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Anyone have an experience with Drexel's Library Science program (in Philly). My girlfriend was accepted there, deferred a year and is looking to go next year. I'll have her read through this thread tonight, some great thoughts!
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Aug 12, 2010 23:21
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In response to Duckman2008: I just finished up my MLIS at Drexel this spring, so here's my response. Yes. There are pros and cons - some teachers (like Robert Allen) should be avoided at ALL COSTS. The professor really has an effect on what you learn. I'd really focus on more technical classes, rather than theoretical, since that will get you further in applications (reading dated articles on how to be an academic librarian are just not as useful). Kate McCain is a totally amazing, but really challenging, teacher - I took "Content Representation" with her and it was my most rewarding class. I think Cataloging can be skipped but Metadata should not be - cataloging is easy to learn on your own while metadata is not. Alison Lewis was also a very useful teacher, I took two classes with her, one online, one on-campus. It's nearly impossible to do all on-campus classes, and some teachers don't do as well online, while some are poor lecturers.. Peter Grillo is much better online than in-person, Robert Allen was just the worst teacher I have ever had. None of the library school programs are truly Masters programs - if you just do the bare minimum, you'll get A's (except in Kate McCain's class, where you really need to work your rear end off). Another class that was truly amazing was Howard White's "Research Collections" class, which is really just collection development for academic libraries. His lectures were the best I read, discussion was great, he had good, useful assignments (I got to apply them right away as I happened to get hired during my last term and had to write a collection development policy as well as start collecting books in several areas of study). Hope this helps!
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Aug 12, 2010 23:42
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This thread has been an interesting (and maybe slightly disheartening) read. I'm heavily considering starting an MSLS program this spring, but I'm hoping to specialize in school media coordinatorship with a hopeful end goal of working in an elementary school library. Do any of you goonbrarians have any info about these kinds of jobs? I know a big part of the program I'm looking at is getting a teaching certification, which is required, at least in my state (North Carolina.) But I'm wondering what else I can do to make myself marketable to elementary schools. A lot of people have been talking about getting a second master's degree along with the MLS, so the obvious choice would be getting a master's in education, but the problem with that is that my undergrad degree isn't in education so I feel like getting a master's in education might take more time and energy than it's worth, though I would appreciate being able to teach in an actual classroom as well as in the media center, and I have a feeling it would make me a more valuable asset to a school (thus less likely to have my hypothetical job cut.) Any ideas? Any experiences with school libraries? I know there's a big teacher megathread, but I think someone here might know more about the specific library aspect! Edit: also what techy skills might be useful specifically to a school? Noodles Jefferson fucked around with this message at 05:16 on Aug 13, 2010 |
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Aug 13, 2010 05:07
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Noodles Jefferson posted:I know a big part of the program I'm looking at is getting a teaching certification, which is required, at least in my state (North Carolina.) But I'm wondering what else I can do to make myself marketable to elementary schools. A lot of people have been talking about getting a second master's degree along with the MLS, so the obvious choice would be getting a master's in education, but the problem with that is that my undergrad degree isn't in education so I feel like getting a master's in education might take more time and energy than it's worth, though I would appreciate being able to teach in an actual classroom as well as in the media center, and I have a feeling it would make me a more valuable asset to a school (thus less likely to have my hypothetical job cut.) Once you're in school, your local schools would probably not have any problem letting you come in to help out, if you wanted to get a look at what it's like. At least, unless they have some draconian visitation policies. I suspect if you could make yourself useful (get some mending supplies and some broken books and learn yourself some mending...it's something they never have time to do, and most librarians don't know how to do) they'd love to have you around anyway. At least, they loved having me around for that. Anyhow, call some schools. And considering most teacher certification programs I've seen are a year long anyway, an extra year for the master's doesn't seem too bad. That said, elementary school library media specialist doesn't seem to pay very much in most cases. (Seems like if you get kids involved you knock 25% off the pay for any job. I don't think this is entirely unjustified, but I also don't think it is necessarily very healthy). IIRC, school libraries are the most numerous type of library, and I think they are the single biggest category of librarians. (But where a public library will usually have at least 2 librarians, a school library will have from 0-1) There seem to be more school librarian positions open lately than any other type. (Not all other types, just any one other.) VideoTapir fucked around with this message at 06:23 on Aug 13, 2010 |
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Aug 13, 2010 06:20
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I'm about to start the MLIS program at Valdosta State University. I was wondering if anyone had taken any courses there and, if so, what they thought of it. Also, the standard questions of any specific professors to take/avoid, courses that are more/less worth it than they seem, etc. I'm not sure what field of library science I'm going to focus on, but like I mentioned earlier in this thread, I plan to start by taking every technology course possible and some general management courses.
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Aug 13, 2010 07:23
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I just graduated this past June with my Bachelors in Library Science from Southern CT State University. All in all, the program was pretty well run. I only had one professor who I disliked (more for being incredibly boring than being a bad teacher), and many professors who were completely awesome and still correspond with me. I was planning on continuing there for my Masters, but was quickly and quietly told by multiple professors to not continue as Southern Connecticut- they just got placed on "tentative" accreditation by the ALA, (failed to meet the standards and have a period of time to right themselves) and many of my old professors believe they will not turn it around. I applied to Drexel for the fall, and still waiting to hear about it. I still have enough time on my GI Bill to make it through my Masters.  I was curious though- I was considering going for my A+ Certification, just to be able to put on my resume that I'm not a computer tard. Would this help me? Is it worth the cash? Any other IT certs I can earn that will help me in finding a LIS job?
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Aug 19, 2010 20:45
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I don't know about Post-9/11, but Montgomery GI Bill will pay for your A+ cert. It paid for mine. I THINK Post-9/11 will, but I'm not 100% sure. Also, yes, I think on the few bites I've gotten on my applications the cert has been a factor.
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Aug 19, 2010 20:52
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I could use some advice from all you library goons. I've been accepted to UW-Milwaukee's SOIS program, which I had planned to do online, but my situation is that I currently don't have any student loans at all and I've become afraid that I'm making a bad life choice by taking out so much money to break into a field that has so few jobs and pays fairly low. I have like less than a week to decide what to do and I'm seriously freaking out. What do you think?
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Aug 19, 2010 23:00
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I've been thinking about an A+ cert too. Now is a good time to get it, because it has always been a lifetime cert (which it really shouldn't be), but starting next year you will have to renew it every 3 years if you want to keep it.
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Aug 19, 2010 23:22
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manguero posted:I've been thinking about an A+ cert too. Now is a good time to get it, because it has always been a lifetime cert (which it really shouldn't be), but starting next year you will have to renew it every 3 years if you want to keep it. Have you looked at the questions they ask? A lot of it is stupid bullshit no one should need to memorize (names of connectors...if you need to know it, you can look it up) and archaic crap that doesn't matter anymore. Unless the start of renewals is accompanied by a massive overhaul of the test, and followed by triennial updates, it just looks like a cash grab. But yeah, regardless, do it ASAP.
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Aug 19, 2010 23:33
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McPantserton posted:I could use some advice from all you library goons. How much are we talking about here?
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Aug 19, 2010 23:34
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VideoTapir posted:Have you looked at the questions they ask? A lot of it is stupid bullshit no one should need to memorize (names of connectors...if you need to know it, you can look it up) and archaic crap that doesn't matter anymore. Exactly- but it's just something else to put on the resume, and it shows that you at least know what a computer is. With as much competition as there is for jobs out there, anything you can do to add to your resume is worth it.
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Aug 20, 2010 02:37
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VideoTapir posted:How much are we talking about here? It's about 6.8k per semester so like 27. I'm really stressed that I'm making an impulsive decision because I feel locked in my current crappy life situation and I don't want to do the same thing I did in undergrad (which is finish a degree in something with terrible job opportunities without really considering that) but I think I'd really love being a librarian. I don't know. I think I'm going to see if I can defer my enrollment for a semester and talk to some career counselors or something.
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Aug 20, 2010 03:10
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McPantserton posted:I could use some advice from all you library goons. SOIS isn't a bad program, and the instructors I had were pretty realistic about the likelihood of landing a "librarian" gig and emphasized how the skills and education we were picking up could be applied in different-but-related occupations. I don't know if your D2L account is active yet, but the student lounge board was usually full of online students griping about how the program wasn't supporting them and how they weren't learning anything useful and their lives were ruined now but the online students who had their poo poo together probably had better things to do than complain so I don't know if the squeaky wheels' experience was universal. I was in the onsite program and got out in May, I don't know why I went, I don't know how I want to "express my passion for information" or whatever and I've been unsuccessful at tricking anyone into giving me a job, so I probably shouldn't be giving anyone career advice.
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Aug 20, 2010 03:33
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Unless you are getting a smokin' deal on the online courses, or your life is such that you can't do face-to-face courses, face-to-face is just night and day better. I had a bunch of otherwise potentially good rendered almost intolerable by teachers not having a clue about how people interact online, not being able to put together a lesson that really worked in that format, or not knowing how to use D2L. More importantly, any social aspect of going to school is just gone. Networking? Good luck. Extracurriculars are not a good substitute. If you can do face-to-face, do it. If there is a face-to-face section of any class you need to take, and it's local to you, take it.
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Aug 20, 2010 03:38
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The issue isn't really about face-to-face versus online, I'm not local. The issue is more whether or not I want to go at all. I'm really worried that I'm trying to use grad school as an excuse for why I'm not farther along in life or something and that at the end of it I'll be stuck with a set of skills that I think are interesting but aren't marketable for a job. So my thing is, am I getting cold feet because I'm afraid of loans and going back to school, or am I finally asking myself the questions I need to ask?
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Aug 20, 2010 03:58
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I just wanted to get that out there...online classes pretty much suck. Oh, and...having graduated in may and still being unemployed (interview next week, though, and I've gotten a few short-list letters), maybe it isn't the hottest idea. OTOH, things will turn around when local budgets aren't in the shitter, and librarians are retiring at a pretty good pace.
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Aug 20, 2010 04:30
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McPantserton posted:The issue isn't really about face-to-face versus online, I'm not local. The issue is more whether or not I want to go at all. I'm really worried that I'm trying to use grad school as an excuse for why I'm not farther along in life or something and that at the end of it I'll be stuck with a set of skills that I think are interesting but aren't marketable for a job. So my thing is, am I getting cold feet because I'm afraid of loans and going back to school, or am I finally asking myself the questions I need to ask? I graduated from UWM in December of 2009, I was hired for my current position in October of 2009. Tech skills, networking, luck, and finally the education got me the job. If you know what you want to do and you have to have the degree to do it then go. You will be happier in the long run. If you still are not sure I would hold off. If you really want to work in a library or archives you should go. There are also other things you can do with an MLIS that are more likely to get you a job. Information Architects are in demand and make very good wages. Personally, I think you need to weigh this based on how happy you will be long term. If you are ok with the possibility of being unemployed for a while after school, and a career that typically has a low wage anyway, but will doing something that makes you love your job then I think its worth it. If you are going just because you think its for you and you don't know what else to do, hold off. If you do go, start talking to as many people as you can, get internships, do some real research, and get yourself known. Its the best way to get a job (speaking from the archives side at least).
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Aug 20, 2010 12:39
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When exactly is the change to 3 years going to take place for A+ certification?
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Aug 20, 2010 19:46
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Lee Harvey Oswald posted:When exactly is the change to 3 years going to take place for A+ certification? January 1, 2011. So just a few more months to get it done. The relevant page on CompTIA's site is here.
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Aug 20, 2010 19:51
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Regarding learning a second language, I took introductory Latin in university, and loved it. Would it be worthwhile to learn more of that?
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Aug 31, 2010 13:50
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MadMonk posted:Regarding learning a second language, I took introductory Latin in university, and loved it. Would it be worthwhile to learn more of that? Not really. Having another language under your belt is handy, in that it might occasionally help you out on the job and will count as a plus in the eyes of employers, but it's far from essential. Unless of course you live in a bilingual country and want to get a library job with the government. Regardless, latin isn't going to do you any favours unless you somehow specialize in classical studies, and the library jobs in that field aren't exactly overflowing. Like I said, you might sporadically encounter latin in a library and then you'll be glad you know it, but you'll also be bombarded by French, German, Russian and Spanish far more. If you love learning latin, go learn it. It won't hurt your chances of employment, it just might not be as useful as you think.
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Aug 31, 2010 14:45
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Speaking as someone who just had a few interviews, two of the employers were extremely interested in the fact that I knew Spanish and one was glad that I knew sign language. One of the interviews was in Chicago, so it makes a difference compared to applying in Iowa or something. So a language does help. I also know Latin well enough to have included it on my resume but no one has said anything about it. I think it's too niche for the greater world of libraries, and won't really get you that much more attention. But I have found that it's just handy to have personally.
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Aug 31, 2010 19:55
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MadMonk posted:Regarding learning a second language, I took introductory Latin in university, and loved it. Would it be worthwhile to learn more of that? There are occasionally special collections (manuscripts, incunabula and such) jobs that open up that require it, but more often they ask for French or German or Spanish.
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Aug 31, 2010 21:44
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innocent_deadly posted:Speaking as someone who just had a few interviews, two of the employers were extremely interested in the fact that I knew Spanish and one was glad that I knew sign language. One of the interviews was in Chicago, so it makes a difference compared to applying in Iowa or something. So a language does help. I also know Latin well enough to have included it on my resume but no one has said anything about it. I think it's too niche for the greater world of libraries, and won't really get you that much more attention. But I have found that it's just handy to have personally. This is horribly off topic, so email me if you want instead of cluttering the thread (username @ gmail) but how did you go about learning sign language?
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Aug 31, 2010 22:21
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Aranan posted:This is horribly off topic, so email me if you want instead of cluttering the thread (username @ gmail) but how did you go about learning sign language? I wouldn't say that I am fluent by any means, but I took a class in college and really just have a good memory of the signs. Going through an ASL dictionary and finding things online to demonstrate confusing hand motions keeps me current. So, I'm not an expert in their grammar, but I can get the basic understanding necessary for a reference question.
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Sep 1, 2010 00:46
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Oh wow, I completely forgot about this thread. Regarding languages, I've talked to a lot of the librarians I've worked with, and all of them said it was a big plus if you can read a few different languages. But maybe that's more important for academic libraries...I don't have any experience with other kinds.
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Sep 1, 2010 01:04
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Pompoon posted:Oh wow, I completely forgot about this thread. Reading languages is a big deal if you are dealing with cataloging or making original metadata. I worked at the Yale archive before moving on to grad. school and the people who could do foreign language stuff always commanded a higher salary/had more responsibilities
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Sep 1, 2010 07:15
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Pompoon posted:Oh wow, I completely forgot about this thread. I see Spanish mentioned in a lot of public library job listings, and occasionally some Asian languages (usually Southeast Asian or Chinese) in some parts of the country. A lot of Canadian jobs (including almost every one in Quebec) list French as a requirement. But yeah, for foreign languages that aren't Spanish, it does seem to be mostly academic.
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Sep 1, 2010 08:37
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Being in this thread is like hanging out with drug addicts. They tell you it's a bad decision, but for some reason you just can't help yourself.
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Sep 1, 2010 18:44
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I have a question about a job I'm applying to. It's a para-professional job as a cataloging assistant at an academic library, and the ad says the salary starts at $28k and requires only a BA/BS and 1 year of experience. I have an MLS with 2 years of experience (basically, I had this exact job, but at another university), plus 4-5 additional years working in two other jobs in the library science field -- do you think I could bring up my MLS and negotiate for a higher starting salary? I've never been in this position before (overqualified) and don't know what to do with myself. 
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Sep 1, 2010 21:22
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Negotiate for a higher starting salary? I would KILL (hyperbole) for that kind of position. That being said, what's the harm of asking?
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Sep 2, 2010 14:28
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Insane Totoro posted:Negotiate for a higher starting salary? I would KILL (hyperbole) for that kind of position.  I really want the job, though! Everything about the job and the location, the commute, the benefits, etc. are perfect for me -- it's just the salary that's making me sad.
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Sep 2, 2010 22:11
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Rabbit Hill posted:I'm afraid I'll scare them into hiring someone without the degree for less. I guess I'll just see what happens....I haven't even been asked for an interview yet. I wouldn't push for higher pay. I'm a para-professional cataloger and I got the job right out of college. A woman who is considerably older than me with an MLS and more experience got almost the same position as me and for the same pay. You could push for it if you think it's feasible but if it seems like they're not willing to negotiate, don't bring it up. Most academic libraries are hurting and unless it was an actual faculty position, I would just go with what they're offering.
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Sep 6, 2010 20:53
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So the wife already has two masters in museum studies and history and can't get a job at either an actual (read: not a glorified babysitting facility) museum or library despite experience in a couple collections departments and is seriously thinking of getting an MLIS to make her more competitive against all you folks... or a PhD. She's primarily interested in special collections. How bad of a decision would museum studies, history, AND an MLIS be for employment prospects? She doesn't know any other languages and she is basically mortified of computers, so given what I'm reading I suspect she won't really be competitive even with all those credentials and some collections and public facing experience. Also, for any of you considering crossing over from libraries to museums thinking it might be better, don't. Unless you're basically already working in a museum, a museum studies masters will do diddley squat for employment in a museum it seems - one of the wife's friends got an art history bachelors and is now a registrar at a big, famous museum in NY while the wife got the masters and such and is teaching 10 year olds about solar power working underneath people with education unrelated to museums (bachelors in education at most apparently). Location matters a lot it seems and if you don't want to live in a big city like us, it's kind of a suicide pact.
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Sep 6, 2010 23:12
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necrobobsledder posted:How bad of a decision would museum studies, history, AND an MLIS be for employment prospects? She doesn't know any other languages and she is basically mortified of computers, so given what I'm reading I suspect she won't really be competitive even with all those credentials and some collections and public facing experience. All I'm 100 percent certain of in this post is that she had better get unmortified right now. Also, yeah, I'm pretty sure museum studies is a dry hole unless you've got some other specialization.
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Sep 6, 2010 23:22
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I definitely agree on the computers point. I'm not sure how a museum curator (or special collections librarian) can manage accessions without feeling comfortable with computers.
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Sep 7, 2010 04:08
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manguero posted:I definitely agree on the computers point. I'm not sure how a museum curator (or special collections librarian) can manage accessions without feeling comfortable with computers. I came over to the library science side because museum studies was a dead end. Yeah. From my experience, there are tons of elderly curators I know who are just fine with cataloging on computers.
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Sep 7, 2010 04:25
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So I am now an employed librarian. I ended school in July so that actually wasn't so bad of a wait. I'd say that the key to finding jobs is to be able to go where no one else wants to (including the southern tip of Louisiana, luckily that's not the one I went for) and to be willing to go the extra mile to find positions. You can't just look on the ALA joblist of the other major job boards. Almost every other employed librarian is looking at those. Unless you have comparable skills to all of them, you're going to find yourself drowning in a sea of competition. List servs are great if you don't mind sifting through everything else that comes through too. And how I found the position that I was just offered today, I went to as many library websites as I could and just looked to see if they had employment pages. Not all of the libraries can afford or even want to post their job to the larger audience. So don't give up, you just have to use your librarian skills to find the stuff that no one else does. Hope this helps someone.
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Sep 9, 2010 15:29
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Insane Totoro posted:I came over to the library science side because museum studies was a dead end. Yeah. How many of those people would be able to cope if you asked them to do anything else or use any other program besides their cataloging client?
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Sep 9, 2010 18:36
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