I felt the same way Chris did after reading Deb Hunt's statements about not letting on that she has her MLIS in her blog post "The role of digital librarians in Digital Asset Management". I don't understand the stigma attached to the MLIS. Chris asked some really great questions to all of us and I decided to put in my two cents...
1. Do you find that you have to explain what it is that you do to people outside of the profession (or within the profession)? How do you explain what you do?
Since I am not technically in the profession yet, I will just elaborate on what goes down when someone asks what I WANT to do in the profession. Nikki's commented that "its all in the context" and this is true. It really depends on who I am dealing with on how in depth I get with my explanation. It usually comes out something like "Connecting people to information and resources of all kinds that are accessible, organized and relevant for their particular needs."
2. Do you think people have an understanding of the roles that librarians (and libraries) fill within society?
I find that the ones who WANT to understand, do. Others could care less and they are usually the first ones to complain about their taxes going to fund the public library or the first ones to ask "Wait, you need a Masters for that?!". It is up to us as newly minted (or soon to be minted MILS graduates) and everyone else in the profession to keep profession relevant!
3. What were your expectations of an MLIS degree program before you began graduate school? Has your experience matched your initial expectations (in terms of curriculum, areas of study, jobs open to you, etc.)?
I have mixed feelings. I hate admitting it so close to graduating but I feel like while UA's MLIS program is wonderful in so many ways, I think there is a bit of a disconnect with certain groups of students. I will put it this way:
You have the students who are fresh out of college and who jump right into graduate school full time. They have the time and energy to devote 100% to school, have opportunities to travel abroad, take internships and graduate assistantship and student jobs working in or with libraries, thus gaining experience.
Then you have those who are working in libraries or already have library experience and want to advance their career. They are getting all the library experience that they need.
Then there are the School Media students who are working towards adding a MLIS to their already impressive teaching resume and possibly an additional Masters degree.
Then there are students like me. I have spent only a few years here and there working as a student or volunteering in libraries but now I hold a full time job OUTSIDE of libraries. I don't have enough time to fit in an internship and keep my full-time job while attending classes and going to part-time is really not an option. I kind of feel like I am doing all of this alone with not a ton of guidance...
On a positive note, I came home from orientation in 2013 and told my husband that "I found my people". I am constantly amazed that although we all have have different specialties and interests, we all have a genuine passion and excitement for the profession as a whole.
I am just beginning the job search and am really thinking out of the box. Like I said before: "I possess a particular set of skills" (thank you Liam Neeson) and hopefully someone will see my newly developed skills and past experience in museums and art galleries and think I am the perfect fit for the job!
4. Have you ever been hesitant to tell anyone that you are pursuing an MLIS degree? Has anyone ever questioned your decision to do so? What was your response?
Hell no. Come August I will have earned this degree and will shout it from the roof tops. I don't question why someone earned their MBA, MFA or MSW... why should they question me?
5. To you, what is the value of an MLIS degree?
It shows that I took the time and put in the effort to learn everything I could about something I was passionate about. It is about continuously learning and developing my personal knowledge base so that I can do the best that I can at a job I will love. Damen commented that no, it doesn't take a MLIS to learn a process but it does take an MLIS to UNDERSTAND the process and I couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your responses, especially on the wide variety of types of students in our MLIS program. It's interesting to note that just in the past 10 years, we've had more of a younger group of students. Traditionally, we would see many more "adult" learners (aka, "non-traditional students") who were working on a 2nd 3rd or even 4th career in their lives. Now library and info work is appealing more broadly, which I like; however, it can be a challenge to teach in this environment! One year, I had a 20 year old and a 71 year old in my class session ... now THAT'S a pedagogical challenge few teachers have to face! :)