Pros
I work on the south end of Chicago and generally enjoy my job. Staff does their best with the few resources given to them by the city. Great community programs for families and seniors run by people who care. Great entry-level position for those pursuing a career in library science. Fairly simple and straightforward work. A comfortable medium between a desk job and retail. Many opportunities to get involved and try out different roles since CPL is severely understaffed.
Cons
Open roles are filled slowly or not at all. Staff stretches themselves thin to cover these gaps & no one is paid for this extra workload. Very little schedule coverage. Expect 7-day or 11-day stints whenever coworkers are sick or need a leave of absence. Again: a staffing issue. Many rude, impatient patrons. Incidents of violence toward staff and security aren't uncommon and aren't followed up on appropriately by the city. Outdated printers and computers lead to weekly complications. Senior staff is pretty stubborn & set in their ways. Many are decades behind when it comes to communication and training new hires.