Is Isolation a Problem? Issues Faced by Rural Libraries and Rural Library Staff in South Australia (Survey‪)‬

Introduction For some people, working in a small rural library might seem like an ideal way to be employed. For others, to accept a job in the same small rural library could seem like a career-ending move. Empirical evidence suggests that managers find it hard to find suitable people to appoint to rural library positions, suggesting that some librarians are reluctant to work in those libraries; and those staff who do take employment in a rural library become frustrated with some aspects of the post, especially professional isolation and the related problem of career development. In 2005-06 there were 1,111 people working in public libraries and joint-use school and public libraries across South Australia. 144 of these people were employed in rural libraries serving communities with a population of less than 4,000 and no closer than 100 km to a town or city with a population greater than 20,000 people (Public Libraries in South Australia, 2006). About 13% of all library staff in South Australia work in rural libraries. This figure alone could make problems among rural library staff significant, but when it is remembered that these staff provide library services to whole swathes of the state, their importance becomes even more apparent.