Careers as a librarian?

[JumpyTheFrog]

Has anyone here been a librarian? One of my kids today commented that he should be a librarian (so he can "read all day") and it occurred to me that perhaps it would be a good fit for me. I'm especially interested in learning more about specialty areas, such as medical libraries.

[redsquirrel]

dh is a librarian, my sister is a librarian and our neighbors are both librarians, lol.

 

(none of them are big readers. I am the reader and I am lucky enough to be surrounded by librarians)

 

My sister was a medical librarian, but now is a ...something else, lol. I don't remember. But her medical librarian background is part of it.

 

What do you want to know.  Both DH and my sister are academic librarians, they both work at universities.

[The Girls' Mom]

My dd is a librarian at our very small town library.  She loves it.  She works with a bunch of loons, just like her.

[TechWife]

I think being a medical librarian would be cool! 

[redsquirrel]

My sister who was a medical librarian and now is in another health related field (so maybe still a medical librarian?), has a MLS (masters in library science) and a masters in public health policy. It is common for academic librarians to need two master degrees, especially in those specialized fields,.  For example, law librarians at law schools are expected to have a JD.

[athomeontheprairie]

I'm a librarian. Seriously, best job ever.

I REALLY wish I had gone to school for it-or that options existed in my region that would make school financially worthwhile.

 

I will say I have zero time to read while on the job. I do an amazing amount of work in very little time. It is hard work running a library! You don't see the stuff they do behind the scenes

Edited June 9, 2016 by athomeontheprairie

[JulieA97]

Dh is a librarian. Reference Librarian in our county public library amd has his MLS. What would you like to know?

[Greta]

May I jump in and ask what are the typical qualifications for a career as a librarian?

[JulieA97]

There are different positions and requirements. For instace, to be a library clerk at dh library, you need a Bachelors degree. For dh job and others including heads of departments you need a MLS (Master Library Science). They also have part time workers, volunteers, etc. I worked as a shelver part time in high school. Minimum wage but I had good, stable hours in a safe location. Much easier than working at a fast food restaurant many of my friends did in high school. I enjoyed it :)

[JulieA97]

Several benefots of being married to a librarian is he brings the books to me, he renews our books and keepa track of them for is and no library fines. No late fees has saved us significantly;) Cons is working with the public who can be very rude at times and he has to work late a few nights a week and some weekends. Overall he enjoys his job.

[GailV]

My sister has her MLS and was head of acquisitions for a major library.  She used to go to ABA and get all sorts of lovely books, many of them signed by authors.  She also spent several years as a children's librarian.  She is now retired due to health reasons unrelated to library work.  She has always read more than anyone I know (well, except maybe my kids and Aunt V, so apparently it's a family trait now that I think about it).

 

My brother has his MLS.  He doesn't work in a library, though.

 

I used to work in the library at a law firm.  It was really interesting.  I also worked in a library at a university doing Interlibrary Loan and also reference, which was also interesting.  BTW, it's a toss up as to whether professors or attorneys have more of a sense of entitlement.  There were lovely people both places, and others who didn't just sit at the right hand of God -- I'm pretty sure they thought that God sat at THEIR right hand.  Edited to add that I don't have an MLS, nor a JD, nor any other cool degrees beyond a BS; there are (sometimes) positions in those libraries for people sans all the extra education.

 

I just found out a friend's husband is getting his MLS remotely from Mizzou -- most classes are online.  He takes a few at UMSL.  They use Skype for some classes.  I think it's pretty cool that he can work on his degree that way.  He already has a Master's  in something else -- I think Philosophy and Theology, maybe -- an intriguing mix of skills!  I'm not sure what his plan is for using all of his knowledge. 

Edited June 9, 2016 by GailV

[JumpyTheFrog]

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the field is expected to grow very slowly compared to many. This worries me because I had such a hard time finding work after college and then I only worked a short time before having kids.

[Mergath]

One of my best friends is a librarian. She would tell you that if you want a career that allows you to read a ton and have great access to books, be a stay-at-home-parent with a best friend who's a librarian. ;) She doesn't have any time to read at work, but I do get some great ARCs from her.

[redsquirrel]

May I jump in and ask what are the typical qualifications for a career as a librarian?

 

It depends on what type of librarian you want to be.  Some people work in their county library and the town calls their job a librarian. But, there is a degree of library science and you get awarded an MLS. That is usually the basis for being a librarian, unless there are some other circumstances.  Sometimes other education beyond a BA can stand in for an MLS if it is closely related to the work needed done by the library.

 

To be a school librarian some states require you to have both MLS and to have some teaching credits.  My neighbors who are librarians both work in a school (different schools and different school systems though). They both have an MLS and some educational classes that any teacher would have to have to be certified to work in the public school. They both have some teaching component to their jobs. But they are also in the teacher's union and get teacher benefits.  Some states don't require school librarians to have any qualifications though. However, in that case I suspect you don't get the same benefits as the teachers.

 

DH and my sister are both academic librarians. They work in college libraries, but different colleges.  My sis is a health services librarian at a small private college that has several health related programs. DH is director of acquisitions for a major research university. Same degree, but very, very different jobs. My sister works with students also has some reference desk shifts, and DH directs a whole department and has a budget of 20 million dollars. Before that he was the director of electronic resources. 

 

Some universities classify librarians as faculty and they are required to have two masters degrees, an MLS and another in their field of study. Other universities classify them as staff and only require the MLS. Generally if you are hired as faculty then you are also required to publish in your field, just like any other professor. However, I am sure there are exceptions to that at individual colleges. I am speaking in very general terms. But it isn't uncommon for academic librarians to have more than one advanced degree so that they are more employable. It also makes it easier for them to change institutions. If you work at a university that doesn't require that second master's degree you might want to get one in case you want to work at a school that does require them.

 

 

These days, the growth areas of the field are all tech related.  It's all data bases and customer service.

[LucyStoner]

Here, it's a hard field to break into but provided you are good at it, you can keep your job forever. There are more people with MLS/MLIS degrees than there are jobs though. A post grad job search for a full time position here can easily last a year. The ones who may do a bit better are those with specialized degrees besides MLS who work in very specific academic areas. My friend's husband is a law librarian. He has a BA, a JD and an MLS. I have a friend who is a music librarian for an arts organization. If I am remembering correctly she has a PhD, is a retired musician and an MLS.

[Greta]

It depends on what type of librarian you want to be. Some people work in their county library and the town calls their job a librarian. But, there is a degree of library science and you get awarded an MLS. That is usually the basis for being a librarian, unless there are some other circumstances. Sometimes other education beyond a BA can stand in for an MLS if it is closely related to the work needed done by the library.

 

To be a school librarian some states require you to have both MLS and to have some teaching credits. My neighbors who are librarians both work in a school (different schools and different school systems though). They both have an MLS and some educational classes that any teacher would have to have to be certified to work in the public school. They both have some teaching component to their jobs. But they are also in the teacher's union and get teacher benefits. Some states don't require school librarians to have any qualifications though. However, in that case I suspect you don't get the same benefits as the teachers.

 

DH and my sister are both academic librarians. They work in college libraries, but different colleges. My sis is a health services librarian at a small private college that has several health related programs. DH is director of acquisitions for a major research university. Same degree, but very, very different jobs. My sister works with students also has some reference desk shifts, and DH directs a whole department and has a budget of 20 million dollars. Before that he was the director of electronic resources.

 

Some universities classify librarians as faculty and they are required to have two masters degrees, an MLS and another in their field of study. Other universities classify them as staff and only require the MLS. Generally if you are hired as faculty then you are also required to publish in your field, just like any other professor. However, I am sure there are exceptions to that at individual colleges. I am speaking in very general terms. But it isn't uncommon for academic librarians to have more than one advanced degree so that they are more employable. It also makes it easier for them to change institutions. If you work at a university that doesn't require that second master's degree you might want to get one in case you want to work at a school that does require them.

 

 

These days, the growth areas of the field are all tech related. It's all data bases and customer service.

Thank you so much for this information! I'm contemplating career options for when my daughter goes to college. This might involve more education than I'm willing to invest in, but it's worth thinking about. It seems like a career I would enjoy. Lots of options I need to consider, though.

[redsquirrel]

Thank you so much for this information! I'm contemplating career options for when my daughter goes to college. This might involve more education than I'm willing to invest in, but it's worth thinking about. It seems like a career I would enjoy. Lots of options I need to consider, though.

 

You might want to also look into Master of Information Science. It isn't a librarian, but they are often found in libraries, lol. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what they do, I am sure a lot of different things though. But in DH's MLS program, many years ago now, they had some classes together. So there are similarities

[Elfknitter.#]

You might want to also look into Master of Information Science. It isn't a librarian, but they are often found in libraries, lol. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what they do, I am sure a lot of different things though. But in DH's MLS program, many years ago now, they had some classes together. So there are similarities

I have an MLIS. But my career is in the public library realm. So the MLS portion is most relevant to my current position. Yet things like homeless populations, whether kid or adult, are my current concern and were not taught nor do I have much if any psychology training.

 

At the time I got my MLIS, it was thought prudent by my college to have grads ready to accept careers in a more digital format that would lead to careers in media, like Google and/or online based. Sure enough, in the early 2000s their were those who "created" their jobs.

 

I have been a public librarian at various locations for county and city libraries since 1998. Feel free to pm me questions.

[nd293]

One of my courses for my librarian qualification had us researching library jobs, and all of the ones I saw in the US required a Master's. Here in Australia I'm doing a 1 yr post grad diploma in library and information studies - 8 courses. The Master's degree here includes an additional year in Records Management. There is also a 3 year undergrad librarian degree.

 

I'm not sure it was a wise decision to start the course (I'm halfway through). There don't seem to be many jobs and there are lots of students doing the course.

 

ETA: Being a librarian is NOT about books anymore. Of the 4 courses I have done, 3 were strongly focused on digital media - Information literacy, information design, technologies for information services. The 4th, reference services also involved a lot of database searches, Google Scholar and library specific databases.

Edited June 9, 2016 by nd293

[The Girls' Mom]

May I jump in and ask what are the typical qualifications for a career as a librarian?

It is going to vary greatly by library.  The one my dd works at only requires that you are at least working towards a degree.  Only a few of the librarians there actually have a library science degree.  My dd is a sophomore in college, but had volunteered there for years, then worked as a page, and then moved up to part-time librarian.  I have to say though, at this teeny library, she'll never be able to go full time because it isn't in the budget.  

 

If she wanted to move to a library in one of the neighboring counties that has an actual library system, then she'd likely have to have a degree in something to get a full time librarian position.

[G5052]

A young lady I have mentored here-and-there is going to graduate with her MLIS degree next May.

 

She volunteered and worked for years for local libraries, and frankly got very burned out. Her comment was that the local libraries have become more of a social center with a little reading on the side. She ran summer reading programs and special events for the children's section and had very little time with the actual books. Of course she was fostering literacy by getting them in the door, but she got very discouraged about it.

 

She got dual degrees in history and global affairs and took a gap year to figure out what to do next with multiple internships. She ended up at the Congressional Research Service and found her calling. Now she's completed her first year of graduate school and is working there this summer with several interesting projects. They plan to hire her upon graduation.

 

So yes, a lot of paths for that sort of thing. 

[jrn]

My 12 year old dd wants to be a librarian in a grade school. Anyone know what that schooling process would look like?

[Zuzu822]

I have an MLIS (library and information studies), and am a certified K-12 school library media specialist in NYS.

 

I was in an elementary school, so a huge part of my day was reading, but I also managed all the technology for my building and there's a huge push for integrating media in the classroom, as we know. So I worked collaboratively with the part-time technology teacher, as well the classroom teachers.

 

My mother was also a SLMS, and she had additional cerification as a teacher, N-6.

 

When I first started library school, I wanted to be a performing arts or film librarian. My mom also says if she could do it again, she'd like to be a documents librarian.

[Zuzu822]

My 12 year old dd wants to be a librarian in a grade school. Anyone know what that schooling process would look like?

It's going to depend on the state, but a MLS/MLIS is likely needed. In NYS, I needed a series of education classes along with my library coursework (literacy was a huge part), did a semester of student teaching (both elementary and secondary), and had to pass the three teaching exams NYS requires (liberal arts and sciences, teaching skills, and the library content test).

[stephanier.1765]

My mother worked her way up from a clerk to the director for her entire county's library system. She loves it and refuses to retire.

 

The downside are the continual cutbacks to library systems. We have lost hours and even days when the libraries are open.  I've seen the loss of clerks and other staff. Less money is had for purchasing materials. I worry about libraries in general and how much longer we'll have such a great service. My library is packed every time I'm there so losing it would be a huge loss to our community and yet the budget is shrinking yearly. For a child wanting to be a librarian as a career, I'd worry about the long term possibilities.

[goldberry]

In our area the school districts dropped their librarians at the very first whiff of budget cuts and had teachers and volunteers filling in. I talked to one who was leaving and she said the job market was incredibly tight and she was going to try to be switching fields.  Just anecdotal.

[Stacia]

I have a college degree (BA), but not a degree in library science. I recently started a part-time job working at the circulation desk for my county. I love it. In my county, you can have some library jobs w/out needing a degree in library science. There are circulation people like me, also others who provide additional help at information desks (& sometimes those positions 'float' between the libraries throughout the county). Most of these are minimum-wage jobs that are part-time. The full-time positions tend to require a degree in library science & are positions that are 'higher' up the chain so to speak. I was lucky to get the position I have just because each part-time position gets hundreds of people applying.

 

However, working at the library has significantly reduced the amount of time I get to read.

Edited June 9, 2016 by Stacia

[rebcoola]

My Dad is a retired teacher who now works in the public library in our county the whole system only has like 2 actual librarians.  He is officially listed as customer service and is also their science storytime guy its a great job.   If you just think you might want to work at the library here at least here it is quite easy to start as a page or sub and work your way into the exact job you want.

Edited June 9, 2016 by rebcoola

[Jenny in Florida]

I started working at our library three months ago (today!) after trying for a couple of years to get hired.

 

I'm a technology trainer, meaning that I teach classes on things like Microsoft Office and basic programming and summer stuff for kids. The tech trainers also staff the desk in the area with the public computers. helping people log on and solving basic issues. So, I'm not a librarian, but I do get to work in the library.

 

I know that most of the customer service jobs in our system -- the folks who staff the circulation desk, shelvers, etc. -- do not require library degrees. I believe the people who work in acquisitions and most of the heads of departments are probably degreed librarians, but it's very possible to work at the library without that credential.

 

Our system does provide some tuition assistance for employees who want to pursue library-related education, too. So, for someone who was interested in following that path, it might be worth getting hired for any libary job and trying to work up and learn as you went.

 

For what it's worth, I LOVE working at the library, even though my job isn't really about books. 

[redsquirrel]

It's going to depend on the state, but a MLS/MLIS is likely needed. In NYS, I needed a series of education classes along with my library coursework (literacy was a huge part), did a semester of student teaching (both elementary and secondary), and had to pass the three teaching exams NYS requires (liberal arts and sciences, teaching skills, and the library content test).

 

All of that was exactly why DH didn't want to be a school librarian, lol.  My school librarian friends ADORE their jobs, it suits their lives to a T, but dh was having none of it.  He didn't want to have to take the ed classes. He has always worked in college libraries and decided to stay there.

 

Sometimes I wish he had gone scholastic, but he wouldn't have liked it. But those summers off tho....

[newhsmom]

In our area the school districts dropped their librarians at the very first whiff of budget cuts and had teachers and volunteers filling in. I talked to one who was leaving and she said the job market was incredibly tight and she was going to try to be switching fields.  Just anecdotal.

 

This is also my personal experience.  I used to be a librarian in an elementary school before staying home with kids.  Several years ago my local school district let go most of the librarians and replaced them with paraprofessional staff.  Many of my friends were old enough to retire, but others were left scrambling for jobs.  Unfortunately, there were not a lot of jobs in the public library and the salary was pitiful.  I would be very leery of going into this profession unless you really specialize (law or medicine).   

[Laura in CA]

I haven't read the whole thread yet – but I work part-time at our local library (and love it!). It's true that most of the librarians don't read much, at least at my library (which surprised me), but they talk about sports all the time and many of them have season tickets for football, hockey, basketball, etc. teams in the Bay Area. There was a recent article in the WSJ about the "erosion of the MLS degree." It's true that tech workers are in high demand at our library, and that the librarians are doing many non-traditional activities to draw people in (having a "library of things" such as sewing machines, etc., to borrow; lending out robots and holding robotics classes and Minecraft workshops; dance, yoga, music, acting classes ...). You definitely have to like working with the general public, which is why I am happy to just be a shelver and enjoy perks such as no late fees, being the first to see new books, etc. :)

[Pegasus]

There are more people with MLS/MLIS degrees than there are jobs though.

 

I researched this career field pretty thoroughly a few years ago because I believe one of my DDs would be very happy as a librarian.  I knew the pay was relatively low and that didn't discourage me because DD is very content with very little.  However, I found a message forum of librarians and hung out there for a while.  I was stunned by the number of people with their MLS degree, years of relevant experience, and unemployed. 

 

So, DD has volunteered at our local library since reaching their minimum required age of 14 yo and has interviewed for a few library page positions but is making other plans for a career.

[Anacharsis]

Not much opportunity with traditional libraries, sadly.

 

Things are a little better with special libraries, especially when catalogers and archives folks are willing to bridge the digital divide, meeting database administrators and digital forensics folks in the middle.

 

Cheap digital storage has encouraged a "save everything" mentality, which in turn is presenting many businesses with an "unstructured data problem" as they find themselves with millions of PDFs, emails, videos, and other "business intelligence" but with no real way to categorize them other than plugging them blindly into an off-the-shelf EDRMS (sort of the private-sector equivalent of having a computerized catalog but no classification system).

Edited June 13, 2016 by Anacharsis

[vonfirmath]

In our area the school districts dropped their librarians at the very first whiff of budget cuts and had teachers and volunteers filling in. I talked to one who was leaving and she said the job market was incredibly tight and she was going to try to be switching fields.  Just anecdotal.

 

Here the schools use the librarian as their gifted education pull out teacher. So it would be harder to drop the librarian.

[ktgrok]

I worked in a small city library as a page, it was my first job. I LOVED that library, and the librarians were wonderful people who also loved their job. That was back when card catalogs existed though....

 

I also worked at a university library and hated it. All I did was move books from shelf to shelf, with random days where I did nothing but print out stickers and stick them on books. It was SO boring. And the librarians there were mean. 

 

 

[4everHis]

We have a small library system that I love. I know for a fact the librarians that have MLS degrees have said they will never be able to pay off their loans. Libraries are taking a big hit in the budget and in our small system the raise in minimum wage is going to mean cutting either open hours or staff. Things to think about and consider.

[Zuzu822]

This is also my personal experience. I used to be a librarian in an elementary school before staying home with kids. Several years ago my local school district let go most of the librarians and replaced them with paraprofessional staff. Many of my friends were old enough to retire, but others were left scrambling for jobs. Unfortunately, there were not a lot of jobs in the public library and the salary was pitiful. I would be very leery of going into this profession unless you really specialize (law or medicine).

 

 

In our area the school districts dropped their librarians at the very first whiff of budget cuts and had teachers and volunteers filling in. I talked to one who was leaving and she said the job market was incredibly tight and she was going to try to be switching fields. Just anecdotal.

The good thing about NY is that certified school librarians are mandated 7-12. Most elementary schools in the areas I've worked have them as well (central and western NY), or share one librarian between two buildings.

 

I don't know anymore how many graduates in LIS there are in NY right now, but I do know there are only three (I think) library schools in the state. (ETA: there are more than three. I was only thinking about upstate, I guess!) The library resource council always has a steady stream of support and librarian jobs posted, both in NY and occasionally in other states.

Edited June 14, 2016 by Zuzu822

[EmilyGF]

My friend has a masters in library science. For a while she worked in a college research library full time. Now she is home with kids (including 2-year-old twins) and teaches research skills via online classes through the same college.

[Kathryn]

Not much opportunity with traditional libraries, sadly.

 

Things are a little better with special libraries, especially when catalogers and archives folks are willing to bridge the digital divide, meeting database administrators and digital forensics folks in the middle.

 

Cheap digital storage has encouraged a "save everything" mentality, which in turn is presenting many businesses with an "unstructured data problem" as they find themselves with millions of PDFs, emails, videos, and other "business intelligence" but with no real way to categorize them other than plugging them blindly into an off-the-shelf EDRMS (sort of the private-sector equivalent of having a computerized catalog but no classification system).

One of my degrees is an MLIS with a specialization in archives. A lot of my required coursework was about the digital world. I was in it for historical archives, but a lot of archives students are going on to become the archivist for a company or university. They all need one (or more) for the reasons stated here. And the pay is often really good for an MLIS.

 

ETA: that is to say, there are ways to use an MLIS outside the traditionally thought-of school and public libraries. My mother's first job out of library school was a corporate librarian for Draper Labs, the company that worked on missile guidance systems and the Apollo missions' guidance system, requiring CIA clearance. She later taught at a library school.

Edited June 14, 2016 by Kathryn

[HSmomof2]

I have an MLIS. But my career is in the public library realm. So the MLS portion is most relevant to my current position. Yet things like homeless populations, whether kid or adult, are my current concern and were not taught nor do I have much if any psychology training.

 

At the time I got my MLIS, it was thought prudent by my college to have grads ready to accept careers in a more digital format that would lead to careers in media, like Google and/or online based. Sure enough, in the early 2000s their were those who "created" their jobs.

 

I have been a public librarian at various locations for county and city libraries since 1998. Feel free to pm me questions.

I am not a librarian, but work in a small branch of our county's public library system as a senior branch asst. (we don't have any librarians that work in the smaller branches). I have a degree in psychology, and it has been incredibly helpful dealing with our very diverse customers.

[Tiramisu]

The year I got my MLS is the year I started hsing so I have never used it. My original plan was to work in university library technical services, since my experience was there and I liked it. But then I had more kids and realized I would need to be on their schedule. I have three classes to finish to get school library certification and I don't see that happening any time soon. Our school libraries have needed librarians and our county library has needed ones people who want to work with children.

[Library Momma]

I am not a librarian but I have worked with librarians for 23 years and I also volunteered in a school library for about 7 years.  Most libraries require a MLS for a position as a librarian.  There are often other jobs in libraries that don't require the degree but the salary is often far less, usually hovering around minimum wage.  Some further advanced degrees such as cataloging will also open the door to corporate jobs for companies that service libraries.  

 

In our state all teachers are required to have a masters in education (except for private schools) and the school librarians (Media Specialists) need both the education degree and a MLS.    I am sure there are exceptions but most of the schools I work with employ librarians.