanese Librarians are commented.

An Investigation of Female Leadership in Regional, State, and Local Library Associations, 1876-1923

This study was undertaken to extend the thesis of Sharon B. Wells on "The Feminization of the American Library Profession, 1876-1923," which concluded that women never dominated the top positions in the profession nationally. This study tested the hypothesis that female librarians did provide leadership in state organizations, local associations, and state positions during the years 1876-1923. The method employed was simply to list all persons who held the executive positions in particular national associations, and to compare the sex distribution with that of the persons who held executive positions in state library associations, library commissions, and local library associations. The data are derived from a sample of such listings for every third year during the period. The data indicate that women made up 31 percent of the officers in national library associations for the years 1890-1923; they also show that women tended to be better represented when the office was not a governmental position; only 20 percent of the state librarians were women. However, during the same period, 56 percent of the officers in library commissions, 60 percent of those in state associations, and 68 percent in local associations were women. Thus, the hypothesis--that women were more active in leadership roles on the local and state scene than at the national level--is supported by the data. While the proportion of women in such leadership roles never equaled their proportion in the profession overall, they were probably more active than might have been predicted considering the cultural climate of the period covered by the study.