Two articles are currently being talked about in the email lists, Career Center: Excellent careers for 2006 (USNews.com) and Stress? Shhhhh . . . (Times Online) and people are voicing their opinions.

In USNews.com article, it lists Librarian as one of the Excellent Careers of 2006. Unfortunately their brief paragraph about librarians is a little sparse and isn't really written like an excellent career.

Librarian: This is an underrated career. Most librarians enjoy helping patrons
dig up information. They learn in the process and keep up to date on the latest
books and online resources. The need for librarians, unfortunately, may decline
because search engines make it easy for patrons to find information without a
librarian's help. The job growth for librarians will be in nontraditional
settings: corporations, nonprofit organizations, and consulting
firms.

See what I mean, not very "excellent" sounding. I just don't see Bill and Ted screaming "EXCELLENT" and doing a little air guitar about this job description. But hey, at least librarian's are listed as an excellent profession for 2006. It could be worse we could be listed as one of the poor careers for for 2006.

Which brings me to the article in the Times Online which states that librarians have one of the most stressful jobs. "Whoa...No Way, Ted."
According to the article, many library respondents said the library was a dull and uninspiring place in which to pursue a career. They also stated there was not enough variety in their work, they did not have enough control over their careers, and they were not allowed to put their skills to full use. In other words, librarian's stress woes are a result of boredom, according the article.

So is being a librarian and excellent career or a stressful career? Or both? Of course I am biased, I am a librarian. I think it is an excellent career with drawbacks and opportunities. I also think it can be a very stressful career as well, depending on your work environment. However, I think Alan Hamilton (author of Times Online article) missunderstand that the stress that some librarians have with being underutilized and a lack of authority or autonomy is not from boredom but from frustration. Doing the same thing day in and day out when you KNOW there is a better way of doing it yet you are prevented from doing it, is frustrating not boring.

Examples:

• I know it would be better for patrons if I were allowed to install library programs or update the library computers. However, since I am not in the IT department and it is strictly verboten to do such a thing. So the DVD burners that I purchased two months ago to be installed on every library computer are still sitting in my office waiting for an IT guy and I am left constantly repeating to my patrons the DVD burners are not yet installed.
  
• I know it would be better for hospital patients if they were allowed to use web email (hotmail, yahoo mail, aol, etc.) so that they may be able to keep family and friends updated on their progress. However, the IT powers that be (in my hospital) blocks web mail claiming it is too great a virus risk DESPITE the fact the main hospital in the system (the Mothership if you will) allows web mail access. So, I yet again repete the task of telling patients, sorry there is no place in this hospital where you can email your friends and family.

Those are just a few examples of how underutilization, lack of authority, and lack of autonomy can lead to stress in the librarian workplace. I am not bored by the repetition I am frustrated. The IT department is not the only culprit for causing our stress, depending on what library you work, it could be managers, library boards, finances, etc.

The key to making this job still one of the "most excellent" careers is embracing your opportunities and minimizing the drawbacks. If you need a change in libraries scenes to increase your opportunities then so be it. Change is scary but it is also a good thing. Any job could be classified as boring. Any job is what you make of it