Library/Media as a career?

[Anonymous]

Hello.

I am a volunteer in my daughter's school in the media center. I love it, and am considering going back for a Masters in Library Science. However, the media specialist is very negative about the profession.

I am curious..anyone know anything about the field of librarianship/school media in this area? What are the prospects as far as job opportunities.

thank you.

[Anonymous]

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm

Job Outlook

Job growth is expected to be as fast as the average and job opportunities are expected to be favorable, as a large number of librarians are likely to retire in the coming decade.

Employment change.
Employment of librarians is expected to grow by 8 percent between 2008 and 2018, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. Growth in the number of librarians will be limited by government budget constraints and the increasing use of electronic resources. Both will result in the hiring of fewer librarians and the replacement of librarians with less costly library technicians and assistants. As electronic resources become more common and patrons and support staff become more familiar with their use, fewer librarians are needed to maintain and assist users with these resources. In addition, many libraries are equipped for users to access library resources directly from their homes or offices through library Web sites. Some users bypass librarians altogether and conduct research on their own. However, librarians continue to be in demand to manage staff, help users develop database-searching techniques, address complicated reference requests, choose materials, and help users to define their needs.

Jobs for librarians outside traditional settings will grow the fastest over the decade. Nontraditional librarian jobs include working as information brokers and working for private corporations, nonprofit organizations, and consulting firms. Many companies are turning to librarians because of their research and organizational skills and their knowledge of computer databases and library automation systems. Librarians can review vast amounts of information and analyze, evaluate, and organize it according to a company's specific needs. Librarians also are hired by organizations to set up information on the Internet. Librarians working in these settings may be classified as systems analysts, database specialists and trainers, webmasters or Web developers, or local area network (LAN) coordinators.

Job prospects.
Job prospects are expected to be favorable. On average, workers in this occupation tend to be older than workers in the rest of the economy. As a result, there may be more workers retiring from this occupation than other occupations. However, relatively large numbers of graduates from MLS programs may cause competition in some areas and for some jobs.

[Anonymous]

I have a master's in library/information science, and although I now work in a related field, I have never held a traditional librarian job. Job prospects are probably pretty good if you graduate with top-notch IT skills, but much less so if your skills lean more towards traditional public or school librarian jobs. Think about it: libraries are ALWAYS among the first proposed cuts in city and county budgets when a shortfall looms. And schools cut librarians before just about any other position. Think long and hard about what you'd want from the degree; do your research; and make sure that you choose a program with a forward-thinking focus and get as much hands-on IT experience as you can. Sadly, there are few job opps handling collection development for books!

[Anonymous]

Don't.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook has been talking about the retirement wave for at least 15 years. What actually happens is folks retire and those jobs are gone. I'm an MLS in a private law firm. I like my profession a lot, but it's changed a lot in the last fifteen years and it can be hard to find a job. For school media you would want to be sure that regular classroom teachers can't take the media specialist positions, so that the degree is worth it. Some states you must have the MLS in school libraries and others not.

[Anonymous]

If you are in VA you can get an school librarian endorsement to work in schools. UVA/UVA Wise has a program. http://www.uvace.virginia.edu/educators/library.php

[Anonymous]

I thought about it a couple years out of college. (Which is now a long time ago). I talked with current librarians and thought they were really underpaid. I think it is because mainly women are in the profession. So I went into IT instead. Much better paid.