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Hello all. I'm new to the board, though I have lurked for a little while.
This coming fall, I will start an ALA-accredited program in a top Canadian school. I will mostly likely seek work in Canada, but will consider going back to the US for work, if one is offered. I believe the job markets for LS are more or less the same in both countries.
Right now I'm torn between an academic librarianship path, and something more technical (like info systems and design) that might give me more of a chance to be employed after graduation. Honestly, my heart is on academic librarianship, but my head and an starving bank account tell me maybe I should consider info systems, as it seems everything is computerized nowadays.
My head keeps emphasizing the "job prospects" part of this decision as, unfortunately, I have a resume that's literally all over the place, and as a result I have had an incredibly hard time finding employment. (My pursuit of a Ph.D. in the social sciences, and a lack of financial support beyond a full-tuition scholarship required that I seek and accept just about any job I could get in order to pay the bills, while in a doctoral student).
When I start the LS program this fall, I will consult with an academic adviser at my school; but I also wish to obtain honest feedback from graduates who are currently working or seeking work in LS: What is the state of the academic librarianship job market right now? Is the more technical, more computer-centered LS job market in a better state? Considering the current and future state of the general LS field, and if knowing what you know now you were to make a decision on which of those paths to pursue, would you go for the academic librarianship path or the info systems one? Any other info you would advise me to consider?
Thanks much in advance! :)
Edit To Add: Another path I'm considering is archives and records management. How would this compare with academic librarianship and info systems in terms of marketability and job prospects?
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When you talk about academic librarianship, that's a big wide open field with many sub-specialties, one of which is systems. Are you more interested in reference or public services, or cataloging or tech services? Those are just two of the broad categories that you would find in any library. In general, I would say that, depending on how broadly you define "academic librarianship" there is certainly a bigger job market there, than for systems jobs. Many libraries have only one systems person, so the job market is relatively smaller. However, it's more common for academics to have multiple systems people. Or you might be interested in electronic resources, which sort of combines some aspects of systems & cataloging with public service, in some libraries. Basically, don't try to get ahead of yourself too much. If you're just getting ready to start library school, there will be plenty of time to learn more about what aspects of the field interest you most, and which courses and professors at your school have the best reputation (which is always a factor when deciding what to take). As far as the future job market goes, yes, technology skills are important for all librarians, and systems jobs often pay more than other librarian positions. But the main point is to focus on building skills that will be useful for yourself and desirable by any employer. Keep in mind that your career is more like a journey than a destination, and you may fill many different roles in the years ahead. My first librarian job was reference in a public library, but I did a lot of PC support & training, and I used that experience to transition to an ILS systems admin job for a consortium.
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Oh....Wow! So much to learn!! Lucky for me, I love learning! ;)
By "academic librarianship" I basically meant reference work (when an undergrad, I worked as a student assistant at the info and reference desk of one of my university's libraries...So I guess that had become my point of reference for what "academic librarianship" is all about).
Thanks for the reply and advise! I'll try not to get ahead of myself too much... :)
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Often "reference" in many academic libraries can be any combination of reference, collection management, instruction, and public services. At my library reference librarians have our duties split pretty equally between traditional reference, instruction, and collection management. Some of my colleagues at other universities, also have the circulation part.
Brian C. Gray Head of Reference & Engineering Librarian Kelvin Smith Library Case Western Reserve University http://blog.case.edu/bcg8bcg8@case.edu
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I think I would give a bit of thought to possibly combining the info systems with archives and records management, and use the idea of reference work/subject specialty as a minor, or backup area of interest. Creating a way to fill your interests while serving your bank account is very sensible, but don't limit yourself to what currently exists. Think of all the people who now have blogs/internet sites and work at academic or public libraries, and also do conferences or other kinds of speaking, etc. and then consider that historically much of this kind of work has been developed in the past 20 years. How much have computers changed since you were an undergraduate?? It is good starting point for visualizing the future.
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BCGray,
Thanks for the reply. From what I have been reading, it seems many academic librarians have duties that encompass several types of librarianship. I wonder whether, in the end, it'll matter much whether I go with the academic (ref) librarianship path or the others mentioned??
Hollis,
Is your suggestion that I try to develop my own librarianship path for library school, rather than study the suggested courses for pre-approved academic vs. archives/records vs. info systems paths? That is actually something I had considered, as my school will let students, in consultation with and upon approval of advisors, develop their own paths. I'll definitely speak to my academic advisor about your suggestion...After all, as I write to BCGray above, it does seem that academic librarians nowadays (or maybe that's always been the case??) perform combined duties; knowing something about several things might be to my advantage.
Thanks to the both of you for your replies!! :)
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I looked at job ads the entire time I was enrolled in the MLIS. I did not follow the recommend class list for academic librarianship or any other concentration. I picked the classes based on the jobs that interested me, that supplemented my existing skills, and made me most marketable without moving.
Brian C. Gray Head of Reference & Engineering Librarian Kelvin Smith Library Case Western Reserve University http://blog.case.edu/bcg8bcg8@case.edu
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Pretty good strategy, BCG!! I'll try to do the same, though it seems my school requires that an academic advisor sign off on any plan/concentration that is not "pre-approved."
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