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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