Jean in Newcastle Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Ds16 has been asking about the practicality of getting a degree in library science. I see lots of articles lamenting the very few jobs as a librarian. But I know there are non library jobs using the same skill set - or at least I'm fairly sure there are. What would you suggest for a young man who is interested in books and information? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 A good friend of mine (late 20's) is in school for getting her MLS after earning an undergraduate degree in history. And the school can't keep up with the demand. Organizing and finding information is actually much harder now because so much of it is digital. If you choose a digitally-oriented program, there's plenty of work in industry, college libraries, etc. etc. Employment at small local libraries is tougher of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 3, 2013 Author Share Posted July 3, 2013 He is also a computer geek. What kind of an undergrad degree would be good for someone who loves computers, information and books and might want to go on to a MLS degree? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Computer geekery is a huge help and I would encourage him to develop as much depth as he can in that area as an undergraduate. If he decides to go into library science it will improve his job prospects and also make him more likely to be funded as a graduate student. He may want to look more at information science which is related to library science but is more interdisciplinary with more of a tech focus and likely better career options. Another job that people don't tend to think of but may be of interest to someone with this skill set is book indexer. It is likely not to be as well paid as information science though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 He is also a computer geek. If he is open to field outside of library science, then he might want to look at Computer and Information Systems or Geographic Information System careers as well. CIS salary info http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes113021.htm GIS https://www.usajobs.gov/JobSearch/Search/GetResults?keyword=gis http://www.calmis.ca.gov/file/occguide/geogspec.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 Thank you for asking this question. DD16 has been looking into the same fields, library science and information science. It fits her interests, personality, and skills. However, we do have concerns about the lack of job opportunities in these fields. Certainly, there are plenty of articles/blogs/discussion boards about the LACK of jobs in library science, even with excellent education and experience qualifications. That's why DD started investigating information science. It just seems like there is so much more data/information available these days that there would be lots of opportunities for careers in information science. However, I have yet to find evidence that these jobs are readily available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punchie Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 <snip> Another job that people don't tend to think of but may be of interest to someone with this skill set is book indexer. It is likely not to be as well paid as information science though. My mom is a former librarian, now indexer. It can be hard to start out, but if you're good at what you do (and have established a good rapport with publishers), you can live fairly comfortably. My mom's income ranges from $40,000 in a bad year to $120,000 in a good year. Her bread and butter, so to speak, is indexing science encyclopedias. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 13, 2013 Author Share Posted July 13, 2013 We'll be looking into all of these, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 My sister has a degree in information mgmt, which combines library science & computer tech & maybe some business. She is an IT person, one of those folks you call when your computer is stuck. She has mostly worked for large corporations such as insurance or newspaper, in a group of IT people, with some different shift hours available. She usually likes her job well enough, although there is some pressure to process through a lot of calls. She did have to get some software certifications along the way. My sister-in-law has a library degree of some kind and does work in a library, but I thought she said the librarians had to have master's degrees, I'd have to ask her again. She is more like managing the staff and the book returns and such, rather than answering user questions which the librarians do. She adores her job. When you mention his interest in information, it reminds me of two young women I know with random degrees (history, music) who are working with I guess human information. One is doing research on people for a company that is hired to screen new applicants and such, with a lot of scanning the internet databases and such. The other works screening for the feds, immigrants as I recall although I could ask. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 17, 2013 Author Share Posted July 17, 2013 Interesting, Julie. Another thing I had asked about on the high school board was on finding aptitude for a future job/degree. I'm now wondering if this sort of job will show up when he takes the tests and if other interesting job suggestions might pop up too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Couldn't hurt to try. I'm kinda skeptical about such tests, but who knows? Something really interesting might cross his radar. Just allow room for the kid to grow and change as he approaches college. Mine did. I did, too, for that matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 A couple things to keep in mind-book indexing is pretty much a free lance job and there really isn't any undergraduate training for it (or at least there wasn't 15 years ago). To have a career in library science you need a minimum of a masters degree; for some fields or advancement opportunities you may need a second masters in another discipline or a PhD. Here is a sample list of possible fields a masters candidate can choose from: UofM MSI there is much emphasis on computer based information as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 30, 2013 Author Share Posted July 30, 2013 Thank you. It is good to know some of what is out there for possibilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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