Night Elf Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 DS is thinking ahead to what majors he's interested in at college. He is trying to figure out what kind of job he can get with a History degree. He's not interested in teaching. Would a History degree help with becoming a librarian? I think he needs a Master's Degree as well. But is a History degree a good start? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Ugh, I was just looking at some of this yesterday in regards to public history. I can't remember exactly where I found it, but library science was mentioned in one of the links I followed from this page. http://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/career-resources/careers-for-students-of-history Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Ugh, I was just looking at some of this yesterday in regards to public history. I can't remember exactly where I found it, but library science was mentioned in one of the links I followed from this page. http://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/career-resources/careers-for-students-of-history Look at the "historians in archives" section, there is some info on library science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisabet1 Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Some schools have undergrad degrees in this. My cousin has this degree. I would have loved to have had this degree and I know it was offered at undergrad when I was in college. I think this is where he went (I know he went to University of Nebraska) so I am including the link because it seems to have information in it. I have not read all the way through it. http://www.unomaha.edu/libraryed/ And remember..libraries have books of all kinds. A degree in history will not give him an advantage in this over any other subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basketcase Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 All I would say about library science is that it's quite technology heavy. Some other classic options for history majors are law school or working for the state department. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 All I would say about library science is that it's quite technology heavy. Some other classic options for history majors are law school or working for the state department. Yes, a (younger) friend of mine is getting her history degree Saturday, and is headed to a MLS program. And she took several extra IT classes to prepare because they do a lot with databases and electronic media. It's not just books for most librarians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted May 16, 2014 Author Share Posted May 16, 2014 The college he will most likely attend does not offer a Library Science degree, not even a graduate one. He wants to major in something he finds interesting and his favorite high school classes have all been History classes. Being a librarian is one job that sounds remoteling interesting, so we're trying to figure out how he can do that by working with what this college offers. He wants to attend a college as close to home as possible so there are only a few possibilities. He's not so enamored of being a librarian that he's willing to find a college that offers the degree. But once he has a Bachelor's degree, he might be more open to finding a graduate school with a degree in Library Science. He just doesn't know yet. Of all the majors offered by the colleges he is interested in, he can only choose History and Computer Science and he doesn't know yet if he has the aptitude for computer science. He has no experience yet. We're about to start working on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 He can pursue a master’s degree in library science with any undergraduate major. The best undergraduate major really depends on what he wants to do with his MLS. For academic, public, or historical museum library positions, history is fine. Some academic libraries do require dual masters – one in library science and the other in a subject specialty. School library positions usually require teaching certificates so he would have to take the classes needed to obtain one. Law libraries often require JD degrees in addition to the MLS. Corporate and private libraries often, but not always, want librarians with a background in their fields of interest. What is very important is this – when he is ready to pursue his master’s be certain that the library science program he chooses is accredited by the American Library Association (ALA). Job postings that state ALA accredited MLS or equivalent mean accredited by ALA or by the equivalent organization in another country. If the degree is from a U.S. institution, ALA is the ONLY accrediting organization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.