Anyone here worked as a librarian at Library of Congress before?

[Anonymous]

I may be interviewing at LOC soon and would like to hear about the work culture from current librarians (reference or specialist roles). Does the culture vary a lot depending on your division? How's the work-life balance? What's the outlook for promotions (if there are any)? Is hybrid work possible? Are you satisfied with the benefits?

Any tips for the interview would also be appreciated. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

No, but it sounds like a fun job. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

My good friend is! I can’t answer specifics but I know she loves her job and has been there for about 15 years. Good luck on interview!

[Anonymous]

These are questions for the interviewer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My good friend is! I can’t answer specifics but I know she loves her job and has been there for about 15 years. Good luck on interview!

Sorry I should add that she is hybrid and appears to have a good work like balance (never complains about work being overwhelming).

[Anonymous]

My aunt did this. She retired this year. I would often visit her at work and we would get lunch. This is what she told me about her job as a librarian:
Does the culture vary a lot depending on your division? No it's overall very nice
How's the work-life balance? Very good
What's the outlook for promotions (if there are any)? Possibility of promotion but it depends if your boss is retiring/leaving
Is hybrid work possible? No that she is aware (but she admits to being old)
Are you satisfied with the benefits? Very much (but she was on old pension system)

[Anonymous]

What's the pay?

[Anonymous]

I know several people who work or have worked at the LOC and all of them have been there 20+ years. So it seems like it must be a good gig.

[Anonymous]

Many librarians come here because the Library of Congress is a prestigious library. That said, work-life balance is poor, management across divisions are hostile toward their staff, morale is low, and I've never seen an agency fire more federal employees. Employees are removed for "fitness" (whether they're liked), not necessarily poor performance. The people who have been here for decades are treated very differently than those hired in the past 5 years. If you aren't a federal employee yet, the pension now costs you 4x more than I pay (but you get the same benefits). I don't recommend coming to work here.