My latest possible alternative career: Librarian?

[Nikia]

I've been rather unhappy in my current job: quality specialist in the food industry. I've been thinking about alternative careers. My latest career that I am considering is a librarian. I know that I'd have to get a Master's degree for it. Are there any DUers that are librarians or know people that are? Is it a good career? Does it pay decently? Would I be able to get into a library science program? I have a BA in Biology (My college didn't have BS)with a 3.1 GPA (Nothing below a C though). Most of my other courses were in Literature(Russian, Classics, and English), History, and Social Scinces and I got better grades in those classes than my science classes.

[Breezy du Nord]

1. How funny!

I'm in a library right now!

Oh, and I only have 23 mins left, I better get going.

[bookman]

2. I was..

..a school librarian. They tend to pay a little more. Depends on the state you're in.

I'm retired with a nice pension, medical benefits.

[Breezy du Nord]

3. One of my favorite teachers in middle school was a librarian

Then, in elementary we had this lady who was very tall and she reminded me of a big nasty bird.

[Gloria]

4. I have an MLS from Rutgers....worked in academic, public and

public schools. Mold got to me and that was the end of that.

I can see from the curriculum at Rutgers that the coursework has changed a lot. It is heavily oriented toward "information science"--computers and data base management now. I probably wouldn't do it again. However, public and school work are OK. I like school library work the best because it has the best vacations and pay scales along with the teachers.
The grades can be frustrating...little cooperation from teachers and they tend to dump kids and leave. Middle school can be the same. High school is where you see better use. However, you can make a real difference if you take control in the grades...in other words,create lessons that are not just library drill, but build "units" around topics...in other words, you take the place of the teacher/curriculum and superimpose library skills on themes or topics. Same thing in middle school, where I started by cultivating the art and music teachers, then finally won over the mainstream English and Social Studies teachers. You have to have the mindset that you ARE a teacher, not just processing books. I did enjoy the creative end, doing displays, including "events of the months" but not standard stuff..things like "Seafood Month" stuff like that, anything to break the mold.

Public can be a pain with weekend/night work. Young adult or children's librarian jobs are pretty calm, maybe too calm unless you have to do a lot of programs or things to entice kids in. Reference is OK if you like that sort of thing...I preferred technical work...cataloging, but a lot of that has been taken over by outsourcing...Changes are made via computer programs and it can be tedious...but calm.

Academic libraries usually require a second masters in your subject area! in addition to the MLS.

I found library school 30 years ago very simple and often like they were trying to make it into a big deal. Cataloging was the real meat then. Now, you really have to be sharp with computers and that sort of stuff, which would probably turn me off to it (unless you do school media or possibly public.)

You can tell by the name of the schools what is going on...Rutgers School of Library Science is now the School of Communications, Library, and Information Science or something like that. Which reflects the increased focus on technology..., less on people, I think.

PS...Corporate libraries are definitely specialized in terms of areas served and tend to be heavily into working with data and doing searches.

[Stargleamer]

5. The pay varies so much...

depending on where the library is, and where how much support it's getting.

Law Librarians make a decent amount but they usually have J.D.'s.

I think you can readily find work in a state prison library after graduation because most people don't want to work there, even though the pay is decent ($48,000 per year in Calif.). For other libraries, the pay can really vary.

My undergraduate GPA wasn't that good either, but I got into library school at San Jose State, so I think there probably are schools that wouldn't have a problem accepting you.

I found that my fellow library school students for the most part already had some job experience working in a library, and as a result, found it easier than I did to get a job after graduation. If you can get any job in your campus library or any library anywhere, I think it would be a big help. Also, I believe library school often doesn't give you a good idea of what actually goes on in a library, which working as a college library assistant would. I hate to admit it, but I learned more about what actually goes on in a library by reading books for those seeking to become library assistants than I did in all the classes I took in library school.

Library school faculty tend to be very much First Amendment absolutists--one question for the comprehensive exam for one year, was "Defend the showing of Deep Throat in a public library." Just thought I'd let you know.

I think a biology major as an undergrad is good, especially if you would like to work reference--most librarians seem to come from a humanities background and aren't as familiar with scientific terminology. Those who majored in business as undergrad found it the easiest to get a job though.

Good Luck.

[newyawker99]

13. Hi Stargleamer!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Nikia]

6. I suppose I should look into a part time library job

I suppose that would help me decide whether I really would want to as a librarian before making a time and money investment in a Master's degree. Another question: Do public school librarians usually need to have teacher certification as well? I am not really sure if this would be the type of library that I'd like to work in, but it is something to consider.

[Iris]

7. School librarians require a different degree

School librarians do not have an MLS, but a degree from the education program, which includes any necessary certification.

With your background in biology, you might be interested in working in a medical library.

[Stargleamer]

8. Well if this helps...

I've never seen an ad/job description in which a teaching credential was a necessary requirement to be a public school librarian. The MLS was enough.

However, I think there is a very strong likelihood that when you go in to a job interview for a public school librarian, you will be asked this question (or a similar question): "What experience do you have in working with kids?". So be prepared for that.

[Iris]

9. In my state, you would not be considered for a school librarian position

with just an MLS. You would have to have to be certified as a School Media Specialist, which pretty much requires an master's from the an education program. I have noticed, however, that some MLS programs offer a certification portion in their programs.

[prolesunited]

10. How about going straight to the source

Here's the American Library Association's page on careers in libraries with a ton of great links.

http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Libraries_and_You/Careers_in_Libraries/Careers_in_Libraries.htm

If you're in the mood for a few laughs, how about some library humor:

Explore the world of the Lipstick Librarian
http://www.lipsticklibrarian.com/

Or miscommunications in the library
http://home.hawaii.rr.com/kingcharles/Library/mis-lib.htm

[carolinayellowdog]

11. No regrets-- 28 yrs in public libraries

The pros-- your clientele is very appreciative, they want to be there as opposed to having to be there in school or academic libraries. You are constantly stimulated intellectually and have cutting-edge access to current trends in books etc.

Cons-- pay is worse than other libraries; librarianship generally is a "woman's profession" with pay comparable to nursing and social work; who knows what the future holds for the profession.

[LWolf]

12. I'm a library technician

and about 5 classes short of the master's in library science. I don't work in a library any more; I'm also a teacher and about 2 classes shy of a master's in curriculum and instruction, and a library media teacher's credential. I won't be finishing either masters; by the time I finish paying student loans for the BA and the clear teaching credential it will be time to retire.

I love the library. I think it's a great job. I like the reference desk and collection development. It pays ok, but not great for the time & $$ invested in the masters unless you become a corporate librarian.

Find out what universities near you offer degrees in library science; here in CA I know UCLA and San Jose State do.

[blondeatlast]

14. Some libraries (like Phoenix Public, my employer) use

Library Assistants, those with Bachelor's degrees but not Master's. Basically, you do ALMOST everything a librarian does, including material selection in some cases (I do, but I work in the Collection Development dept.) and almost always reference work. The pay for us is not dramatically different than from librarians.

FWIW, I LOVE my job, but I also have very little public contact, not the case with most LAs. I've worked in libraries from a page on up to where I am now, and I love it.

One great thing--your co-workers will be almost universally nice and interesting (and I might add, liberal!).

I would check into the LA thing; note that not all LAs are req. to have Bachelor's, though.

Did I mention I love my job? I thought about pursuing the MLS but have decided I'm too happy now to go that route.

[Wapsie B]

15. Library school is something I've considered as well.

But I'm just concerned about the job market for MLSer's in the corporate and public sector. What is the employment outlook?