I have a BA in Music and the MLIS(union card), starting the Ph.D this fall.
Even though an MLIS was not required for my job, I find it incredibly
useful to know the language of librarians and be able to serve all the
librarians I support to the best of my abilities. Without the MLIS I would
feel less able to speak the same jargon/language.
And along the same lines as everyone else, I would highly recommend getting
the most IT practical experience you can get with the most personal
connections you can get in libraries. Attend as many library conferences
you can as a student, while its still cheap. And once you get a part-time
student IT job, volunteer to do everything you can. Also don't
underestimate being a nice guy; having people like you in our customer
service/IT type employment is a highly prized commodity.
Good luck,
Craig Boman, MLIS, BA
On Fri, May 30, 2014 at 9:43 AM, scott bacon <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I got a BA in Anthropology, made my millions, heh heh, then got my MLS
> about 10 years later. No, but Karen is right, I constantly use what I
> learned about cultural anthropology in my job as a librarian.
>
> My place of work is currently hiring a library systems administrator
> and we don’t require an MLS. The upside is that we offer tuition
> remission for a certain amount of credit hours per semester. So in
> theory someone could take this job with a bachelor’s in CS or IT or
> Info Science, learn while on the job, and also take classes to earn an
> MLS through an online degree program offered at another university we
> partner with in our state. So it definitely varies by institution.
>
> I’d echo the sentiments others have made in this thread by saying get
> to know what it’s like to work in a library by taking any library job
> you can find. I’ve known people to spend years and years getting
> degrees only to find that they didn’t like the job once they started
> working in the courtroom, cubicle, etc.
>
> And I believe the most important thing regarding valuation of
> employees is the ability and drive to learn new things. Your job
> duties will probably change significantly within a short amount of
> time after your hiring, whatever it is you end up doing, so the drive
> to learn will serve you well no matter what undergrad path you choose.
>
> _____
>
> Scott Bacon
> Web Services and Emerging Technologies Librarian
> Coastal Carolina University
>
> On Thu, May 29, 2014 at 2:15 PM, Joshua Welker <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > Yes, experience trumps education completely in my experience as far as
> > developing skills in libraries and technology. Some employers will demand
> > the degree, but it is really of secondary value to hands-on experience.
> >
> > One possibility would be talking to a systems librarian or anyone else at
> > your university whose job interests you and explain to them that you are
> > looking for some mentoring and experience. It is quite likely that they
> > could whip up a student worker position just for you. At least I know I
> > would if a student approached me that way. All the libraries where I've
> > worked have had fairly free reign with student worker hours. Chances are
> you
> > are going to end up doing some kind of student work position anyway, so
> you
> > might as well use it learning something valuable rather than raking
> leaves
> > or cooking pizza.
> >
> > Josh Welker
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> > Fleming, Declan
> > Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2014 1:05 PM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] College Question!
> >
> > Hi - I'm also an English undergrad. This was after miserably failing
> out of
> > a Math/CS program (although I learned a lot). The English degree forced
> me
> > to write a lot while in college - a time when one's mind needs some
> > expanding lest it get caught in ruts. This helped my communication
> skills
> > immensely. Despite what Giarlo says.
> >
> > I also agree that a background in informatics is going to be really
> helpful
> > in the years to come. We are awash in data, yet little of it has the
> > semantics needed to automate the extraction of meaning. I think there
> are
> > going to be many years of smart people plowing meaning back into the data
> > sets that we're struggling to put away at the bit level now, and I think
> it
> > sounds like fun work.
> >
> > Another common thread I agree with, and one my kids have heard since they
> > were in diapers, is GET A JOB! Especially in the area you think you're
> > interested in. You'll learn more practical things there than in any
> class.
> > You may suck at it at first, but hey, they're paying you anyway! If you
> > like doing it, you'll get better, build your resume, and be better able
> to
> > see if it's something you want to do long term.
> >
> > Year later, after working in corporate IT for a while and getting sick
> of my
> > profession being treated like an expendable commodity, I went back and
> got
> > an MBA to better understand business - and learned that corporate IT is
> an
> > expendable commodity... I wasn't really OK with that, so I came back to
> > academia to do more meaningful work for far less money ;) With the MBA,
> I
> > was able to come back at a director level and influence change, so that's
> > kinda cool.
> >
> > Good job getting ahead of this! You're a neat person and I appreciate
> what
> > you do for the community!
> >
> > Declan
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> > Henry, Laura
> > Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2014 5:51 AM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] College Question!
> >
> > My undergrad degree is in English, and it actually has come in handy at
> > times. Good communication is important, regardless of what you end up
> doing.
> > If I could do it again, I'd seriously consider informatics - but I didn't
> > know it was a thing until I started library school.
> > http://www.soic.indiana.edu/informatics/
> >
> > As far as IT, I learned a lot from the tech-support job I had right out
> of
> > college, and after that I'm self-taught. I imagine it's a steeper
> learning
> > curve than if I had some sort of tech degree.
> >
> > If you're going for an ML(I)S, major in whatever interests you.
> Librarians
> > come from all kinds of backgrounds. In my class there were a ton of
> English
> > and History degrees, but we also had people with degrees in astrophysics,
> > soil science, and accounting.
> >
> > Laura C. Henry, MLS
> > Assistant Systems Librarian
> > Beaufort County Library
> > 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, SC 29902
> > Phone 843.255.6444 [log in to unmask]
> > www.beaufortcountylibrary.org
> > For Learning ♦ For Leisure ♦ For Life
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Amy
> > Drayer
> > Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2014 12:50 AM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] College Question!
> >
> > Dear Riley et al:
> >
> > I was thinking the same thing as Coral. I have a humanities undergrad
> > degree; a computer science oriented degree would certainly have been
> > beneficial, especially with an emphasis on network and server
> > administration, or even web development depending on your interest (as a
> > systems librarian I also managed the website and catalog). The
> > library-oriented education can wait until grad school.
> >
> > Honestly, I think we come from a variety of backgrounds. My liberal arts
> > foundation works for me (I feel my education was well rounded in a way a
> > science or IT degree may not have been), but I would definitely have
> wanted
> > some more technical classes such as I mentioned above if I had known I
> would
> > be in this field.
> >
> > In peace,
> >
> > Amy
> >
> > In peace,
> >
> > Amy M. Drayer, MLIS
> > Senior IT Specialist, Web Developer
> > [log in to unmask]
> > http://www.puzumaki.com
> >
> >
> > On Wed, May 28, 2014 at 11:24 PM, Coral Sheldon-Hess <
> [log in to unmask]
> >> wrote:
> >
> >> Riley,
> >>
> >> Whatever you do, don't major in library science as an undergrad. Maybe
> >> minor in it, along with some other major, if you want, but it's not
> >> useful by itself as an undergraduate degree--most libraries want
> >> librarians to have the MLIS. And what if you change your mind after a
> >> few years and don't want to get the masters? Do something you could
> >> get a career in--or work in, part time, to afford the MLIS.
> >>
> >> If you want to be a systems librarian, why not get a degree in systems
> >> engineering or IT? (Seriously, there are degrees in
> >> IT<http://www.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=332>now, what a world!) Computer
> >> science wouldn't hurt, if you don't mind theory, and you can get some
> >> good foundational stuff that will help with the information science
> >> part of "libraries and information science."
> >>
> >> The school where I got my MLIS had an "Information Science" department
> >> that was mostly IT, too. So, that's a possibility.
> >>
> >> --
> >> Coral Sheldon-Hess
> >> http://sheldon-hess.org/coral
> >> @web_kunoichi
> >>
> >>
> >> On Wed, May 28, 2014 at 7:17 PM, Riley Childs
> >> <[log in to unmask]
> >> >wrote:
> >>
> >> > I was curious about the type of degrees people had. I am heading off
> >> > to college next year (class of 2015) and am trying to figure out
> >> > what to
> >> major
> >> > in. I want to be a systems librarian, but I can't tell what to major
> in!
> >> I
> >> > wanted to hear about what paths people took and how they ended up
> >> > where they are now.
> >> >
> >> > BTW Y'All at NC State need a better tour bus driver (not the c4l
> >> > tour,
> >> the
> >> > admissions tour) ;) the bus ride was like a rickety roller coaster...
> >> 🎢
> >> >
> >> > Also, if you know of any scholarships please let me know ;) you
> >> > would be my BFF :P
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Riley Childs
> >> > Student
> >> > Asst. Head of IT Services
> >> > Charlotte United Christian Academy
> >> > (704) 497-2086
> >> > RileyChilds.net
> >> > Sent from my Windows Phone, please excuse mistakes
> >> >
> >>
>
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