Hello, good news (for me)…I was accepted into a MLIS program! I know there are lots of LIS people on here, so I thought I’d share the good news. I was also wondering if any of you would be willing to answer some of my questions about it. If so, please email me at thedairiburger@gmail.com to let me know. Much appreciated!
I also know that several people reading this are interested in grad programs/careers in Library & Info Sciences, so feel free to have a general discussion here.
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Congrats, ihatewheat! I’ve actually been considering that career path myself, so I may have questions for YOU someday!
🙂
Im a YA!
As for the library field all I can suggest is try to get some kind of Librarian Trainee job as soon as you get into Library School. Then you have an automatic job right off the bat
Congrats. I’ve been thinking about this career field myself. I have questions too for any of the librarians in the crowd, especially if the job is stressful.
Congrats! I just got my MLS this past summer and started my first Real Live Librarian Job shortly thereafter. As far as careers go, I think it’s one of the least offensive. 😉
Congratulations! I’m not a librarian, but I’ve been working in “libraryland” for years.
amazing, amazing, amazing. yay!
No advice to offer, just wanted to say congrats!!
Congratulations! I just started an MLIS program this semester. I am liking it so far. I second the suggestion to get a job in a library now, if you can. It seems that many of my classmates are already working in libraries or have additional advanced degrees. I feel kind of behind with only a degree in Business.
I am going to e-mail you as well.
congrats! i was reading some local news…check out the address – feeling reminiscent? 🙂
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/suffolk/ny-limold0221,0,2899749.story
hey the attorney is from my hometown in that piece.. yikes. Ah Mold, it’s whats for dinner on LI
Congratulations.
Congratulations — That’s fantastic news, ihatewheat! 🙂 [hoisting coffee mug to toast awesome accomplishment]
Hee, Chrissy! 😉 According to U.S. News & World Report, librarianship is one of the best careers of 2008. Reference: http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/best-careers/2007/12/19/librarian-executive-summary.html
Of course I tend to agree but I’m a tad biased. 😉
And totes thirding the “get a library job” advice. It will really help you in your studies and hopefully provide ample opportunities for you to see the inner machinations of Library Land and help you clarify which direction(s) you’d like to take.
Plus, as Susan pointed out, you will most likely be assured a job when you graduate. I was able to move from being a library assistant to head of technical services in about 3 years partly due to already being “in-house” when higher level jobs opened up.
BTW, didn’t Robin Wilson recently get accepted to an MLIS program too? She sent me a very nice e-mail and I accidently deleted it. Sorry, Robin! 😦
Congratulations! I’m not a librarian, but they are among my most favorite people.
Congratulations, that is great! Best of luck to you.
Oh and there is an urgent need for Childrens Librarians! For example, Queens Borough Public Library system is hurting for several.
Congratulations, ihatewheat!
CONGRATS!!!!!!!
congrats, ihatewheat! I too have been nosing around jobs in Library World, but the only openings around here are security guards, who apparently spend most of their time telling people to stop surfing porn, so no. And once you’re security, no one will think of you as “librarian” material.
For all you holders of MLS degrees, how long does it take to get one if you have a BA or BS already? I have a BS in theater.
Congratulations! I finished my BA (in Classical Studies) a few semesters ago and opted to take a few years off before going on to grad school, but I want to get a MLIS too. Keep us updated on how you like the program.
I would say if you go full time, about two years?
I will be going part time while working full time, so who knows how long for me. I am trying to figure out how I will be able to do some sort of internship while working full time.
YAY ihatewheat! I just started my MLS in January and I’m working a part timeish at my local public library. They hire in house, so hopfully when I graduate I’ll be hired.
Congrats!!! That is awesome news. My mom is a library director, so I have lots of love for librarians. She was already working at a library just at the circ desk when she went back to school for her MLS (which she got part-time, I think it took 2 years), and like someone said above, it helped a lot that basically since she was already there, once she had the degree she was in a great position when higher-level jobs opened up at that library.
Shoot though… working FT and going to school… this is really going to cut into your SV time, isn’t it? We need our recaps! 🙂
Ha ha, Tiny Pants, I had the same very selfish thought!!
i’m often jealous of my friend who’s a librarian. she gets to host book clubs with teens and PLAY a lot of her day away!
Amber Tan, can you email me again?
thedairiburger@gmail.com
if you don’t mind me picking your brain 🙂
Congrats! I’ve actually been thinking about going back myself. Let us know how working full time and going to class works. I’ll most likely be doing that myself. blah…
“I would say if you go full time, about two years? I will be going part time while working full time, so who knows how long for me. ”
Yep, it should take two years if you attend full-time. I worked full-time (40 hour week) and took two classes a semester so it took me three years altogether. Plus I took “intensive” classes whenever possible. For example: Advanced Cataloging took a full week (9-5, Sunday-Saturday) so I used some vacation and flex time to attend class. It was hell while it lasted (commuting to San Jose during the rainy season O joy) but I got three credits in a week. Plus there might be online courses that you can take as well if you want to speed things along.
BTW, once you get your LibraryLand job, you’ll most likely find that your supervisor(s) will support your efforts. If so, they will try to accommodate your school schedule if possible.
“I am trying to figure out how I will be able to do some sort of internship while working full time.”
Many programs offer practicums of varying lengths later on in your studies. I did a practicum at the California Historical Society as part of my Archives & Records Management track. Your advisers and/ or instructors should be able to help you contact someone on the field who is looking for an intern. Mine sure did and I owe her a huge debt of gratitude! 🙂
Congrats ihatewheat. I wish I was going to be a librarian. That just sounds awesome.
Congratulations!! One of my closest friends is a librarian and she loves it. I think you will be very happy. 🙂
Yay! You all are making me excited about it- it is a completely new career for me and a big decision.
Yes, the working and going to school will take up a lot of my time, but I don’t start until the Fall, so I will do recaps like crazy til then.
You have already got some great answers, but I will reiterate some answers to your questions.
As someone said, a library related position will most likely be pretty accomadating to school. A classmate works FT at a public library, and they are good about letting her off early for class, group meetings, etc.
As for internships, my school will allow you to do it at your regular job, if it is library related. Basically, you just work extra hours for no pay but internship credit. You also have to work on stuff for those hours that you don’t do at work regularly. So, if you were able to get a library job, that may work for you.
I, too, am very excited. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this when I was getting my undergrad 4 years ago. It would have saved me a few years of hating my job.
What areas are you interested in, specifically? Public, academic, shool, etc.?
Congrats! I’m an archivist who went through the MLS program at Drexel in Philly – one of my favorite classes was YA Resources because it gave me an excuse to read those books.
“one of my favorite classes was YA Resources because it gave me an excuse to read those books.’
Hee, Stasia! As if we need an excuse… 😉
This is SO AWESOME! You’re going to be the best librarian ev-ar. And when people are looking for sociology books, you can point them straight to the SVH series. Since, you know, it covers every *possible* issue in the universe of upper-middle-class fictional white people.
“it covers every *possible* issue in the universe of upper-middle-class fictional white people”
Excellent point, Comrade GoGo! You never know which resource will prove to be the most useful in answering a library user’s query.
Great screen name, BTW — dig it! 🙂
I know I’m late but congrats. I’m a cataloger at a university library, graduated in 2007 with my MLIS . Feel free to email me if you have questions.