I include science and math in liberal arts. Of course, Greek and Latin are
also considered liberal arts essentials, and I wish I had studied them.
I also have an MLS, which beyond being a requirement for many jobs, makes
it easier to comprehend the conversation. I got mine 10 years into working
with libraries.
Cary
On Thursday, May 29, 2014, Laura Krier <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I wouldn't knock a liberal arts education, especially based only on high
> school experience. It's sort of the point of college: to be able to learn
> and understand about a wide range of fields and subjects. Otherwise you
> might as well go to trade school. College isn't just about getting a job
> when you graduate, but about learning how to think and understand different
> perspectives.
>
> And liberal arts includes the sciences, which I think people tend to
> forget. We think "oh, liberal arts are the arts and humanities" but they
> really encompass every school and department in a university.
>
> And as other people have mentioned, there are key skills you can learn from
> courses in English, anthropology, history, philosophy, sociology, etc. This
> is where you learn to write, to communicate effectively, to understand how
> people think (user experience, anyone?). These are all crucial skills that
> separate leaders and those who are more successful in their fields from
> those who are not. I'm not saying you can ONLY learn these skills in
> college, from a liberal arts education, but it sure helps.
>
> I also don't think there's anything wrong at all with going to a "trade
> school" or whatever we call them these days, and learning a skill set
> outside of the realm of a liberal arts education. It really depends on what
> you want to do and how fast you want to get to doing it.
>
> Laura
>
>
> [image: Laura Krier on about.me]
>
> Laura Krier
> about.me/laurakrier
> <http://about.me/laurakrier>
>
>
> On Wed, May 28, 2014 at 11:11 PM, Riley Childs <[log in to unmask]<javascript:;>
> >
> wrote:
>
> > ________________________________________
> > From: Code for Libraries [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Laura
> > Krier [[log in to unmask]]
> > Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2014 1:22 AM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] College Question!
> >
> > >>Hi Riley,
> > >>Congrats on starting college in the fall! If you like to learn, college
> > is pretty much the best place ever.
> >
> > College next fall, but almost there, pretty scary :)
> >
> > >>I second others in not necessarily recommending a bachelors in library/
> > information science. I would actually suggest computer science if you're
> at
> > all skilled with math and logic. You'll probably have the best
> > post-graduate opportunities even if you change your mind about
> >>libraries.
> > >>
> > >>But make sure you get a well-rounded liberal arts education. Take
> > advantage of gen ed courses to study things outside of your major
> whenever
> > you can. All people are served well by having a broad base of knowledge,
> in
> > my opinion. And you'll need solid writing skills no matter >>what you do
> in
> > life so make sure you practice those every chance you get. :-)
> >
> > I am meh on liberal arts, my high school is Liberal Arts and I really
> > don't like it....
> >
> > >>Basically, as long as you learn to be a lifelong learner, it doesn't
> > really matter what you major in I think. You'll always have to learn new
> > things anyway.
> >
> > >>Congratulations again!
> >
> > >>Laura
> > >>PS- To more directly answer your question, I majored in literature and
> > women's studies in college. Now I'm a web services librarian. I kind of
> > wish I had a more solid computer science background but I'm still able to
> > learn what I need to.
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> > > On May 28, 2014, at 9:49 PM, Amy Drayer <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > >
> > > 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>
--
Cary Gordon
The Cherry Hill Company
http://chillco.com
|
