Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 5/22/2009
Posts: 2
Points: 6
Location: Wisconsin
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Hi everyone, this is my first post! Where to start? I love library and information science but I'm having a hard time putting together a few things:
First, I graduated from college with a degree in Education Studies. I was originally studying to be a teacher. Long story short, that was not quite the path for me so I've been working in a different field (title insurance) since I've graduated. Library and information services is definitely shaping up to be my passion, with the fields of information policy, information architecture, and knowledge management being key areas of interest for me.
Second, I love to research, namely to find resources and clarify information for people. I think it's ridiculous that we have such a deluge of information and people have such a hard time getting what they need, especially since they're taking the initiative to get the info they need. I love to collect copious amounts of information and am working on my summarizing skills. I would love to find/create a job and career where I can be paid to learn, write, read, and research to help people and organizations in this way.
Third, I would love to get my Masters in Library and Information Science. Are there employers out there who offer tuition reimbursement for me to get my Masters while working for them? Professional development is key to me with employment benefits.
Finally, I have been reading about metadata. How would I gain experience working with metadata?
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Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Jumpstart - Moderator
, Member
Joined: 11/18/2007
Posts: 73
Points: -69
Location: Wisconsin
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I see you are from Wisconsin! Kudos! Here's some advice and brief tidbits...
Look at enrolling in either Madison or Milwaukee for information studies. Both programs are highly-ranked and would be beneficial to your career. As far as employers offering tuition reimbursement, that might depend if you are working at an academic library or not, or for a university. Please note with budgets being cut (some severely) perks like tuition reimbursement will come at a premium. Most public libraries in Wisconsin do not pay for tuition reimbursement for MLS-credentials, and with the the school librarians becoming extinct it depends on what district you would be working for. A number of schools do reimburse teachers to be become school media specialists.
More advice? Join your state's library association for continuing education opportunities. Your interest in "metadata" might mean you are seeking academic librarianship? Just curious...
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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 5/22/2009
Posts: 2
Points: 6
Location: Wisconsin
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Thank you for your advice! Instead of tuition reimbursement, are there other perks, such as health insurance? Milwaukee would be a closer program for me, so I'll check into their program. I'm most interested in two of their Masters concentrations: IT and Organization of Information: http://www4.uwm.edu/sois/academics/MLIS/mlisdegrees.htm#ittrackhttp://www4.uwm.edu/sois/academics/MLIS/mlisdegrees.htm#orgtrackAcademic libraries and special libraries are most interesting to me. I don't know too much about metadata, so I'm looking into it. It seems to be linking directly with I'm mostly interested in: information structure, information and knowledge organization and management.
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