The Library Gig in the year 2026

I have library degree, but I don't have a full-time job. I don't have health care, but I have a library gig in a library where I perform research services and provide technology assistance via requests made through the LybÜ jobs app.

I work as an independent contractor for LybÜ, the library research company that became dominant when most public libraries became privatized.

I don't have a base salary, but I get paid for monitoring my app while I'm in the library. And for pinging the various "interactivity" points around the building, basically the stacks and tables, where people might need assistance. I make nothing for answering the phone, but I get paid for completing the tasks related to the call. And I have a minimum number of interactions I need to provide to keep my employment active (not get fired). But once I reach my minimum, I can adjust my "value" fees to accommodate the high demand for services.

For example, if my base service requires that I assist 50 times at the printers, once that is met, I can ignore anyone who needs help with printing until they "add value" to the request. So if it's near closing and someone has to print their airline or concert tickets and they send the request through the app, if I'm the only librarian working, I can demand pretty much any extra fee. I can ask $10 or $15 or even $25 for just printing a single document.

If the clock is ticking and someone needs something badly enough, I can rake in the added fees. And since I negotiate these on my own, I get to keep 60 percent and LybÜ gets the rest.

So the goal is to find the people with the greatest need, the most money and the least technical knowledge. I make an extra $30 a week downloading ebooks for little old ladies. I get a ton of money for editing resumes (depending on the job they hope to get), and from proofing school essays (from the parents).

I hear the older librarians talk about the time when they worked a 40 hour week and got 2 or 3 or 4 weeks of vacation per year and had medical and dental insurance and good job security. But I don't believe a word of it.