What Can You Do With A Masters in Library Science (MLS) Degree?

What can you do with your degree?

As an aspiring librarian, I will have many career options to choose from once I obtain my degree. Here are three of countless career paths ahead of me:

Public libraries–Public librarians are the kind of librarian most of you have probably come into contact with at least once in your life. It is a sector for those dedicated to community welfare and to the idea that every person (regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic circumstances) has the right to equal access to information. Public librarians evaluate, select, and obtain books and other materials for the public to use. They carefully examine their surrounding community (and its demographics) before selecting the resources, because they want to tailor the collection to their users. Public librarians often teach classes on information and computer literacy to children and senior citizens (among other members of the public). If you have a question about any topic, your public librarian probably can find the answer for you!

Academic libraries–Academic librarians work in universities and colleges. They typically have subject specialties (English, Science, Languages) and they help students and faculty conduct their research properly. They facilitate and support this learning by teaching information retrieval and research skills in instruction classes. Academic librarians typically know a lot about copyright, and they work carefully with electronic journals and database publishers to make sure students and faculty have the resources they need for their research.

Special libraries–A special library is any library that not an academic, public, or school library. Special libraries can include (but aren’t limited to): law libraries, medical libraries, corporate/financial libraries, government libraries, museum libraries, non-profit libraries, and newspaper libraries. I bet you didn’t know all those kinds of libraries existed! These kinds of organizations are specialized (hence the word) and the librarians embedded within them typically develop a certain set of skills in order to properly do their jobs.

For example, medical librarians work in hospitals to help doctors, patients and medical school students find the current and up to date information they need (whether for an immediate surgery, patient consulting, or a research paper). Corporate librarians, on the other hand, help organize and disseminate information within their respective organizations (whether by finding competitive intelligence on company rivals, aggregating and analyzing financial information, or other similar tasks).

At this point in time, my specialization focus in school is on Special Libraries and Knowledge Management. I want to work in the federal government as a federal librarian.

However, if I wanted to, I could also be one of the following (note that the word LIBRARY is not in any of these job titles): information architect, taxonomist, information management consultant, cataloger, information resource officer, research specialist.

No matter which route I choose, I know I’ll be working with people and information.

So, whether I end up here:

or here:

I know I’ll be happy in the end.

Frequently Asked Questions, or Yes, You DO Need a Degree for That

When I tell someone that I am studying Library and Information Science, I always get a few quizzical questions about my choice of career. I’ve listed a couple frequently asked questions below, along with answers that will (hopefully) clear up some misconceptions about library science (and libraries!). But first, I found this photo online…I think it sums it up quite well:

On to the actual questions:

1. You need a Masters degree to shelve books?

I’m studying Library and Information Science. Which means that yes, at some point in my career, I will probably shelve some books. But there is so much more to the degree (and the field) than that.

When they are not taking classes like “Cardigan wearing, shushing, and cats 101″ (kidding!) librarians are information scientists. I sometimes like to call the field: “IT with people skills”. We help connect people to the information they need (whether digital data or a physical book) when they need it the most. In graduate school, we librarians are trained to decimate and analyze information, retrieve data, and organize said information in a clear and readable manner. These versatile skills (among many others) are applicable in libraries and in other work environments as well. As such, certified librarians are not just bound to the reference/circulation desk when looking for potential job opportunities.

2. But aren’t libraries dying out now that we have Google and e-books?

No! Yes, some answers may be easier for someone to find now that Google exists, but Google isn’t the end all, be all. Not everything is on Google, and what is on there may or may not be accurate or up to date. We still need librarians to help find and examine the information for quality assurance and accuracy! As far as e-books go, not every book is able to be or will be digitized for an e-reader. No one has the time or money to digitize every book in the world.

Librarians and libraries are still very much a viable part of their communities and of today’s society. Their roles may be shifting and changing with the times, but they are still necessary. As librarians, we can give a child his or her first book. We can teach senior citizens to continue to learn as technology grows and changes around them. We can comb the depths of the web to find a diagnoses that matches that exact medical symptom. We can conserve a nation’s history by learning to adjust the temperature of a room to best preserve the Declaration of Independence. We can record and archive the memories of war veterans so generations can hear their accounts for years to come. Best of all, we  can encourage people to pursue their passions while connecting them with the information they need to do so.

Hello world!

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Kathleen, and I am a freshly minted Bachelor of Arts graduate from Wake Forest University. I am currently studying for a Masters of Science in Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My focus is Special Libraries of all kinds, though I am particularly interested in federal and international librarianship. I’m an avid lover of coffee, movies, rare books, travel, photography, and of course, libraries. This blog will typically reflect these interests.

Happy reading!

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are mine and mine alone.