The Liminal Librarian

An open letter to the several people who have emailed me so far about this job ad:

Yes, I am aware it is discriminatory. But no, unfortunately the EEOC does not hold sway in Saudi Arabia, nor does the U.S. Dept. of Labor. And you might note that if you’re intending to apply for a job in Saudi Arabia, gender discrimination is probably a given, and just the tip of the iceberg. (You may be male, but why not write them and ask if it’s OK if  you’re gay. Or, say, Jewish.)

Yes, I did let them post the ad. Why? If I start deleting job postings from other countries on the basis that I don’t like their laws and/or culture, I start down a path I don’t want to be on. If you want to apply, enjoy, but I’d suggest watching out for that little clause that says:

…be willing to do any and all tasks assigned, even if they are beyond the scope of the ‘contract position’.

If you would like to be annoyed about this further, hop on over to the Annoyed Librarian and join in the fun there.

Edited to add: I feel about this somewhat the same way as I do about postings for positions in Baptist (and other religious) academic institutions in the U.S. that require you to sign a statement of faith. Would I want to work there? No. Would I qualify to work there? Not so much. But, I can’t say the same for all of the site’s readers. I do cull out ads that have nothing to do with librarians, are spam, violate U.S. law, want you to stuff envelopes to make money fast… but not Saudi Arabian ads or Baptist university ads.