Any librarians here?

[StellaBlue]

I am considering doing a masters in Library/Information Science. I am especially drawn to manuscripts/archives, as I would ideally like to work in a museum or academic library.

According to the Labor Dept., the demand for librarians is expected to rise significantly over the next five years due to retirements. Apparently, contrary to what many (including me!) would've thought, the demand is INCREASING because of IT, as libraries and other information centers (as well as businesses) are looking for people with relevant skills in both IT and traditional librarianship.

I was hoping to be accepted to the University of Texas's program, but it is ranked either #1 or #2 in archives... I don't know if I can get it, but I figure it's worth a try. I was planning to move to Austin, anyway and I have a BA in English from UT, as well. I also have a masters in English/Art History (interdisciplinary program focusing on the early 20th century) from the second-ranked English grad dept. in the UK.

According to the UT website, their graduates tend to earn about $45,000 right out of their program. This seems really good to me, especially compared to the low-level teaching positions I would've been scrambling after if I had gotten a PhD as I initially planned. I am about to book a GRE test date and study with a book.

I love academia and learning and planning and organising; I think I would very much like a career in this field.

Are there any DUers who are/were/will be librarians? Or know any? Especially in Texas, as I would want to stay in Austin after graduation, though I would of course be willing to move elsewhere if the job was offered and the place was blue!!!

Insight greatly appreciated, especially on how to get into a highly-ranked school.

[StellaBlue]

1. Any librarians here NOW?

[CottonBear]

2. Many of my good friends are librarians and I used to work at a major

university research library if that helps. One of my best friends is a librarain for a technical college in middle Georgia. She got her degree through a distance learning program with the University of SC while living in Athens, GA. Her background was in photography and she editied a book published at GA Tech on image reproduction and scanning. My other friend studied at Florida State University and later worked at Clemson and Harvard and now works for UGA as a serials librarian. Her husband got his masters at Simmons College in Boston and he also worked for Harvard. He is now the head of one of the special collections libraries at UGA.

UGA was ranked 18th nationally (research libraries) when I worked there. I worked in gifts and exchnage and monographic receiving. I have another friend who is a science librarian. I beleive she had a background in biology.

University, college and technical college careers pay well and have good benefits and teachers retirement plans (in GA.)

My friend who works for the technical college (she is THE librarian)said she should have asked for about $8,000 more than she initially did when she was hired. SHe could possibly be making about $40,000 to $45,000 now.

edit: With your academic background you could be a collections librarian at a research library. You would be responsible for adding new books and other media to the collection. You might also work in an art history deparment of a university. A good friend of mine has a BFA (fabric design) and a masters of Library Science. She is now the librarian for the School of Environmental Design at my Alma Mater.

[LostinVA]

4. Stella, notice Cottonbear's friend is THE librarian

and makes about 40k. Trust me, most of the librarians I work with don't live high on the hog.... but we love the work!

[LostinVA]

3. Yes.....

[huskerlaw]

5. Right here!

I just got my MLS from Missouri last May. My situation is somewhat different, as I am also a lawyer and work in a university law library, but let me see if I can speak to some of the things you mentioned.

1. Demand IS projected to increase. Nobody in my program was having any trouble finding a job. Me included. I had more interviews than I knew what to do with and was lucky enough to get offers from my top 2 choices.

2. University of Texas is really hard to get into. I'm not sure HOW hard, as I didn't apply. But yes, I've heard it's really selective. That said, nobody in any of my interviews even mentioned what school I got my Master's Degree from, other than to ask if I liked the city. So other than the fact that you want to live in Austin, I wouldn't stress too much if you can't get into UT.

3. I'm not so sure about the $45,000 number. Not that they're lying, but a word of caution. People with specialities are going to skew that number. For example, as I mentioned earlier, I'm also a lawyer. I'm making more than $45,000. If I recall correctly, there were many lawyer/librarians in the UT program. Their higher salaries are going to skew the numbers for those without the dual degrees. That said, while entry positions in libraries may not offer salaries that high, the potential for promotion is usually pretty good. Particularly with the upcoming retirements. So your salary should increase rather significantly within a few years.

Hope that helps! Good luck!

[StellaBlue]

6. Thanks!

Thanks for the input, everybody! I printed out the program info last night...

Anyone have any ideas of where else I should apply? I was thinking UNT. I used to live in Denton when I was little and, I suppose, since I am serious about this as a career, I can stand to apply there, as well.

[Lethe]

19. you can do the whole MLS degree through their distance program

UNT's i mean. which is nice if you didnt want to live in Denton

[wildhorses]

7. self delete

never mind

[In_The_Wind]

8. Ask MissHoneychurch ...

She will be back on DU this Thursday.

BTW - She is a librarian in Germany.

[nickinSTL]

9. I'm in school at Florida State right now

Worked 7 years as a copy cataloger, now working on my master's.

You should definitely apply to multiple schools, in case you don't make UT. It's also a good idea to check other schools, just to see what they offer.

There are also a number of schools now that offer fully online programs, so you may still be able to get your degree while living in Austin, even if you don't end up at UT.

I live in St. Louis, and am in an online program at FSU.

I chose FSU because I really liked their courses, lots specific to my interests (Information Architecture, web design, digital libraries)

ALA has a full listing of accredited programs, and has a separate list of distance programs (though I'm not sure how complete the distance program listing is, and I don't think it differentiates between traditional distance and fully online)

Can't really talk about the job market/pay rate...as I'm still about a year away from actively looking.

[StellaBlue]

11. Great

Thanks for the info; I will definitely apply to some online progams along with UT, as I am not at all confident I will get in.

Best of luck to you, too!

[nickinSTL]

14. thanks

sorry I didn't give the link to ALA:

ALA: http://www.ala.org

ALA's list of accredited schools for the master's: http://www.ala.org/ala/accreditation/lisdirb/lisdirectory.htm

They used to have a brief listing of distance options, I don't see that anymore.

I know of a few off-hand...

Florida State University: http://ci.fsu.edu
University of Illinois: http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/programs/leep/
University of North Texas: http://www.unt.edu/distanceed.htm
University of Tennessee at Knoxville: http://www.sis.utk.edu/
University of Arizona: http://www.sir.arizona.edu/
Southern Connecticut State University: http://so-mako.sysoff.ctstateu.edu/put/ocsu.nsf/2fa0fb6cd74e3cc585256b74004945ee/c4107f22e8b0384685256b8400692ca2?OpenDocument
Syracuse University: http://istweb.syr.edu/academics/graduate/mls/index.asp
Texas Women's University: http://www.twu.edu/cope/slis/programs/disted.htm
University of Pittsburgh (not sure if this is entirely online): http://fasttrack.sis.pitt.edu/
University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SOIS/
Drexel University: http://www.drexel.com/Fields_of_Study/information_sciences/MDI/index.shtml
Unviersity of Washington: http://www.ischool.washington.edu/mlis/distance.aspx

Some of them, such as UoWashington and UoTennessee, have some requirements that you visit the campus...others, such as Florida State, do not.

Also, this is probably not exhaustive...I'd guess there are more out there.

[MountainLaurel]

10. I'm a librarian

But can't help you much, because I know little to nothing about archival work and what the job market is like. But I really doubt that $45K is what they're making just out of school, especially in Texas. Unless you're working for a major museum or government agency, most nonprofit museums and organizations couldn't afford that.

For the rest of us, it can be pretty fucking bleak: Despite the line that the Labor Dept. and the ALA is trying to sell, though there have been predictions of mass retirements, it ain't happening. And when it is, libraries are not filling the positions with full-time degreed librarians. Either the position is being split into two or more part-time positions (or, in academic libraries, into a 9-month temp position without benefits), or it's being reclassified so that paraprofessionals with bachelor's degrees are eligible. (The level and amount of work doesn't change, just the job description.)

One tip, though: Don't worry about getting into a highly ranked school: As long as it's ALA accredited, no one really cares.

[StellaBlue]

12. This is good news (rankings not mattering)

I just want to go to UT because I am an alumna and I intend to live in Austin, anyway. haha

[MountainLaurel]

16. On the other hand, it's sad

I know people who are paying $30K a year to attend Catholic who will have the same employment changes as me, who paid $3K. (Because VA doesn't have an accredited MLS program, I was able to attend at the Univ. of Tennessee via distance learning at in-state tuition.

[khashka]

13. My ex is a librarian

Don't expect to make a lot of money. 45K sounds a little high if you are just starting.

UT is a great school but very hard to get into...

If you really want to be a librarian, a masters in English/Art History might serve you better in the job market than anything else. And you already have that. (My ex has a degree in History, and he's been a librarian for donkey's years.)

Anyway, good luck :)

Khash.

[nickinSTL]

15. a caution on that

a master's in another subject is great...and essential for career growth in addition to an MLS if you want to work in an academic library.

But, many public and academic libraries will not hire anyone without the MLS.

Special libraries are more likely to, particularly if you have a master's in their area of interest.

[StellaBlue]

17. Thanks again

I will apply to UT and to TWU (where my mom used to be the secretary to the president! -spent a lot of time there in my very early years!) and UNT.

I think this is really what I want to do - and it looks like I have finally found a career where my MA in English/Art History isn't pointless! AHA!

[ThatsMyBarack]

18. I have an MLS....

....but I work in tech. services--in the back office of my library.

I love it, though--I get to work with my hands a lot wrapping books, typing labels, creating DVD jackets, etc.

:toast: