Becoming a Librarian : getting my Masters in Library and Information Sciences at Simmons University

[@digimaui]

Thanks for this! I've been considering getting my MLIS for years and I'm running out of excuses to not do it. I just wish it didn't seem so daunting!

[@randomlibrarian]

How awesome that you're considering your MLIS! Let me know if you ever want to chat about what makes it feel daunting :)

[@digimaui]

@@randomlibrarian Hi, this is probably random but I thought of this video the other day and wanted to let you know I finally decided to get my MLIS! I'm in my third semester now and almost halfway through my degree. Once I committed to doing this it really wasn't so daunting after all!

[@randomlibrarian]

@@digimaui this is amazing! Congrats 🎉🎉🎉

[@4pastelribbons]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, the good and the bad. I definitely could relate to your experience of having lecturers/ professors who had a very strict way of grading and wasn't open to differing viewpoints. I'm currently an assistant library officer and find the work interesting and fulfilling but because i'm a part time staff, there were many instances where the full time staff were very dismissive of my opinions which frustrates me a lot but i'm determined to learn and continue to improve myself. I'm considering to do a graduate studies in MLIS and hopefully get a better position elsewhere, but for now i'm just going to learn as much as i can and gain as much experiences as i could, hopefully there's a better opportunity and better working environment in the future!

[@randomlibrarian]

That is the best attitude to have! It's definitely hard to be part of the team before having the degree that says you deserve to be there - I hope you find the best community to be part of, with or without your MLIS

[@cjedgerly]

So funny that your video came up on my suggested feed since I didn't actually search for this! My daughter is graduating next year (2025) with a degree in History (minor in psychology) and hopes to attend Simmons on-line MLIS program on the Archives track. We live about 30 minutes north of Boston. She worked part-time in our local library children's room, as well as some research projects through her college and my wife's work. She is VERY EXCITED to continue her studies. Thanks for posting!!!

[@randomlibrarian]

A huge “congrats!” to her! I hope she loves Simmons and takes advantage of all the program has to offer 🎉

[@rolandconley6279]

I'm hoping to apply to UCLA for the MLIS. My bachelors which I'm in my last semester for is History. I'm going to have a kid end of Dec/beg Jan. I was wondering why programs differ so much in units ? SJSU is around 42/46 I think and UCLA is 72. I want to work in the public library. I've worked in one before in high school and have experience as a TA in high school, worked with international students a few months in college, been employed by my college twice (technically three times but once they didn't give me any hours). I'm just nervous to be a new parent doing a Masters. I also struggle with ADHD but if I go to UCLA I don't plan on working so I hope that helps. I just hope I can make it into the field.

[@MilwaukeeMax]

Library science is a great field to go into. Nice work! Also, Indiana Jones called and wants his fedora back! ;)

[@guynamedjames]

thank you so much for sharing. this is really helpful for me

[@georgecervantez7389]

Really considering getting the degree what are the steps, do you need the AA first then bachelor's then masters? Or can you just do the masters? I have 8 years experience working at an elementary school as their library media assist.

[@coloradoreader559]

Thank you for sharing this! I am so scared to even apply.

[@randomlibrarian]

Good luck!! You got this!

[@theindecisivereaders9450]

This is really interesting! I don't know if it's the same for all librarians in the UK, but I know the library near me is run by volunteers

[@randomlibrarian]

A very good point and definitely the case in a lot of places! The town where my parents live have a library run by one volunteer, while other small towns have trained librarians and/or para-professionals and/or volunteers 😊 each place has it's own culture and expectations for employees

[@catherinebrown5497]

I have done a MA in Globalization, development and Transition at 2013.

[@JyotiSingh-hl3yj]

Is there a good career option in mlis? Wht are the future of library after 20 years? Wht if all the library culture just vanish cz of digitalization? M I able to make decent money oriented course ? All this questions are just haunting me I m in final year of undergraduate and i m really not getting the answers to this question 🥺😞

[@carinam.9447]

Interesting, is the LIS degree always a masters in the US? I'm studying LIS in Germany, but it's a full-time bachelor's degree over 7 semesters and if I wanted to I could follow that up with 3 more semesters of a master's.

[@randomlibrarian]

There are schools that offer LIS as an undergraduate degree, but the masters is the gold-standard for job applications!

[@RaeAyame]

Hey! I just graduated from Simmons with my MLIS. I did my degree completely online and definitely agree that it's hard to find classes since they're only offered certain semesters and that some classes shouldn't be online and that some professors' grading is just unfair and doesn't make a lot of sense. I did a youth services concentration but since those classes fare geared or school librarians, you're penalized in assignments for not being one. I also found that since I live in a small midwest town, some assignments and professors penalized me for the libraries around here not offering a ton of programming for teens. That being said, I also had some really lovely professors and classes where I learned so much and got to think about topics I would have never considered otherwise.

[@randomlibrarian]

Congrats on graduating! I definitely had issues with classes I took geared towards *the youths* as well, but really enjoy working with kiddos and teens now that I'm in a library :) I definitely enjoyed the push to learn about topics I had never considered before! I hope you're having a wonderful start (continuation?) of your career in libraries!

[@frecklesflower]

Thanks for this video! Were you able to find your library assistant job easily while earning your degree?

[@randomlibrarian]

Yes! I ended up working as a library assistant at 4 different libraries during my degree, including the one where I am now head librarian. Being able to talk about your MLIS program in interviews is definitely helpful when job hunting and (I think) gives you an edge in the candidate pool.

[@ericwwii77]

Hi, I graduated with my BA in history in 2017. I have not used it since then and have been considering going for a MLIS. What tips would you give me for applying for graduate school?

[@randomlibrarian]

First things first, I'd recommend looking into places that don't require you take the GRE/are waiving the need for it right now. You don't need that kind of stress/forced proximity right now! Other than that, sitting with your goals for a bit before applying will be helpful. Do you know what kind of library you want to work in, in a dream situation? Are you looking to apply your BA in your MLIS? Are there certain lrofessor or courses you really really want to take? Applying to schools can be kind of exhausting, so know the requirements,, know what you hope to get out of it, and *keep track of deadlines* Good luck! (Feel free to comment again or email me with any specific questions!)

[@ericwwii77]

randomlibrarian Thank you for the help.

[@randomlibrarian]

Any time! I love talking all things MLIS, grad school, and library life 💕

[@IAMLASHAIE]

@@ericwwii77 idk what state you live in or where your looking to go to school but I know that Florida State University in Florida has waived the GRE requirements for most of their graduate programs. And John Hopkins online doesn’t have a GRE requirement. I majored in Humanities: American Studies track at the University of South Florida. I’m currently looking at returning there, FSU, Simmons and a few schools in the U.K. (they don’t require GRE and some places the programs take 1-2 years to graduate) plus your right there where history took place! Lol I have a friend whose studying Speech Pathology at Uni of Sheffield in the U.K.

[@craigsmith6468]

I am studying for a Master of Education in Library Science. Can I do the same things with it as the MLIS?

[@randomlibrarian]

Hi Craig! I think it depends on the jobs you're hoping to apply for. If you're interested in being a school librarian, I would say yes. For other positions that specifically list an MLIS as a requirement, I think it might require a little explanation of the degree in your cover letter. Good luck!

[@gndrl]

Hi! I'm a library science student I am my family's breadwinner and so Do librarians make good money?

[@randomlibrarian]

There is definitely a range of salaries, depending on location and type of library. I can't really speak to the job as a whole, but there are many estimated salaries per state available online!

[@eve5615]

Hi..Any suggestion for getting a job as a library assistant in Canada?

[@randomlibrarian]

I can't speak to Canada as a whole because, well, it's a big country 😂 if you're coming from abroad, a good way to find things is to set an alert on LinkedIn for jobs with "library assistant" and "canada." Otherwise, I'd say to try and find some job boards for cities, towns, or counties in Canada that interest you. Happy searching!

[@16kcostello]

This is really helpful thank you!

[@randomlibrarian]

I'm so glad you think so!

[@artimandal5634]

Hello. I am from India and pursuing BLIS, I wanted to do MLIS from foreign country can you plz make a video on it and do let me know is their any scholarship test or entrance test.

[@randomlibrarian]

Thank you for commenting and congrats on pursuing your degree! Different schools have different application requirements - for example, Simmons has rolling admission, needs-based and merit-based scholarships, and requires students take a GRE if their GPA from undergrad is under a certain number. Some schools always require the GRE while others never do! I wish i had a more clear-cut answer, but it really comes down to the school.

[@belajarilmuofficial]

hi, greetings to all, I am Hendra alumni of library science in Indonesia, I get a lot of inspiration on this channel, I want to be friends with all of you librarians,

[@esotericbaddie08]

Thank you!

[@randomlibrarian]

I can talk about this forever, please let me know if you have any questions!

[@esotericbaddie08]

randomlibrarian Yessss although I am quite far away from starting a masters program I’m really excited about the possibility of becoming a professional librarian and would love to pick your brain about your experience finding work and all that!

[@randomlibrarian]

@@esotericbaddie08 100% You can email me at [e-mail] or I can try and figure out how instagram (or youtube?) live works so that we can chat!

[@libraryscienceacademy9590]

Good

[@bekarbanda5950]

I have done masters in library science in India.... Can I became librarian in usa

[@randomlibrarian]

It’s definitely possible, but you’ll either need to obtain a visa yourself or find a place of employment that is willing to sponsor your visa. Prioritise any job listings that don’t list “ability to work in the US” as a requirement. If you have specialised in your studies, this will also assist your application. Good luck!

[@bekarbanda5950]

@@randomlibrarian ok i just want to know if any other qualification from usa as per ala require