Working at American Library Association in Chicago, IL: 2 Employee Job Reviews by Real Employee working in Chicago, IL Area

"I wouldn't work there again."

What do you like about working at American Library Association?

"You get lots of free books and lots of vacation time."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"It seems like any jobs that can be remotely considered technical have been among the first to be terminated in recent layoffs. Among these are web development, IT and production, as well as admin assistant job. Before accepting employment at ALA you should consider that Forbes and the Wall Street Journal have recently run articles about the bleak career outlook for librarians, who are ALA's members and who help pay their bills."

What don't you like about working at American Library Association?

"Management is a closed group of elite lifers who only lay off the worker bees, never themselves in any case that I've heard of, even though their salaries can be two to three times that of their underlings. My manager seemed to want to keep my position as small and narrow as possible, lest anyone find out that I knew a lot of stuff she didn't. In my experience, which I realize was probably not like everyone else's there, the ALA had the same backstabbing, undermining, and job insecurity that you might find in any corporation, but without the same pay. A few people that were really smart and talented didn't stay there long, choosing instead to take corporate jobs."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"You should reward competency instead of political acumen. Eventually some of the directors who are making $100K and more will have to start to be laid off as this association continues its inevitable decline. You can't balance the books forever by laying off administrative assistants and techs while leaving your own cushy jobs untouched."

"A declining politically-charged association with a slowly disappearing mission."

What do you like about working at American Library Association?

"Good location, and most of my coworkers were decent people."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"It seems like any jobs that can be remotely considered technical have been among the first to be terminated in recent layoffs. Among these are web development & production, as well as any admin assistant job. Before accepting employment at ALA you should consider that Forbes and the Wall Street Journal have recently run articles about the bleak career outlook for librarians, who are ALA's members and who help pay their bills."

What don't you like about working at American Library Association?

"Management is a closed group of elite lifers (plan to work there forever) who only lay off the worker bees, never themselves in any case that I've heard of in recent years, even though their salaries may be two to three times that of their underlings."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"You should reward competency instead of political accumen. Your survival depends on it."