Retired librarian checking in. I have worked the gamut from public libraries, academic, and government libraries and they all have their quirks.

Yes, generally, it is a very low paid job for the MLS required to enter the field. If you are working in academia or gov't you are just another department screaming for funding to stay afloat. There are so many management, financial, staffing, succession issues; just like a business, but it is a service that most people outside of the library give little thought to unless they need something or need to cut. In my experience, there is very little respect for the work done in the library. Like I mentioned, they are the first target when cuts are considered. Town needs money, cut a library job in the tiny library that might only be open 3 days a week already, sciences need money in the uni, cut a science librarian and give to one of the sciences, government needs money, close the library in dept X. The lack of expertise in research and the culling of librarians is one the reasons that gov't are not seeing the picture in many issues IMO. They used to have people to help the policy wanks etc get good solid research, now they google and think it is fine. There are some exceptions, but not many.

Running a library can be quite a battle at times and one can feel like Sisyphus.

I was an old time reference librarian who started when we filed cards in those beautiful old wooden card catalogues and finished recently in the electronic age.

Yes, I have seen some shit in the library world. :-) Porn hidden in VERY out of the way places (pre-internet -- those glossy mags), men flashing and trying to be discrete about it, students too stressed to leave the fetal position on a washroom floor, a personal favorite:stealing exams on professional ethics in a professional school...

Our old saying from an old librarian:

Everybody says that they love libraries, but libraries cannot live on love.

Happy reading... in whatever format you like, or listen to a book!