I have worked for more than 25 years as a reporter or an editor, and I have never once considered going to journalism school. Once I got my foot in the newsroom door, I realized quickly that journalism was a white-collar job with a blue-collar rhythm. All you needed was to serve your apprenticeship, learn from the more experienced members of the guild, and then work hard to master the craft. The rest fell into place.

Why is librarianship any different?

— 

Can We Talk About the MLS? | Library Journal

A great, if perhaps provocative, editorial by LJ Editor-in-Chief, Mike Kelley.

Library School 101: Advice from TumblariansAs promised, here’s a... →

silencewhippersnapper:

As promised, here’s a compilation of tumblarian responses to the million dollar question: “how do I choose a library school program?” All credit goes to the lovely transformativetidbits for suggesting this idea in the first place. I’ve compiled all the responses I received - if you’d like to be added let me know! Thanks to everyone who responded - your tips are all really informative and helpful!:

• Called my school after app deadline. Accepted same week classes started. Don’t recommend this, but don’t overvalue the process. - notiondeepinside

• I was limited by geography, and the closest school where I live is a private school with a well-known and well-respected library program. When I applied to the second closest school to where I am, I knew nothing about it except that it was further away and came with a public school price tag. I didn’t have much of a choice - I wanted to go to the first school, but with no scholarship money, I couldn’t afford it even with the loans they offered.
  
  I honestly didn’t really look much at the school I’m at now before I applied, because I sort of knew that either I’d get together enough money to go to the first, or I’d go to the school I would up at. And in the end, I think your anon will find what I did - librarians are librarians, and the ones who are passionate enough to wind up teaching graduate courses to us baby librarians are people who genuinely care about the profession and its future, no matter where they are. I didn’t wind up at the school I would rather have gone to at the time, but since then, I’ve realized that what I got instead was a much more hands-on, practice-based experience than I would have gotten at the other school, and a lot of experience as a student in the ever-growing phenomenon of online learning.
  
  I’ll admit that I was disappointed at first because I didn’t really think of it as anything but the cheaper option at the time. My advice, in this situation, is to really look at what you can get out both programs, because every school offers something a little bit different, and personally, I found that the less prestigious school I chose based on price wasn’t a bad place to be at all, and their accommodations for distance students actually made it a more practical option based on my original criteria for selecting a program: proximity to where I live. - e-sharp

• Loved Syacuse, was a distance student. Though my caveat is get real world experience - volunteer, PT work, etc. - jasonwdean

• 1. Don’t panic apply or make hasty decisions about where to go because you think it’s your only option. 2. If you want to do on campus, double check your program’s on campus offerings versus online options to see that they actually offer quality choices or choices you’re interested in on campus. 3. If you want to do online, find out how their online program works: do you have to be in an online classroom every week or can you do your learning part of your coursework whenever you want? 4. Having actually worked in a library definitely helps, but isn’t necessary. 5. Get involved in an association, even if it’s just the campus version. - kopciuszek

• I applied to all of the top 10 MLIS programs in 2009. Document wise, I had to provide applications, essays, transcripts, and GED scores. Stress wise? Boy howdy, was I stressed out applying to grad school b/c I’m a worrier. When I got a rejection, I cried and when I got an acceptance letter, I partied. I decided that the University of Pittsburgh was my best choice b/c I got the most scholarship money and an internship within the academic library. I did visit Pitt before I made my final decision. I met with the head of Children and Youth Services. She was very nice, and laid out how the MLIS program worked. I think meeting her helped me make my final decision. Also, I LOVED Pittsburgh! It was just as big as my hometown with lots to do. I’m a sucker for a nice urban setting! Fun fact: did you know MR. Rogers was from Pittsburgh, and the library has a bunch of his stuff??? So cool! Hm, what to be aware of… Don’t apply at the last minute. Start early so you don’t pull your hair out. Do your research, make sure it the school you are going to is ALA accredited. Apply everywhere! Pick that dream school you think you might not get into, because you never know. - notyourstereotypicallibrarian
  

• I started with ALA accredited schools near me that offered online courses and narrowed it down from there. I looked at ratings, specializations, course offerings, and cost … and I googled the heck out of my choices! Professors, student opinions, etc. - themugglelibrarian

• Take a good look at the course listings. What are the required courses? That gives you an idea of what the school emphasizes. - thepinakes

• I’m in Ireland, which meant I didn’t have too much choice. I could have done a distance-learning MLIS in the UK (a lot of Irish people do this in Aberystwyth in Wales) or I could have done a two-year part-time course in the Dublin Business School. Ultimately I decided to go with a one-year full-time MLIS in University College Dublin. It’s the only full-time MLIS in the Republic of Ireland and it’s accredited by all the important bodies.

  Another reason why I decided to stay in Dublin for my MLIS is so that I could live in my parents’ house for the year, meaning I wouldn’t have to take on a job. I also have personal reasons for wanting to stay in my hometown, including maintaining access to medical professionals for health reasons.

  But why would this be relevant to anyone who lives outside Dublin? Well about one fifth of my classmates hail from the US or Canada. They have chosen to come to Dublin for their MLIS for a number of reasons. The first is to qualify within one year. The second is to gain a new cultural experience while they study. And the third reason is financial. My fees as a home student were just under €6,000 for the year. A non-EU student would pay €12,400 for the year. It works out a lot less than the fees for what would probably be a two- or three-year qualification in the States. You can live cheaply enough on campus or in the nearby suburbs, so overall, you could save quite a bit by coming here for the year.<>/p>

  There are pros and cons with doing the MLIS in twelve months. It’s very heavy and pressurised, and only the most motivated (or desperate) manage to hold down a part-time job or internship while they study. The faculty staff are from big LIS schools in the US and the UK and they’re mostly pretty good. The standard of what we’re doing is high. My complaints would probably be the same as those people would have on MLIS courses anywhere (too much group work, too many assignments, too much to do and not enough time to do it, etc.).

  The application process was quick. I was required to have at least six weeks of library work experience and a decent primary degree. They got back to me quickly, and the administrator was really helpful with questions I had about the process. 

  I should probably also add that Dublin is such a small place that there was no need to take a tour of the UCD campus. I played hockey there when I was in school, I went to events and parties there when I was in college (in TCD, the other big Dublin university), I use the grounds as a shortcut to get to my aunt’s house… So yeah, no tour necessary. However if you’re not a native, it might be worth having a look. UCD is most definitely not a beautiful campus. It’s a sprawling concrete jungle. It’s got most of what you would expect from a good university, facilities-wise, and there’s plenty of on-campus accommodation. Sports are a big deal (if that’s what you’re into) and there’s also a fairly active LGBTQ community.

  If you’re interested in finding out more about doing your MLIS in Dublin, check out the department website or feel free to send me an ask. I’d be delighted to help. I’ve tagged all my MLIS posts so having a look through them might give you an idea of the kind of things I’ve got up to this year. - thecommonlibrarian

I remember hearing of a recent LIS grad who actually called the database companies up and asked for training on their products while she was on the job hunt — which they gladly gave her. I’ve not yet been so brazen, but it’s a great idea. They realllllly want you know to know how to use their products, and themselves may have subject expertise that you can draw on.

— 

Putting the “Expert” in Subject ExpertiseI Meghan Ecclestone

(via lecieltumultueux)

Nice.

(via thelifeguardlibrarian)

Tumblarian list—help me update! →

thelifeguardlibrarian:

Librarians, students, library service lovers! Who am I missing? Who would like to be included or removed?

You heard the lady.

A library is not a laboratory, a schoolroom, or a lecture platform—it is a library.

thelifeguardlibrarian:

ebookworm asked: I just started my masters in librarian-ing, and you just recently finished, so let me ask you this — during the course of your study, was there a paper, article or a book that really affected the way you thought the profession? That either caused you to think about things differently, or that truly affirmed to you that you were on the right path?

Yes. Jesse H. Shera’s collection of essays The Compleat Librarian. He affirms librarianship as a service profession positioned at a critical, and unique, place in the learning process: “A library is not a laboratory, a schoolroom, or a lecture platform—it is a library; and the librarian is not a research worker, a social worker, a teacher, or a public speaker—[s]he is a librarian.” (More here.)

He affirmed my belief that our service as librarians is as critical a resource as the books on the shelves, and that service defines our profession:

Only through a clear and constant recognition of his[/her] own unique responsibility can the librarian hope to maintain the unity, the integrity, and the effectiveness of his[/her] services.

And congrats on starting your masters! Best of luck and I hope you’ll keep us updated.

mrarchivist:

youchosewrong:

(from Be An Interplanetary Spy 8: Mission to Microworld, 1984)

I think this is how they get you to study technology at library schools.

Zinger!

Wanna know what those people who hire librarians think about job applicants? Follow this blog. →

danhickey:

According to Forbes.com Library and information science is the number one worst master’s degree for jobs, with low mid-career median pay ($57,600) and an abysmal projected employment increase (8.5%). A bleak look at the state of the profession for outsiders, but probably not surprising for career-minded library professionals.

If you can believe it, Forbes’ numbers are slightly more optimistic than the Occupational Outlook Handbook’s: $54,500 median pay (in 2010) and 7% (slower than average) growth 2010-20.

Forbes on how they calculated their figures:

To find the mid-career median pay for 35 popular degrees, we turned to Payscale.com, which lets users compare their salaries with those of other people in similar jobs by culling real-time salary data from its 35 million profiles. We then looked at the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ employment projection data to see how fast employment was expected to increase between 2010 and 2020 in popular jobs held by people with each degree. Finally we averaged each degree’s pay rank and estimated growth rank to find the best and worst master’s degrees for jobs.

Screenshot, stats, and quote via Forbes.com. Supplementary stats via OOH. 

!

So You Want to be a Librarian...Now What? →

undercovershelf:

Here’s a presentation I gave on Saturday to information science students and recent graduates. :)

Is there a Ryan Gosling for everyone? It appears so. Now, at librarianheygirl, he’s schmoozing (well, we’d like to believe he is) all those Masters of Library (and Information) Science out there. Ryan Gosling never rests, ladies and gents.