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The Joy Of Being Solo
by Judith Siess
I am a solo librarian -- and proud of it! I would never want to be anything else.
A solo librarian is the only librarian or only professional in a library or information center. Another term for a solo is OPL, for one-person librarian. OPLs do it all: ordering, cataloging, reference, bibliographic instruction, online searching, filing, budgeting, and so on. They may have a part-time assistant, volunteers, or -- if they are lucky -- some full-time clerical assistance, but the OPL is the only trained librarian on staff.
An OPL has no counterpart in the organization performing the same job to whom he or she may turn for help, advice, or job-related sympathy. In addition, a solo probably works for a nonlibrarian, a boss who does not really understand what the OPL does or how it is accomplished. A solo knows exactly what is going on in his or her library: what is being checked out, the questions being asked, who is using the library; all successes (and, of course, failures!) of the library are also those of the OPL.
Most OPLs work in special libraries. The collection is often small and the library is part of, but not considered critical to, the parent organization's main mission. Many OPLs work for corporations, but there also are solos in law firms, hospitals, departmental libraries in universities, schools, churches or synagogues, prisons and jails, as well as in many small public libraries or branches of larger libraries.
How many OPLs are there? No one knows for sure, but the Special Libraries Association estimates that at least one-half of their over 14,000 members are solos. That means there are at least 7000 OPLs in North American special libraries alone. In fact, there are about 1000 members of the Solo Librarians Division of SLA. I have found that about 80 percent are OPLs by chance, only 20 percent by choice. However, many that started by chance now like it so much they wouldn't go back to a large library.
Guy St. Clair (the father of the OPL movement) observed four common traits of OPLs: OPLs love their work; OPLs communicate; OPLs are sophisticated; and OPLs are confident. A solo must also have confidence in making good decisions, an entrepreneurial attitude, comfort with networking, proficiency in gathering supporters, a lot of flexibility, good time management skills, the ability to balance priorities, a love for the profession, the ability to cope with many bosses and patrons who think they are each the only client, a readiness to take risks and learn something new every day, passion and enthusiasm, and a willingness to dive into any task.
Why would anyone want to be a solo librarian? The three most common reasons are independence, variety, and an enhanced feeling of self- worth. OPLs enjoy the ability to "run their own show," i.e., set their own schedules and plan their own priorities, with a minimum of supervision and interference. They value the close relationships they have developed with their customers, and the wide variety of tasks that must be done (including those pesky clerical ones) keeps them busy and from being bored. OPLs have the freedom to be creative in their solutions. They gain the respect of their colleagues by being the sole information authority in the organization. Solos also have the opportunity to shine and show others what trained information professionals can do.
However, there are drawbacks. These include professional isolation, lack of clerical support, reporting to a non-librarian, lack of management support, lack of job security, frustration at not being able to "do it all", lack of status, and lack of control concerning policy, personnel, or budget (or all three). The lack of feedback and interaction with other professionals takes its toll; there is no one with whom to brainstorm, and some OPLs tire under the strain of constantly having to explain themselves and their work to managers who do not understand them.
But OPLs are not alone. They are all connected by the very fact that they are solos. Any other OPL in any library in any country will understand exactly how they feel; there is an instant bond. There are many formal and informal networks of solos around the world. In the UK there is the One-Man Band Section of ASLIB, Special Libraries in the Midlands (SLIM) in Birmingham, SLIL (Special Librarians in London), and SLIC in Cambridge, and the Workplace Libraries discussion list and the Industrial and Commercial Libraries Group of CILIP include many solos. Germany has two groups, the OPL Commission (Kommission für One-Person Librarians im Berufsverband, Information Bibliothek e.V.) and the Initiative Fortbildung für wissenschaftliche Spezialbibliotheken under verwandte Einrichtungen (Initiative for Continuing Education in Academic and Research- Oriented Special Libraries).
Australia is the home of the One-Person Australian Libraries (OPAL) special interest group of the Australian Library and Information Association, with regional groups in six of Australia's states and territories (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia). The first formal OPL organization was the One-Person Library Support Group of the Toronto Chapter of SLA, Israel has a relatively large and active solo population, an OPL group has recently been formed in Austria, and another is forming in Switzerland.
One OPL says it all: "I love doing what I do. I cannot imagine not being involved with all aspects of running a library. It keeps me learning and constantly on the go."
Judith Siess worked as a solo librarian for nearly twenty years, in libraries as diverse as biotechnology, aerospace, agricultural economics, and industrial process control. In 1997 she founded Information Bridges International, Inc. She is the editor and publisher of The One-Person Library: A Newsletter for Librarians and Management, was the first Chair of the Solo Librarians Division of SLA, and is the author of four books: The SOLO Librarian's Sourcebook (1997), The OPL Sourcebook (2001), Time Management, Planning and Prioritization for Librarians (2002), and The Visible Librarian: A Management and Advocacy Primer (due in 2003).