LISTSERV mailing list manager LISTSERV 16.5

Help for CODE4LIB Archives


CODE4LIB Archives

CODE4LIB Archives


CODE4LIB@LISTS.CLIR.ORG


View:

Message:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Topic:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Author:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

Font:

Monospaced Font

LISTSERV Archives

LISTSERV Archives

CODE4LIB Home

CODE4LIB Home

CODE4LIB  May 2014

CODE4LIB May 2014

Subject:

Re: College Question!

From:

Debra Shapiro <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

Code for Libraries <[log in to unmask]>

Date:

Thu, 29 May 2014 10:03:15 -0500

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (245 lines)

+1 - tho it may seem self-serving as an instructor in an LIS program … but do I agree with Diane, that an MA in LIS is still a valuable degree, due in large part to the professional values of librarianship, that [good] MA programs try to instill.

I also agree with Diane that one of the things that makes librarianship interesting is that people come to it from so many backgrounds - so, yes, do pursue what you like in undergrad! (even if saying so makes it plain that I went to college in the 1970s) I am from the wanted-to-be-an-artist, got-an-art-history-degree, worked-in-restaurants-for-15-years path to librarianship, which meant that I wound up a photo archivist and library school instructor teaching web design, org of info and metadata. Not bad.

We also try to make technology emphasis in our program (UW-Madison) be on how people use technology, not just tech for tech's sake.

deb
[log in to unmask]
Debra Shapiro
UW-Madison SLIS
Helen C. White Hall, Rm. 4282
600 N. Park St.
Madison WI 53706
608 262 9195
mobile 608 712 6368
FAX 608 263 4849
 
On May 29, 2014, at 9:49 AM, Diane Hillmann <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> This thread has been really interesting, and has hit on most of the things
> I might want to say. I've been working in libraries for about 45 years now,
> and have seen a lot of change. A couple of points bear emphasizing, though,
> from the point of view of someone who has taught in library school, worked
> in a number of different libraries, and seen a LOT of change. I started out
> in the days of typed/printed catalog cards, which should tell you something.
>
> One of the things I've loved about working in libraries is that pretty much
> everyone had a different start, with all kinds of undergraduate majors and
> specializations. Mine was in TV/Radio, and I only know one other person
> with that specialty, but it worked well for me in that I'm not afraid of
> microphones or big audiences (though in the late 60's and early 70's there
> were no jobs in that field for women). I ended up working full time in the
> library at Syracuse (I have both a B.S. and M.L.S. from there) as I was
> finishing up my undergraduate requirements, then moved to Boston and worked
> at Boston College and MIT libraries, for a total of about 4 years of
> library staff experience, in a broad array of departments. I worked full
> time at SU again (3 years) for my master's, again doing a lot of different
> jobs. What I learned from that is the benefit of postponing specialization
> for as long as you can, getting as much hand's on experience as possible
> before you finish your degree and 'declare' yourself.
>
> I agree with those who suggested that you choose your undergraduate major
> based on what floats your boat, but also take opportunities to learn as
> much as you can outside that major, including a solid grounding in the
> liberal arts. I started as a cataloger and ended up as a systems librarian,
> now I do a lot of different things (working with someone without any
> degrees but a fierce need and ability to learn anything he wants to know).
>
> I still think an MLS is a good thing, if for no other reason than the
> people you meet and what they teach you as anything else. There's also a
> cultural component to being a librarian that is not to be sneezed at--think
> about open access and copyright and privacy and how librarians are a big
> part of all those issues. My MLS courses were pretty terrible--that era was
> not a good one for library schools--but they've improved considerably since
> then and the good ones have broadened their scope around information
> architecture, data, etc., recognizing that they're not necessarily training
> people for libraries only.
>
> I've spent a lot of time around academic computer science types, and sadly
> have rarely been impressed with them and how they've been taught to think.
> I also wonder how relevant a degree or specialization in that area would
> 'age' over time--how useful would that education be twenty (or 40!) years
> from now? There are lots of technical things I wish I knew more about, but
> I'm usually better off finding out about them myself rather than consider
> formal classes or degrees.
>
> Diane
>
>
> On Thu, May 29, 2014 at 10:12 AM, Brian Zelip <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> This is a great thread. I've always been impressed every time I read
>> Riley's signature. My hunch is you're in for a great and successful ride,
>> no matter the particular path.
>>
>>
>> Brian Zelip
>> ---
>> MS Student, Graduate School of Library & Information Science
>> Graduate Assistant, University Library's Scholarly Commons
>> University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
>> zelip.me
>>
>>
>> On Thu, May 29, 2014 at 8:58 AM, Karen Coombs <[log in to unmask]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Riley,
>>>
>>> I have an BA in Anthropology and Music from a small liberal arts school
>> as
>>> well as my MLS and MS in Information Management from Syracuse University
>>> While I sometime wish I took the computer science path, there are just as
>>> many other times when I'm super grateful for my cultural anthropology
>>> background. IMHO, if you are going to build systems that work well you
>> need
>>> to understand your user's needs. How the system is going to be part of
>>> their lives. Good troubleshooting can benefit from this thinking as well.
>>> Studying and watching people in their lives is a big part of cultural
>>> anthropology. Being able to know how to do ethnography and put on that
>> hat
>>> when building systems has been a godsend. I feel like the another virtue
>> of
>>> my liberal arts education was the fact I had to develop general critical
>>> thinking and analytical skills which I find invaluable in my career.
>>>
>>> Whatever you degree you choose to get, get real world practical
>> experience
>>> as much as possible. Every internship I've had has been worth its weight
>> in
>>> gold. Through one I found out what I DIDN'T want to do which saved me
>>> countless $$s and time.
>>>
>>> Best of luck,
>>>
>>> Karen
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thu, May 29, 2014 at 8:46 AM, Maura Carbone <[log in to unmask]>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I'd echo what others have said and say either CS/CSE or MIS/IT. You
>> might
>>>> want to make that choice depending on the school you go to--my
>>> undergrad's
>>>> MIS program is fantastic but I know a lot of people weren't as happy
>> with
>>>> the CS department. I'd also like to +1 what Lisa said about what you
>> want
>>>> to do as a systems librarian. I worked as a systems librarian in a
>> public
>>>> library and I most definitely did not need a CS degree, but MIS or IT
>>> would
>>>> have been very useful. Look at job postings, see what sounds like what
>>> you
>>>> want to do, and then go from there. Also see what you like in terms of
>>>> classes! You might find the CS theory stuff less interesting than more
>>>> hands-on type IT work, or you might fall in love with Physics (you can
>>>> always grab a minor in CS, since there's quite a bit of overlap for the
>>> gen
>>>> eds).
>>>>
>>>> I also wouldn't completely ignore the liberal arts--if you want to work
>>> in
>>>> libraries, being able to communicate with your co-workers and with
>>> patrons
>>>> is VERY important. While you might get a job that's just IT or
>>> programming
>>>> work all day, more than likely you will have to interact with non-tech
>>>> people. Being able to coherently express yourself, and being able to
>>> break
>>>> things down for people, is crucial to having a good working
>> relationship
>>>> with your co-workers. At my public job, I was also the person who more
>>>> often than not helped patrons with their tech questions, from computer
>>>> trouble shooting to setting up an iTunes account, to even helping
>> someone
>>>> build a website once.
>>>>
>>>> For the record, I was a history undergrad who took a few CS courses,
>> who
>>>> then got an MLIS and took a few more CS/IT/Tech courses. I work at a
>>>> university, which means I have the benefit of being able to take free
>>>> classes (which I plan to take advantage of to take some MORE CS classes
>>>> :-D).
>>>>
>>>> Good luck!
>>>>
>>>> -Maura
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, May 29, 2014 at 9:16 AM, Pikas, Christina K. <
>>>> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I highly recommend a Physics degree. 1) not as many required courses
>> as
>>>>> engineering so more electives, more opportunities to study the
>>> important
>>>>> Russian Literature you might need as a surgeon :) 2) heavy math,
>> heavy
>>>>> computer science but in a solve-a-problem sense, not in a
>>>> maintain-a-server
>>>>> sense which gets out of date quickly 3) fascinating stuff in class 4)
>>>>> people who graduated with me went on to PhDs but others went on to do
>>>> MDs,
>>>>> law degrees, and some started work immediately as computer scientists
>>> :)
>>>>>
>>>>> Christina, BS, MLS
>>>>> Oh, and adding a BS after your name is fun, too!
>>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
>>> Of
>>>>> Riley Childs
>>>>> Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2014 11:17 PM
>>>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>>>> Subject: [CODE4LIB] College Question!
>>>>>
>>>>> 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
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Maura Carbone
>>>> Digital Initiatives Librarian
>>>> Brandeis University
>>>> Library and Technology Services
>>>> (781) 736-4659
>>>> 415 South Street, (MS 017/P.O. Box 549110)
>>>> Waltham, MA 02454-9110
>>>>
>>>> email: [log in to unmask]
>>>>
>>>
>>

Top of Message | Previous Page | Permalink

Advanced Options


Options

Log In

Log In

Get Password

Get Password


Search Archives

Search Archives


Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Subscribe or Unsubscribe


Archives

October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2024
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003

ATOM RSS1 RSS2



LISTS.CLIR.ORG

CataList Email List Search Powered by the LISTSERV Email List Manager