Why Does a Librarian's Job Require a Master's Degree? (pay, education, full time)

[campion]

I'm a library director in a small academic library with a PhD in a humanities field. I went to library school and got my MLS after defending my dissertation proposal and deciding I didn't want to teach. I view the MLS as a complete and utter academic joke. I coasted straight through my MLS degree doing nothing but busy work and got a 4.0 after surviving real grad school. I took one semi-intellectually challenging course during my time in the MLS program, and still aced that course. I learned next to nothing in library school that was of use on the job, though I'll add that I'd gotten a professional librarian position halfway through the degree, so I learned much more on the job. When I finished the degree, I decided that I'd essentially gotten a very expensive union card.

The problem with the MLS is that it can't make up its mind whether it wants to be a theoretical or a practical degree, and ends up doing a bad job at both. If it's a practical degree, then the program should be much more geared to hands-on training (required practicums, etc). If it's a theoretical degree, then the courses need to be much more philosophical and research-intensive than they are. Irony of ironies, I believe I had to set foot in an actual library to do work only one time during my MLS coursework.

Truth be told, I think I'm a good librarian because I've actually done research, not because I studied library science. I'm a librarian in the field in which I got my PhD, so I'm able to do collection development well because I know the field, not because I took a class on it. I can provide reference support because I've researched the field myself, not because I took a class on how to do reference.

So, librarianship isn't necessarily something that anyone off the street can do, and it's not checking out books and affixing labels, but neither, in my opinion, is the MLS degree really all that worthwhile.

[armory]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Nope, this has NOTHING to do with the question at hand - seeing as a librarian position has ALWAYS required the MLIS/MLS, even back when my late grandfather entered the career in like 1940. I am actually a librarian with the MLIS, and tbh we get really really sick of answering this question! To the OP, I just have to say "If you think it's an easy job, that only means you have zero clue as to what we actually do." Lemme guess, you think librarians put books on shelves, check books in/out, and read the rest of the day? If so, you are wrong on all counts.

Now for the less snarky answer, the reason we need this degree is because it's a HIGHLY specialized field. There are no (maybe one or two) undergraduate library degrees, and what we need to be successful cannot be learned on the job - maybe eventually, but much faster & more cost-effective to cram into a 2-year graduate degree instead. What do we do, exactly? I'll cut & paste the job description for a public librarian below, but you also have to consider the other types of librarians... academic (college or primary school), corporate, legal, medical, archival, cataloging, etc.

1. Assists patrons in locating and using library facilities and materials, in selecting materials, and in answering a wide variety of questions.
2. Recommends library materials to be purchased, repaired or discarded; may be responsible for the selection and maintenance of library materials of assigned section(s) of the collection and suggests which materials shall be noncirculating materials.
3. Performs reference work; performs research; prepares detailed bibliographies, book lists and other information.
4. Plans and conducts children's. young adults, and adults' programs; meets with school principals; visits and works with various adult and community groups to promote the use of and interest in the library.
5. Catalogs and classifies library material; determines and assigns main entry, cross references and subject headings; adapts Library of Congress cards for the library and participates in determining cataloging policy.
6. Writes reports and correspondence; may supervise the maintenance and/or preparation of various files and records.
7. Plans or assists in planning and setting up displays and exhibits; assists in maintaining a pleasant and orderly atmosphere in the branch or department,
8. May supervise subordinate staff. (FYI: The "subordinate" staff usually includes clerks & pages, who ARE the ones shelving books & doing check in/out)

Knowledge of:
Library tools, methods and procedures; A wide variety of reading material; Library reference materials; Principles and procedures of reference used to locate specific topics; Classification and cataloging systems and principles; Basic computer operations needed to access library networks, applications, software, and productivity tools, as well as common office software applications such as email clients, word processing programs and internet browsers; Digital devices such as personal computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones and eBook readers used by patrons to access library services; Planning, organizing and implementing children's, adult and young adult programs to meet patron needs; Principles and techniques of book selection and evaluation to establish balanced library collections; Library services, programs and policies which serve the community; Common office computer applications and automated Library circulation systems; Principles of supervision; Monitoring budgets; Effective training techniques.

And this is just scratching the surface!! Still think it's an easy job any yahoo can do??

A 12 yo kid, who wants to, can learn to do most of that in his spare time on the internet as most is either basic clerical duties or fluff. How large is the library you are referencing here?

Do you still use the Dewey decimal system? That's what always tripped up kids when I was in school.

I quit libraries when I started buying books and my kindle makes it a no brainer.

[EnricoV]

Originally Posted by behindthescreen

Yeah pretty much. It's not that much more difficult than any clerk job.

Infact, my local library is run by volunteers, mainly young hispanic junior college students who help direct where the different books are located, help check out and return books, help people get library cards and use the computers. It is NOT that difficult.

If these young hispanic college kids from East L.A college can run it then it's not rocket science

Yeah, your basic problem seems to be a lack of understanding. Those "young Hispanic junior college students" aren't running the library. Just like the guy who puts together your Subway sandwich isn't "running" the restaurant. They're simply working in a library that librarians run. Probably from somewhere else, if it's in the L. A. County library system. Those students are simply clerks.

[jobaba]

Where I live, townspeople call the librarian to ask them who was in what movie or what date something happened and stuff like that.

It's kind of like "Ask me anything?"

Lol.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by Jesse69

It seem like such an easy job to be a librarian, so what do they do that the job requires a Master's Degree?

Here's a Chicago job example: https://chicago.taleo.net/careersect.../jobdetail.ftl

In today's market, pretty much any professional job requires a MA. I have two MA degrees myself. Back when I only had a BA, I didn't have any market value whatsoever. Just having a BA is a tiny small step up from just having a HS diploma. The MA is what actually gets you a minimally good job, not the BA.

Basically, Education is a BUSINESS now. If you want to do anything in today's society, you have to be extremely entrepreneurial-minded with some great access to funding. Or you have to suck it up, take out a ton of school loans, and get on the treadmill going for the MA degrees. The latter is what most must do.

[football45013]

Originally Posted by maniac77

I don't believe being a librarian requires a master's degree. I think a bachelor's in library science would suffice (even though it doesn't currently exist).

I agree and you could say that for most jobs. I think the only ones who truly need an advanced degree are doctors. I can't think of any other jobs out there where you couldn't sufficiently learn the material needed within 4 years or less.

[85rx-7gsl-se]

Originally Posted by football45013

I agree and you could say that for most jobs. I think the only ones who truly need an advanced degree are doctors. I can't think of any other jobs out there where you couldn't sufficiently learn the material needed within 4 years or less.

Wish you would have sent that memo a few years ago so I didn't waste 3 years in law school...

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by armory

A 12 yo kid, who wants to, can learn to do most of that in his spare time on the internet as most is either basic clerical duties or fluff. How large is the library you are referencing here?

That was pulled from the San Francisco Public Library's site... and no, a 12 year-old can NOT learn what we do by going online. In fact, your statement illustrates why so many young people today think they know more than they do.

Do you still use the Dewey decimal system? That's what always tripped up kids when I was in school.

In public libraries, yes. Most university libraries use LC (Library of Congress) classification.

I quit libraries when I started buying books and my kindle makes it a no brainer.

Even less of a "brainer" - using that Kindle to borrow those same books for FREE through your library. D'oh!

Maybe you have the money to burn, but for those who don't (or those who are money conscious), our eBook collection is greatly appreciated and well-used.

[Stagemomma]

Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but

I wonder how much research you could actually ask your public librarian to do for you. I mean, is it one fact ... or can a patron legitimately ask her to do a whole paper's worth of research since it is (a) something she is trained to do and (b) something that is part of her job as a public service. I wonder how much research a public librarian actually does for patrons and where they draw the line.

It depends on the plan of service for the library. And it depends on the librarian, and how busy she is that day, and frankly, how polite the customer is! I'll work harder for someone who is polite than someone who is rude to me. We are supposed to keep our hands off anything that has personal information. I'll lead you to the online job application, but I won't fill it out. I'll help you format your resume, but I won't tell you what you need to put on it.

I was a school librarian first, so my first thought is always to enable people to do their own work. I lead them until I see them indicate that they can't take it any farther on their own. That is part of the art of teaching.

Generally speaking, they ultimately have to decide if the information is what they need or not. Information access is what we do, Evaluation and implementation is up to them.

[jobaba]

Originally Posted by 85rx-7gsl-se

Wish you would have sent that memo a few years ago so I didn't waste 3 years in law school...

Doesn't matter that you don't need a JD to do what a lawyer does.

What does matter is that you can't get hired with any reputable firm without 1) passing the bar, 2) having some type of law degree (sometimes bachelor or law, but usually JD).