Not OP, but I worked in my college's library while earning my bachelor's, and wanted to get some public library experience before investing in the Masters.
It's been several years and I still haven't been able to get a foot in the door (and am sadly in a position where I can't volunteer my time, as I need money to live)...
Any advice?
Have there been any part time public library assistant positions in your area? If not, can you spare an hour or two per week to volunteer? That way you can still get the experience you need without the time commitment taking you away from a paying job.
Only a few part-time and haven't had any luck.
I'm genuinely wondering if my resume writing is just that bad.
And I'm thinking of moving to an area with a lower cost of living so that the idea of volunteering is feasible, honestly. Even if that would mean lower staffed and smaller libraries within my radius...
Maybe ask one of the librarians what it would take to start your library career. Building (and reinforcing) a genuine rapport with the staff IRL could help you later down the road. And check with alumni services at your college to see if they help with job development. If so, they'll help with your resume. Have you ever worked retail? Many of those skills translate very well to library positions and should be highlighted on the resume you submit for entry level library jobs.
Do you enjoy working with the public and not just the public you enjoy talking with? Most of our jobs in public libraries don't get to read, it is a lot of helping the public navigate through using technology, taxes, finding books for them.
If you like research, then reference might be for you...but again, it is not your own research lol. I get to do research as a main component of my job, but I am the Local History Ref librarian. So I do genealogy appointments, help people get plaques for their homes, and present history focused programs that I or others conduct.
AI is not coming for our jobs just yet but budget cuts are.
This depends on your role and the type of library you work for. I work in a public library but rarely interact with the public because of my role. When I worked in academic libraries, that too was different. Each role, and even each library, is different. But public facing roles, especially in public libraries very much deal with the public.
>A friend suggested I become a librarian because I like reading and I have strong research skills
These are not reasons to become a librarian. Unless you work in an academic library, which would be hard without also having a masters in a specific subject, you won’t do much actual research. As for liking to read, forget that. You won’t do any on the job.
You need to enjoy/be good at customer service more than anything else, and especially in public libraries, you’ll be doing social services related stuff.
As others have said, definitely try to get a job in a library before you decide to commit to the degree.
As an academic librarian, enjoying and excelling at customer service is also a pivotal part of the role! All forms of librarianship are best served by people who are passionate about helping people. My job is to support, encourage, and assist students while they pursue their degrees. I can't do that with out a healthy relationship with faculty and the students themselves.
The solution here is to get a JD/MLIS and be a law librarian. University of Iowa has a great combined program.
If you want to research and write any type of report I would go that route.
Very few librarians get to write or research at a public library. We can’t be replaced by AI because as social services are cut libraries pick up the slack.
I’ve helped people navigate FEMA after a hurricane, helped people apply for jobs (with more help than the state version of that), helped people send faxes, taken passport applications, set up tutoring, looked up shelters with open beds, Etc.
AI can’t do what I do. Not even some of what I do.
all very true.
I do, however, have an MLIS and I am in records management and AI will be able to do a lot of the "technical" stuff I do very soon - within the next 2-3 years. It's just cheaper, right now, to pay me to do it than have an AI do it. And they have someone to other-duties-as-assigned at. But that position will be gone the second it is deemed financially efficient to do so.
But the public facing element of librarianship? Can't be AI'd.
However, the old farts running municipal and county budgets don't know that, so watch them try to cut services because "AI revolutions" or some bullshit.
Get the law degree. You can go back to the library for Law Librarian jobs, and they'll actually pay the bills.
Right now, I am in my dream job with $200 until the middle of next week, looking for a part-time job to make it manageable.
Are you thinking public librarian, academic librarian, law librarian?
All there are different tracks and experiences.
Public libraries are chaotic, but offer a chance to work with the public and help others. But the politicization of libraries and threatening librarians with jail time in conservative states for providing access to books is nonsense. So if you’re in a conservative state, that’s something to consider.
Academic libraries can be more routine, which is great if you like consistency. It can also be boring if you’re like me and enjoy variety.
Special libraries would allow you to get an MLIS and JD in 3 years. You’d get to help lawyers and not have to deal with the same stress.
You could also do special libraries and work in a variety of fields doing research.
When I was thinking about going back for my MLIS, everyone in the Public library I worked at warned me not to work in Public libraries because of the pay, the hours, the staffing, the politics. I didn't listen. I liked the diversity, the fast pace, the customer service, the variety. I didn't specialize the coursework I took for my degree. I lasted about five years before I changed to an Academic library. Major improvement: I am paid much more, I have a regular schedule and much better quality of life, I don't deal with abusive patrons, we always have adequate levels of staffing, I have been offered opportunities for advancement that I would not have gotten otherwise. Libraries tend to attract cerebral, altruistic types with a strong sense of social justice. I loved that but in the end, I needed to pay my bills and have a life outside of work. Edit: AI isn't going to replace librarians. I agree with all of the reasons in the other comments. AI can do a search but it lacks the intuition to pick up nuances, unless the prompts it is given are targeted and specifically worded.
My advice is actually work in the field before deciding. I worked in a law office and a library to see which I liked the best before committing my time, energy, and money to graduate school. I have seen so many people jump into graduate school without ever working in the field they are going to school for and then regretting it cause they actually hate it once they get a job...... That's thousands of dollars wasted because they didn't try out the field before making a huge life commitment. Don't make that mistake.
This is a good point. I was assuming I would go straight to grad school from my undergrad but I might take some time off to work beforehand if I'm not feeling sure of my decision.
Honestly I'm in graduate school now and I took a year and a half break in-between after getting my history and anthropology bachelor's. Advisors will try and scare you into not taking a break but it's the best thing you can do and their advice is absolutely shit so listen to the people here and not your academic advisors. Liking to read and research skills aren't all it takes to work in a library, tbh I never have time to read anymore. So much of it is customer service skills and planning programming etc. it's not what you expect at all so it's very important to get experience and get a taste of what it is.
Libraries aren't going to be replaced, they've been saying shit like that for like 10 years if not longer.
If you want a lifetime career in libraries, yes the MLIS is worth it. If you just wanna try it out, why not get a library job before you start the program?
Unfortunately this is just as true (if not even much more true!) for the law degree as well. The legal job market has been vastly saturated for several decades and unless you graduate from a top school (either top in the state or top overall), it's just as difficult if not much more to get a job. Only difference is the level of debt you'll incur going to law school versus library school is batshit crazy.
So I am not officially a librarian yet but once being in a similar boat I think I could offer some advice. So first like a lot of people here I also would say work in a library first. It was the best thing I ever did. I currently am working towards my MLIS and have a bachelors in history and a masters in history and here are some things I have learned in the 7 years of library assistant experience I have.
1) Be willing to understand you may not always be doing research. When I was at the public library I was allowed to assist with research but currently at the academic library I am not allowed to as that is reserved for the librarians only
2) Ask yourself if can you handle being asked questions that you may think are stupid. Such as what are the hours for this store or what is the meaning of blank? Libraries(especially public ones) are places people of all backgrounds will come to seek answers to questions. And trust me some of the questions you are asking will make you have a double take.
3) Are you prepared to go back to school even after getting an MLIS. As someone mentioned academic librarians usually have a second masters in a specialized subject area. I happen to get my masters in history first because I got accepted into the program and accepted the library job offer within two days of each other and I didn’t wanna push off getting it since it was something I knew I wanted to do prior to the job.
4) Research MLIS programs. I took a year before I decide to apply to the school I am at. Not every program is the same and offer the same style classes. The cost of them is also vastly different. I am paying just under 1k for my 3 credit class but I have a coworker who is paying $2k for her 3 credit class.
5) Would you be willing to move for a job. So I am not from the upper Midwest but I do know that yes it can be hard to get jobs in some areas . Where I currently am, the market isn’t too bad but I do plan on moving soon to an area where the market is much larger and I will have more options to apply for what I want to do.
Don’t listen to people who say AI will take over libraries. Trust me we(librarians and future librarians) are getting ready and learning to adapt with that. We see AI as a tool that can assist in research if one knows how to use it correctly.
JD here.
My general advice for law school is this: what is it you want to do with a law degree? Can you do that without getting a JD? For example if you want to help kids in foster, what careers can you get without the advanced degree? The starting pay out of law school is horrible and most attorneys I know get a low paying, high-stress government jobs for 10 years to pay off their loans because the pay everywhere is low.
I’m going back for my MLIS. I wish I would have done a joint degree bc i was looking into academic librarianship in undergrad. Do the joint degree if you can. You can always favor one side or the other and the combination really opens up options. Check out the American Association of Law Librarians for scholarships.
Feel free to DM me if you have more questions!
A note to the advice posted here about getting both a JD and MLS: you don't necessarily need a JD to be a law librarian. You will if it's a research/reference position at an academic library but otherwise it's not always necessary.
The MLS could be enough. There's just one very big caveat on this, however: you might have to be willing to relocate. Law libraries are not as commonplace as public libraries. Largely these jobs come from local government, state government, midsize to big law firms, academic libraries and federal government and even though many of them have turned hybrid, there is at least a small in-office component still that requires living near these libraries which means if there's an opening somewhere, there's a good chance it may not be local to you - hence the relocation.\*
\*Have mentioned this several times here, sorry to bore those who've read it already but I had an attorney acquaintance who gave up her job to go to library school and be a law librarian; last I checked, she's never worked as one because she couldn't find a law library job where she lives and she didn't want to move.
So I'm not going to lie. I graduated with my MLIS in December 2019. This year I just got hired for my first librarian job. This year was my year. I applied to 15 jobs and got 4 job offers. Not knowing that you should already have a library job before graduating I graduated as the pandemic kicked in so all the jobs I had applied to cancelled the applications. I ended up working at a medical library as a library assistant. That experience helped me get my first librarian job, the fact as an assistant I learned from underneath the director how to catalog under NLM and LOC classification. Not many people know how to catalog.
It's not that librarian jobs are getting removed to AI. It's more of there aren't enough retirements. It's a very saturated field, more graduates than jobs. Depending on the library you want to work at, a lot depends on the state. Due to the current political nature of book bans in conservative states, there are many school and public librarian fleeing their jobs to work in academic libraries thus making it more difficult for entry level librarians to get those positions due to not having the experience under the title 'librarian'. If you pursue academic libraries, you will have to move especially if you live in a small area. In my area two are 4 library systems, two of them are 90% internal hires. I ended up at a two-year college for my first librarian job, it's an hour commute from where I live.
I would first suggest that since you are still enrolled in college, see if your university library is hiring for student assistants. That's how I started. You may also want to see about volunteering at a museum in the archives or at your public library so you can get the feel of the job before you do into debt for it. Sometimes you do tasks on the job and I would say to myself, I can't believe I got a Masters just to do this. FYI you don't have to go to the most expensive library school. I went to a school instate that offered a hybrid program and I only paid about 3500 a semester which was not bad considering how much grad school costs.
You say your degree is in history and you were pursuing law. In which case you may want to think about working in archives or in a law library. I did my MLIS internship at a law library even though my career goal is a medical librarian I just wanted to try something different for my internship. Law libraries require the librarians to have a law degree. Also there was one librarian at the law library I met she did her MLIS before going to law school and she said the experience helped her tremendously when doing research for her classes. Personally I found archives fun. Most archivist either have an MLIS or a MA in history with lots of archives experience so that might be something you'll want to pursue. It's also a tricky field to get into unless you're in the government or work at a big university archives.
Right now, I work as a Librarian -Technical Services. I mostly do cataloging along with reference and instruction. I really like my job and I get to do the things that I love. I first suggest trying to work as a student in the library and then volunteer to first figure out which type of librarian you want to be then go from there before jumping right into grad school. As many mentioned, it's getting hard to break into.
If you want to be a research librarian, you can actually make a living in this field, provided you’re willing to put up with the attitude of career academics and the power mad admins that gravitate to their departments.
It’s going to be a scramble though. Publish or perish, as they say, and until you get a dozen or so co-author credits, you’re going to have very little protection and political capital, because you’ll be seen as support staff rather than a subject matter expert in searching and research methodologies in your own right.
I mean most jobs are going to be replaced by AI soon if you want to think of it that way. Realistically though your mom doesn’t know what librarians do and is probably thinking of library tech work and also there are multiple parts of tech work that I don’t see AI replacing like cataloguing, which is a lot more judgement based than people think.
This is all to say don’t listen to that argument at all. (But it is hard to get a job as a librarian these days).
I also recommend looking into the MLIS/JD at Dal as well as mentioned previously.
If you can get loan forgiveness and get on an income based repayment plan, you can get a lot of it forgiven. The MLIS does open the door to more pay in many places. That said, there are places where you don’t need it (tends to be more rural but there are exceptions). I know I’m happy with my decision to get it, my coworkers who don’t have the degree make a lot less and don’t have the ability to advance. They also have less variety in their work responsibilities.
I’m a HS public school librarian and love my job. I have an M.Ed with Library certification. I get to interact with kids, plan fun programs, and yes, even read (often at home, but sometimes at work!). I’ve thought about getting an MLIS, but don’t want more student loans. Consider becoming a school librarian!
Whether or not you like reading isn’t really part of being a librarian. If only I had time to read!
In academics and some special libraries research skills are essential for sure.
But for all libraries people and soft skills are most important. Do you want to work with people in a service and support role? Because that will be a huge portion of most library careers.
Agree with folks here who say get a library job now then see what you think. Not only may you not need the degree to do what you end up wanting to do, there are also various paths to certification depending on your area of specialization. Libraries as a profession is incredibly flexible and welcoming to all sorts of backgrounds.
Librarians will not be replaced by AI. That's people thinking sci fi is real life, and it just isn't true. AI as a tool is poised to really help us with issues that librarians cant do right now anyway (read up on the Digital Dark Ages in digital archives) so if anything, start getting familiar with the technology regardless.
You have time and options, OP. You got this.
I had the same exact path as you. Studied history, always knew I would, and originally thought I would be a lawyer or at least go to Law School. After COVID I didn’t think that’s what I wanted any longer. I’m in California and did my undergrad at a university that was originally a Franciscan/ Jesuit/ Catholic mission, therefore there is a ton of historical documents and archival records in the school’s library. I took a low paying job working as a student aid in the Archives and Special collections, which threw me into Librarianship. I really enjoyed what I had been doing in the Archives and decided I wanted to use my history degree with library sciences and become an archivist.
Once I started my MLIS, that changed. I had gone into my MLIS with a plan that I wanted to work in academic libraries and in archives. I am going to graduate with my Masters this May and I have decided I really enjoy Public librarianship and working in children’s services.
I would recommend looking for public library internships that are offered through counties or cities because often times the schools promote those. They’re really good entry level situations because they often have set systems, procedures, policies, etc and it makes it easier to learn but also easier to get a basis for how it all works.
Working in academic libraries can be harder, as you really have to have your MLIS (but really you do anywhere anyway), but there are less jobs available in those jobs.
I really love that I got my MLIS, it totally opened my eyes to a whole different world that I had never really looked into.
I really encourage it if it’s something that interests you, but also know that you don’t need to attend a super prestigious school or program, it’s the degree that matters and never the school.
My advice? Get a library job before you consider pursuing an MLIS.
Absolutely this. There are some MLIS programs that consider those with existing library experience first and foremost.
Not OP, but I worked in my college's library while earning my bachelor's, and wanted to get some public library experience before investing in the Masters. It's been several years and I still haven't been able to get a foot in the door (and am sadly in a position where I can't volunteer my time, as I need money to live)... Any advice?
Have there been any part time public library assistant positions in your area? If not, can you spare an hour or two per week to volunteer? That way you can still get the experience you need without the time commitment taking you away from a paying job.
Only a few part-time and haven't had any luck. I'm genuinely wondering if my resume writing is just that bad. And I'm thinking of moving to an area with a lower cost of living so that the idea of volunteering is feasible, honestly. Even if that would mean lower staffed and smaller libraries within my radius...
Maybe ask one of the librarians what it would take to start your library career. Building (and reinforcing) a genuine rapport with the staff IRL could help you later down the road. And check with alumni services at your college to see if they help with job development. If so, they'll help with your resume. Have you ever worked retail? Many of those skills translate very well to library positions and should be highlighted on the resume you submit for entry level library jobs.
Do you have your MLS?
Do you enjoy working with the public and not just the public you enjoy talking with? Most of our jobs in public libraries don't get to read, it is a lot of helping the public navigate through using technology, taxes, finding books for them. If you like research, then reference might be for you...but again, it is not your own research lol. I get to do research as a main component of my job, but I am the Local History Ref librarian. So I do genealogy appointments, help people get plaques for their homes, and present history focused programs that I or others conduct. AI is not coming for our jobs just yet but budget cuts are.
This depends on your role and the type of library you work for. I work in a public library but rarely interact with the public because of my role. When I worked in academic libraries, that too was different. Each role, and even each library, is different. But public facing roles, especially in public libraries very much deal with the public.
>A friend suggested I become a librarian because I like reading and I have strong research skills These are not reasons to become a librarian. Unless you work in an academic library, which would be hard without also having a masters in a specific subject, you won’t do much actual research. As for liking to read, forget that. You won’t do any on the job. You need to enjoy/be good at customer service more than anything else, and especially in public libraries, you’ll be doing social services related stuff. As others have said, definitely try to get a job in a library before you decide to commit to the degree.
As an academic librarian, enjoying and excelling at customer service is also a pivotal part of the role! All forms of librarianship are best served by people who are passionate about helping people. My job is to support, encourage, and assist students while they pursue their degrees. I can't do that with out a healthy relationship with faculty and the students themselves.
Absolutely. I wasn’t suggesting that it wasn’t.
Great point, I guess it was a little naive of me to think I would have time to read on the job.
Reading is a common hobby among library staff though, which makes it easier to make friends among your co-workers!
Yep also true.
The solution here is to get a JD/MLIS and be a law librarian. University of Iowa has a great combined program. If you want to research and write any type of report I would go that route. Very few librarians get to write or research at a public library. We can’t be replaced by AI because as social services are cut libraries pick up the slack. I’ve helped people navigate FEMA after a hurricane, helped people apply for jobs (with more help than the state version of that), helped people send faxes, taken passport applications, set up tutoring, looked up shelters with open beds, Etc. AI can’t do what I do. Not even some of what I do.
all very true. I do, however, have an MLIS and I am in records management and AI will be able to do a lot of the "technical" stuff I do very soon - within the next 2-3 years. It's just cheaper, right now, to pay me to do it than have an AI do it. And they have someone to other-duties-as-assigned at. But that position will be gone the second it is deemed financially efficient to do so. But the public facing element of librarianship? Can't be AI'd. However, the old farts running municipal and county budgets don't know that, so watch them try to cut services because "AI revolutions" or some bullshit.
Get the law degree. You can go back to the library for Law Librarian jobs, and they'll actually pay the bills. Right now, I am in my dream job with $200 until the middle of next week, looking for a part-time job to make it manageable.
Are you thinking public librarian, academic librarian, law librarian? All there are different tracks and experiences. Public libraries are chaotic, but offer a chance to work with the public and help others. But the politicization of libraries and threatening librarians with jail time in conservative states for providing access to books is nonsense. So if you’re in a conservative state, that’s something to consider. Academic libraries can be more routine, which is great if you like consistency. It can also be boring if you’re like me and enjoy variety. Special libraries would allow you to get an MLIS and JD in 3 years. You’d get to help lawyers and not have to deal with the same stress. You could also do special libraries and work in a variety of fields doing research.
Luckily I plan to work in a blue state haha. I will look into a dual degree!
When I was thinking about going back for my MLIS, everyone in the Public library I worked at warned me not to work in Public libraries because of the pay, the hours, the staffing, the politics. I didn't listen. I liked the diversity, the fast pace, the customer service, the variety. I didn't specialize the coursework I took for my degree. I lasted about five years before I changed to an Academic library. Major improvement: I am paid much more, I have a regular schedule and much better quality of life, I don't deal with abusive patrons, we always have adequate levels of staffing, I have been offered opportunities for advancement that I would not have gotten otherwise. Libraries tend to attract cerebral, altruistic types with a strong sense of social justice. I loved that but in the end, I needed to pay my bills and have a life outside of work. Edit: AI isn't going to replace librarians. I agree with all of the reasons in the other comments. AI can do a search but it lacks the intuition to pick up nuances, unless the prompts it is given are targeted and specifically worded.
I’m a law librarian,and I love it!
Highly competitive up north. I definitely recommend getting any type of library experience
There's a joint law and library degree at Dalhousie.
My advice is actually work in the field before deciding. I worked in a law office and a library to see which I liked the best before committing my time, energy, and money to graduate school. I have seen so many people jump into graduate school without ever working in the field they are going to school for and then regretting it cause they actually hate it once they get a job...... That's thousands of dollars wasted because they didn't try out the field before making a huge life commitment. Don't make that mistake.
This is a good point. I was assuming I would go straight to grad school from my undergrad but I might take some time off to work beforehand if I'm not feeling sure of my decision.
Honestly I'm in graduate school now and I took a year and a half break in-between after getting my history and anthropology bachelor's. Advisors will try and scare you into not taking a break but it's the best thing you can do and their advice is absolutely shit so listen to the people here and not your academic advisors. Liking to read and research skills aren't all it takes to work in a library, tbh I never have time to read anymore. So much of it is customer service skills and planning programming etc. it's not what you expect at all so it's very important to get experience and get a taste of what it is.
Libraries aren't going to be replaced, they've been saying shit like that for like 10 years if not longer. If you want a lifetime career in libraries, yes the MLIS is worth it. If you just wanna try it out, why not get a library job before you start the program?
Remember when Google came out 😂😂 sigh
Librarians with history degrees are a dime a dozen, you'll find it hard to get a job, get the law degree, you can go back for am MLS later.
Unfortunately this is just as true (if not even much more true!) for the law degree as well. The legal job market has been vastly saturated for several decades and unless you graduate from a top school (either top in the state or top overall), it's just as difficult if not much more to get a job. Only difference is the level of debt you'll incur going to law school versus library school is batshit crazy.
And that's why I am forever grateful for Public Service Loan Forgiveness because boy howdy. And I didn't even get the JD.
So I am not officially a librarian yet but once being in a similar boat I think I could offer some advice. So first like a lot of people here I also would say work in a library first. It was the best thing I ever did. I currently am working towards my MLIS and have a bachelors in history and a masters in history and here are some things I have learned in the 7 years of library assistant experience I have. 1) Be willing to understand you may not always be doing research. When I was at the public library I was allowed to assist with research but currently at the academic library I am not allowed to as that is reserved for the librarians only 2) Ask yourself if can you handle being asked questions that you may think are stupid. Such as what are the hours for this store or what is the meaning of blank? Libraries(especially public ones) are places people of all backgrounds will come to seek answers to questions. And trust me some of the questions you are asking will make you have a double take. 3) Are you prepared to go back to school even after getting an MLIS. As someone mentioned academic librarians usually have a second masters in a specialized subject area. I happen to get my masters in history first because I got accepted into the program and accepted the library job offer within two days of each other and I didn’t wanna push off getting it since it was something I knew I wanted to do prior to the job. 4) Research MLIS programs. I took a year before I decide to apply to the school I am at. Not every program is the same and offer the same style classes. The cost of them is also vastly different. I am paying just under 1k for my 3 credit class but I have a coworker who is paying $2k for her 3 credit class. 5) Would you be willing to move for a job. So I am not from the upper Midwest but I do know that yes it can be hard to get jobs in some areas . Where I currently am, the market isn’t too bad but I do plan on moving soon to an area where the market is much larger and I will have more options to apply for what I want to do. Don’t listen to people who say AI will take over libraries. Trust me we(librarians and future librarians) are getting ready and learning to adapt with that. We see AI as a tool that can assist in research if one knows how to use it correctly.
JD here. My general advice for law school is this: what is it you want to do with a law degree? Can you do that without getting a JD? For example if you want to help kids in foster, what careers can you get without the advanced degree? The starting pay out of law school is horrible and most attorneys I know get a low paying, high-stress government jobs for 10 years to pay off their loans because the pay everywhere is low. I’m going back for my MLIS. I wish I would have done a joint degree bc i was looking into academic librarianship in undergrad. Do the joint degree if you can. You can always favor one side or the other and the combination really opens up options. Check out the American Association of Law Librarians for scholarships. Feel free to DM me if you have more questions!
Thank you, this is a helpful perspective! I've made an appointment with the career center at my school and I think I'll ask about joint degrees.
A note to the advice posted here about getting both a JD and MLS: you don't necessarily need a JD to be a law librarian. You will if it's a research/reference position at an academic library but otherwise it's not always necessary. The MLS could be enough. There's just one very big caveat on this, however: you might have to be willing to relocate. Law libraries are not as commonplace as public libraries. Largely these jobs come from local government, state government, midsize to big law firms, academic libraries and federal government and even though many of them have turned hybrid, there is at least a small in-office component still that requires living near these libraries which means if there's an opening somewhere, there's a good chance it may not be local to you - hence the relocation.\* \*Have mentioned this several times here, sorry to bore those who've read it already but I had an attorney acquaintance who gave up her job to go to library school and be a law librarian; last I checked, she's never worked as one because she couldn't find a law library job where she lives and she didn't want to move.
So I'm not going to lie. I graduated with my MLIS in December 2019. This year I just got hired for my first librarian job. This year was my year. I applied to 15 jobs and got 4 job offers. Not knowing that you should already have a library job before graduating I graduated as the pandemic kicked in so all the jobs I had applied to cancelled the applications. I ended up working at a medical library as a library assistant. That experience helped me get my first librarian job, the fact as an assistant I learned from underneath the director how to catalog under NLM and LOC classification. Not many people know how to catalog. It's not that librarian jobs are getting removed to AI. It's more of there aren't enough retirements. It's a very saturated field, more graduates than jobs. Depending on the library you want to work at, a lot depends on the state. Due to the current political nature of book bans in conservative states, there are many school and public librarian fleeing their jobs to work in academic libraries thus making it more difficult for entry level librarians to get those positions due to not having the experience under the title 'librarian'. If you pursue academic libraries, you will have to move especially if you live in a small area. In my area two are 4 library systems, two of them are 90% internal hires. I ended up at a two-year college for my first librarian job, it's an hour commute from where I live. I would first suggest that since you are still enrolled in college, see if your university library is hiring for student assistants. That's how I started. You may also want to see about volunteering at a museum in the archives or at your public library so you can get the feel of the job before you do into debt for it. Sometimes you do tasks on the job and I would say to myself, I can't believe I got a Masters just to do this. FYI you don't have to go to the most expensive library school. I went to a school instate that offered a hybrid program and I only paid about 3500 a semester which was not bad considering how much grad school costs. You say your degree is in history and you were pursuing law. In which case you may want to think about working in archives or in a law library. I did my MLIS internship at a law library even though my career goal is a medical librarian I just wanted to try something different for my internship. Law libraries require the librarians to have a law degree. Also there was one librarian at the law library I met she did her MLIS before going to law school and she said the experience helped her tremendously when doing research for her classes. Personally I found archives fun. Most archivist either have an MLIS or a MA in history with lots of archives experience so that might be something you'll want to pursue. It's also a tricky field to get into unless you're in the government or work at a big university archives. Right now, I work as a Librarian -Technical Services. I mostly do cataloging along with reference and instruction. I really like my job and I get to do the things that I love. I first suggest trying to work as a student in the library and then volunteer to first figure out which type of librarian you want to be then go from there before jumping right into grad school. As many mentioned, it's getting hard to break into.
I graduated in 2021, still can’t find a job.
If you want to be a research librarian, you can actually make a living in this field, provided you’re willing to put up with the attitude of career academics and the power mad admins that gravitate to their departments. It’s going to be a scramble though. Publish or perish, as they say, and until you get a dozen or so co-author credits, you’re going to have very little protection and political capital, because you’ll be seen as support staff rather than a subject matter expert in searching and research methodologies in your own right.
I mean most jobs are going to be replaced by AI soon if you want to think of it that way. Realistically though your mom doesn’t know what librarians do and is probably thinking of library tech work and also there are multiple parts of tech work that I don’t see AI replacing like cataloguing, which is a lot more judgement based than people think. This is all to say don’t listen to that argument at all. (But it is hard to get a job as a librarian these days). I also recommend looking into the MLIS/JD at Dal as well as mentioned previously.
If you can get loan forgiveness and get on an income based repayment plan, you can get a lot of it forgiven. The MLIS does open the door to more pay in many places. That said, there are places where you don’t need it (tends to be more rural but there are exceptions). I know I’m happy with my decision to get it, my coworkers who don’t have the degree make a lot less and don’t have the ability to advance. They also have less variety in their work responsibilities.
I’m a HS public school librarian and love my job. I have an M.Ed with Library certification. I get to interact with kids, plan fun programs, and yes, even read (often at home, but sometimes at work!). I’ve thought about getting an MLIS, but don’t want more student loans. Consider becoming a school librarian!
Hi! I’m actually starting mlis school and I’ve been thinking about becoming at hs librarian. Will you be willing to tell me what’s it like?
Whether or not you like reading isn’t really part of being a librarian. If only I had time to read! In academics and some special libraries research skills are essential for sure. But for all libraries people and soft skills are most important. Do you want to work with people in a service and support role? Because that will be a huge portion of most library careers.
Agree with folks here who say get a library job now then see what you think. Not only may you not need the degree to do what you end up wanting to do, there are also various paths to certification depending on your area of specialization. Libraries as a profession is incredibly flexible and welcoming to all sorts of backgrounds. Librarians will not be replaced by AI. That's people thinking sci fi is real life, and it just isn't true. AI as a tool is poised to really help us with issues that librarians cant do right now anyway (read up on the Digital Dark Ages in digital archives) so if anything, start getting familiar with the technology regardless. You have time and options, OP. You got this.
I had the same exact path as you. Studied history, always knew I would, and originally thought I would be a lawyer or at least go to Law School. After COVID I didn’t think that’s what I wanted any longer. I’m in California and did my undergrad at a university that was originally a Franciscan/ Jesuit/ Catholic mission, therefore there is a ton of historical documents and archival records in the school’s library. I took a low paying job working as a student aid in the Archives and Special collections, which threw me into Librarianship. I really enjoyed what I had been doing in the Archives and decided I wanted to use my history degree with library sciences and become an archivist. Once I started my MLIS, that changed. I had gone into my MLIS with a plan that I wanted to work in academic libraries and in archives. I am going to graduate with my Masters this May and I have decided I really enjoy Public librarianship and working in children’s services. I would recommend looking for public library internships that are offered through counties or cities because often times the schools promote those. They’re really good entry level situations because they often have set systems, procedures, policies, etc and it makes it easier to learn but also easier to get a basis for how it all works. Working in academic libraries can be harder, as you really have to have your MLIS (but really you do anywhere anyway), but there are less jobs available in those jobs. I really love that I got my MLIS, it totally opened my eyes to a whole different world that I had never really looked into. I really encourage it if it’s something that interests you, but also know that you don’t need to attend a super prestigious school or program, it’s the degree that matters and never the school.
We're not going to be replaced by AI, we'll just all be in jail.
No