library page

service assistant

library assistant

librarian

operations manager

King County Library System

Cross-posted from glassdoor (not sure who reads what, worried about anyone thinking of applying to work for this place):

Internally, KCLS is a real mess of financial mismanagement and upper level toxicity. 

A few of the current issues include:

Management openly acknowledges that the payroll system they switched over to in 2017 remains inaccurate and that this is likely to continue for some time. 

KCLS is currently in the process of trying to claw back overpayments to all of their FT staff, including those who have left employment. The overpayments began in 2017. Those FT staff who asked about this problem when it occurred were strongly reassured at the time that payroll knew what it was doing. 

KCLS is currently "working on" various financial related problems including inaccurate reporting to state retirement systems and various other things. 

There appears to be no real accountability or oversight for financial mismanagement in this institution. Since KCLS is its own taxing district, the trustees are not elected, nor are they accountable to the officials who initially appoint them. 

KCLS employees bear quite a bit of the brunt of the financial mismanagement, as there is a toxic internal culture of disregard, deception and outright hostility toward employees coming from upper management, including HR and others in that part of the organization. 

KCLS hires a specific type - some call it people-pleaser. Another way to see it is people who are already conditioned into accepting psychological manipulation and abuse. While the union has successfully pushed back in the past against some toxic administrative moves, the union seems more interested in working with management to manage employees post-Janus, so those days may be over now. 

My advice: I got out. Thankfully. The place is internally toxic. Avoid it as a workplace and don't fall for the illusion of being benign and friendly that it rides on from being a library system with as much money as it has from property taxes.

Spent months applying for multiple positions with KCLS; was only offered lowest job title possible in one of their least desirable work locations, despite having prior library experience.  Later found out that many of the people hired to better job titles were actually less qualified than me.
Human Resources and broader executive level are fundamentally dishonest about how they do hiring and how they implement organizational policies more generally.  Their assurances about promotional opportunities are gratuitous and not to be relied on- most people I worked with in my unit had been stuck in the same job title(s) without promotion for years.
Executives at Newport Way are largely out of touch; on-site managers aren't as bad but choose to see the trees instead of the forest.
Coworkers are slightly below average- some people are nice, others are not, either way everyone came in feeling like they'd really rather be somewhere else.

Got out ASAP.

This proved to be an OK opportunity during my time there. Not the best job, but was certainly and fortunately not the worst job. Ideal for someone fresh out of college and wanted to do something productive over the summer by applying your college degree, certificate or even diploma at various levels regardless of your personal or professional situation. The best part of the job is helping kids and senior citizens focus on their education at their own pace or self study on any topic during summer quarter. The coworkers and supervisors were very supportive of my work, but the regional manager was hard to communicate with. This is expected, since participating their summer reading program is highly competitive for folks of all ages, and probably even more cutthroat for dedicated teens that are younger than myself who probably want this job more than I do due to the paragon nature of this institution. If offered a similar job at a different city or county, would be happy to repeat it again.

I've been trying to get a job here for over a year.  I'm a former collection development librarian with  12+ years of management experience.  But the interview and communication I've had has been good enough I want to review for anyone else trying to work there.  Like any library, jobs are few and far between, and getting even an interview is tough.  They demand excellence which is how they stay top notch.  But also like other libraries they seem impenetrable from the outside.  More than a year since working in a library and I feel anxious, but I'll continue to try based on how welcoming they've seemed despite the usual library coldness.  I'm a bit upset to read from others above that they give training, when in all honesty training should not be necessary when hiring experienced librarians at this pay rate.  To all others trying, good luck!

The KIng County Library System is not perfect. If that’s what you’re looking for, good luck. Like any other library system, there are various internal struggles. At the end of the day, everyone is trying to make the library a safe, easily accessible, and fun place for patrons of all ages. Everyone here is extremely smart and sometimes it can feel a little intimidating because you might wonder if you’re good enough to work there. But people have been very kind and accepting, and I truly enjoy working here. It’s a challenge, and frankly for being hired at this pay grade, everything feels right on track. If you’re on the fence about applying, I really encourage it and see for yourself. I want to stay here for as long as I can.

Pros:
The library, customer facing positions, and the other Network and Systems Engineers that I worked with were wonderful. It is a truly wonderful library which is why .I took a cut in pay to go there.

Cons:
I can only speak for my particular position but the interactions with my direct manager were toxic to me personally. I should have left when I realized that my mouth would go dry to the point that I couldn't speak when I interacted with my manager. I literally had to carry water with me at all times.

All I can say is that I am so happy at my new position where I am treated with respect and have some autonomy and control over what I do throughout the day. I can't tell you how refreshing it is to look back on the week and say I was left alone to focus on getting the job done. I had a very productive week this week without any hassle.

I thought this place would be better than the mega corporations I've worked for in the past. It's not. King County Library System is run exactly like a greedy multi-national corporation. Senior management actively works against the best interest of its employees.

Most of my co-workers were great, while others were bossy and controlling.

When you ask members of the management team or HR (which almost never responds or takes at least 6 months) for explanations, you can expect vague and nonsensical responses. This isn't good when major policy changes happen and the administration fails to even announce it formally.

Working as a library page was enjoyable, but very tedious. If you can overcome the tedious nature of the job you are severely limited in terms of advancement. Most positions are capped at 12 or 15 hours a week and if you want to go beyond that you have to take substitute shifts often times at other locations, but even those are limited too. Healthcare benefits do not exist, although you do accrue some sick and vacation time. You will be put on Washington state's minimum wage, not any higher. I did enjoy the peaceful environment, people watching and the general public service that a public library provides.

The work itself is meaningful and helping patrons with their library needs is great.  Internally, if your manager and you have a tight working relationship, then you are supported and it's comfortable to go to them with ideas and concerns.  However, some branches have managers that work against you if you don't fit into their predetermined classification they've already put you in.  Overall, the organization is good if you are flexible and can get along with various personalities. 

on a daily basis i  would shelved holds for patrons to pick up. Pull patron holds off the shelves, and assist librarians with programs. I would also log hours online and provided other support as needed. I learned how to communicate with the diversity of people that came in everyday. I worked professionally and effectively, and respected my coworkers. I would say the hardest part of the job was that it was time consuming and tiring because my role required that I stand up all day. However the most enjoyable part of my role was that I got to find new books to read on my spare time.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Library page 22 salaries reported	$23.02 per hour
Service assistant 24 salaries reported	$36.31 per hour
Library assistant 17 salaries reported	$27.62 per hour
Librarian 12 salaries reported	$47.82 per hour
Operations manager 1 salary reported	$50.17 per hour

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