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Guide to College Majors in Library Science
--Dwight D. Eisenhower
What is Library Science?
Librarians, in the truest sense, are the custodians of
information. Whether in the public library or in corporate,
faculty, or professional facilities, they provide the community
with the knowledge, skills, and resources to find more information
on virtually any topic. From the future novelist who spends his
childhood immersed in fiction to the doctoral candidate preparing a
dissertation on medical treatments, the best source for any
recorded material, including CD-ROMs, websites, virtual libraries,
and remote access to a wide range of resources, is the
library.
Even with the Internet making information resources available at
anyone's desktop, the role of the librarian is to sift through
numerous databases, refine searches, qualify sources and help
verify information. The modern science of library and information
studies is largely responsible for the development of high-speed,
integrated, and accurate storage of bulk information. Many
libraries have access to remote databases and maintain their own
computerized databases. Librarians also help train users to develop
searching skills for the information they seek.
If you're considering a
library science degree, you'll need to decide which area you'd
be best suited for. Librarians are classified according to the type
of library where they work, such as a public library, school
library media center; college, university, or special library. Some
librarians work with specific groups, such as children, adults, or
the disadvantaged. In school library media centers,
librarians--often called school media specialists--help teachers
develop curricula, acquire materials for classroom instruction, and
sometimes team teach.
Librarians also work in information centers or libraries maintained
by government agencies, corporations, law firms, advertising
agencies, museums, professional associations, medical centers,
hospitals, religious organizations, and research laboratories. A
corporate librarian could provide the sales department with
information on competitors or new developments affecting the field.
A medical librarian may provide information about new medical
treatments, clinical trials, and standard procedures to health
professionals, patients, consumers, and corporations. Government
document librarians preserve publications, records, and other
documents that make up a historical record of government actions
and decision making.
With a
library science degree, you can specialize in a single area,
such as acquisitions, cataloguing, bibliography, reference, special
collections, or administration. Librarians must have knowledge of a
wide variety of scholarly and public information sources and must
follow trends related to publishing, computers, and the media in
order to oversee the selection and organization of library
materials. Other personality traits that will help your career are
a love for organizing; inquisitive, probing, and thorough by
nature; well read with a broad knowledge and interest base; and a
desire to never stop learning.
Degree Programs in Library Science
Library and Information Science Training
Library jobs can include everyone from facilities support staff
to doctorate-level
researchers and directors. The most common educational requirement
is the MLS, or
Master of Library Science. Associate's and bachelor's degrees
in library science are also available, usually leading to library
technician jobs. Students who wish to begin working in the field
while studying for their MLS might choose to pursue an online
university degree, allowing them to get a foot in the door
sooner and apply their training directly to their library
jobs.
Library Technician Careers
Library technicians can have other titles, such as library
technical assistant or media aide. They direct library users to
standard references, organize and maintain periodicals, prepare
volumes for binding, handle interlibrary loan requests, prepare
invoices, perform routine cataloguing and coding of library
materials, retrieve information from computer databases, and
supervise support staff. An associate of arts in library technology
can include both liberal arts and library-related study. Students
learn about library and media organization and operation, as well
as how to order, process, catalogue, locate, and circulate library
materials and work with library automation.
Given the rapid spread of automation in libraries, computer skills
are needed for many jobs. Knowledge of databases, library
automation systems, online library systems, online public access
systems, and circulation systems is valuable. The increasing use of
automated information systems is enabling librarians to focus on
administrative and budgeting responsibilities, grant writing, and
specialized research requests, while delegating more technical and
user services responsibilities to technicians.
Master of Library Science (MLS)
Qualified librarians usually have a
bachelor's degree in liberal arts and a
master's degree in library science (MLS) for positions in
public, academic, and special libraries and in some school
libraries. The federal government requires an MLS or the equivalent
in education and experience.
A typical graduate program includes courses in the foundations of
library and information science, including the history of books and
printing, intellectual freedom and censorship, and the role of
libraries and information in society. Other basic courses cover the
selection and processing of materials, the organization of
information, reference tools and strategies, and user services.
Course options can include resources for children or young adults;
classification, cataloguing, indexing, and abstracting; library
administration; and library automation. Computer-related coursework
is an increasingly important part of an MLS degree.
Specialists often need an additional graduate or professional
degree. To work in an art museum, for example, you can take
online college courses in art history. If you'll be conducting
classes for school children at the museum, include coursework in
early
childhood education. If you plan to specialize in collections
in a curatorial role, consider courses in arts
administration and management. You'll also need to learn about
digital imaging, scanning technology, and copyright law as part of
your formal education. Other areas of specialization also include
medicine, law, business, engineering, and the natural and social
sciences. In some jobs, knowledge
of a foreign language is needed.
PhD Programs in Library Science
A Ph.D. degree in library and information science is
advantageous for a college teaching position, a top administrative
job in a college or university library, or a large municipal
library system. You'll also need continuing education training and
seminars on advances within the field, technology, and special
interests.
What can you do with a College Degree in Library Science?
Career options in library science
Most of the 167,000 librarians employed in 2002 worked in school
and academic libraries; nearly a third worked in public libraries.
The remainder worked in special libraries or as information
professionals for companies and other organizations. More than 20%
of librarians work part-time. Experienced librarians can advance to
administrative positions, such as department head, library
director, or chief information officer.
Employment of librarians is expected to grow more slowly than
average, but job opportunities are expected to be very good because
of impending Baby Boomer retirements.
Despite the healthy demand for library professionals, there is a
trend in some circles to hire fewer librarians and replace them
with less costly library technicians. Computerized systems make
cataloguing easier, allowing library technicians to perform the
work. If you'd prefer to test the waters with an associate's degree
before committing to your MLS, consider applying for library
technician careers and plan to work your way up the ladder as you
earn your degree.
Library Jobs in the Information Age
Librarians with computer and information systems skills can work
as automated-systems librarians, who plan and operate computer
systems. They might also choose to work as information architect
librarians, designing information storage and retrieval systems and
developing procedures for collecting, organizing, interpreting, and
classifying information.
Employment should grow rapidly in special libraries because of the
increase in their use by professionals. More and more, librarians
are applying their information management and research skills to
arenas outside of libraries--for example, database development,
reference tool development, information systems, publishing,
Internet coordination, marketing, Web content management and
design, and training of database users.
Entrepreneurial librarians sometimes start their own consulting
practices, acting as freelance librarians or information brokers
and providing services to other libraries, businesses, or
government agencies. Librarians are valued for their ability to
review vast amounts of information and analyze, evaluate, and
organize it according to a company's specific needs. Professionals
with a
library science degree can be work as systems analysts,
database specialists and trainers, webmasters or web developers, or
local area network (LAN) coordinators.
Librarian Career Outlook
Your salary will vary according to your qualifications and the
type, size, and location of the library. Librarians with primarily
administrative duties often earn more. In 2002, librarians' median
annual earnings were about $43,000 (but the average in the federal
government was much higher, around $70,000). If you want to branch
out a bit, archivists, curators, and museum technicians do the same
kind of cataloguing, research, and production of support materials,
with a focus on the conservation and preservation of
collections.
Archivists
Archivists describe, catalogue, analyze, exhibit, and maintain
valuable objects and collections for the benefit of researchers and
the public. Records may be saved on any medium, including paper,
film, videotape, audiotape, electronic disk, or computer. As
technology evolves, archivists must keep abreast of technological
advances in electronic information storage. Archivists work for a
variety of organizations, including government agencies, museums,
historical societies, corporations, and educational institutions.
Archive technicians need a bachelor's degree in library science or
history, or relevant work experience.
Certification and Licensure
State certification requirements for public school librarians
vary widely. Most states require school librarians to be certified
as teachers and to have some library science coursework under their
belts.
An MLS is needed in some cases, perhaps with a library media
specialization, or a master's
in education with a specialty in school library media or
educational media. Some states also require certification of public
librarians employed in municipal, county, or regional library
systems.
Certification and Licensure
State certification requirements for public school librarians
vary widely. Most states require school librarians to be certified
as teachers and to have some library science coursework under their
belts. An MLS is needed in some cases, perhaps with a library media
specialization, or a master's in education with a specialty in
school library media or educational media. Some states also require
certification of public librarians employed in municipal, county,
or regional library systems.
There are several professional associations offering career
advancement resources and credentials, such as:
- American Library Association
- Special Libraries Association
- American Association of Law Libraries
- Medical Library Association
State library agencies can furnish information on scholarships
available through their offices, requirements for certification,
and general information about career prospects. State departments
of education can provide information on certification requirements
and job opportunities for school librarians.
The Academy of Certified Archivists offers voluntary certification
for archivists. The "Certified Archivist" designation is obtained
by those with a master's degree and a year of appropriate archival
experience who pass a written examination.
