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Hi Riley, Congrats on starting college in the fall! If you like to learn, college is pretty much the best place ever. 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. :-) 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>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 >>