Because of the current job market, many college graduates are choosing to pursue higher education in order to delay entering their chosen professional field. Many of these graduates are attracted to Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) programs because of their emphasis on a strong foundation in information literacy, a skill applicable across disciplines. As a result, MLIS students have varied educational and professional backgrounds and make up a group of interesting individuals. The differing formats (distance, traditional, blended) of ALA-accredited programs also make for varied MLIS graduate school experiences. I would like to invite this group of interesting individuals to discuss their MLIS graduate school experiences. As a distance learning student halfway through the San Jose State University SLIS program, I’ve come up with a few topics that we should address:

-Distance learning programs vs. traditional programs:
How do the two compare? Which is more attractive to potential employers?
-Decision to pursue MLIS in this job market:
What are the advantages of having your MLIS? What are the disadvantages?
-Decision to pursue MLIS with the future of libraries at stake:
Ch-ch-ch-changes: The information landscape where librarians currently have their niche is changing as information needs change. Where does your MLIS fit in with this?
-Recommended coursework for marketable skills:
It seems that most programs require only a few core courses and then give relative freedom to choose courses from a long list of intriguing offerings. What courses are the most marketable post-graduation?
-Other issues and thoughts on the minds of graduate students

So, what’s on your mind, graduate students? What else should be on our minds, current MLIS holders? Let the discussion begin!

I just enrolled in my first semester of distance learning MLIS courses at Valdosta State. Though I don't have anything useful to contribute to this conversation yet, I will soon! This will be my second master's degree but my first non-traditional one. My first (an M.A.T.) was almost entirely classroom based.

I'd love to hear from people who have already participated in this type of program.

I look forward to hearing more from you in this forum as you study for your MLIS. I'm sure you do have useful contributions now, even if you may not realize it. Perhaps you'd like to share how you decided to study at Valdosta State? What motivated you to pursue your MLIS?

Thanks for joining the conversation, Maryska! Feel free to contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any comments, questions or suggestions about the Libraries Thriving community or the graduate student experience in general. I'd love to hear from you!

Hi Laura!

What a great topic and discussion starter! I'm a little over halfway done and am hoping to graduate this time next year.

I am a part-time, f2f student, although my program in UNC Greensboro is looking to move fully online. I'm not sure if they will have both a f2f and online degree program, yet. However, I can say that I have loved taking a combination of f2f and online. I don't think one type is better than the other. I really think that depends on the student and what they are most comfortable with doing. Some people really need that f2f interaction while others are very comfortable writing lots of discussion posts and responding through a mic online.

I'm not sure how employers view online degrees, however, I know there are some very good MLS programs out there that are fully online. I'm sure the biggest thing is SHOW what you know. Above and beyond classes, take advantage of attending/presenting at conferences, doing internships, getting involved as a student in your LIS student association, start a blog, etc. I think employers want people who are knowledgeable and have more than a piece of paper in hand. Come out with solid, applicable work examples in your field of librarianship...that's key!

I'm pursuing an MLS with the School Media specialization and I'm hoping there will be jobs when I graduate. Our program faculty encourage us to apply for jobs as soon as we can, even if we aren't done with all of our coursework. I think this is a smart approach because then it makes project work more applicable. It's also harder because it's tough to work full-time and do school.

As far as coursework, I would recommend that academic and public libraries not overlook some of the school library courses. Both, esp. public, would benefit from a YA materials class and curriculum courses. Many academic librarians need to teach and having experience creating lesson plans, pathfinders and other resource guides would be helpful. Same thing for school librarians - take a digital libraries class or a metadata class. Technology is everywhere and the more we know, the better we can serve our users. If you can, take a user information and use class. This was probably one of the best classes I took and taught me about all the different information seeking theories. It also taught me to pay attention to how users act in the library and think about patterns so I can better serve my patrons.

Good luck to everyone!

Amy

Hi Amy!

Thanks so much for sharing! It's great to hear from a fellow MLIS candidate. What inspired you to pursue your degree? Were you working in a library before deciding to start the program? When I first began my studies I thought that I may be a little unique because I did not have library experience before committing time (and money) to the degree but more and more I'm meeting other enthusiastic SLIS students who have no library experience.

Hi Laura,

I also started my MLIS degree without having any library experience. I had taught some after school courses at a local elementary school, and I found that I really enjoyed working with children. The idea of becoming a teacher didn’t appeal to me, but then I considered becoming a children’s librarian. My love of books and learning was something that I wanted to share. What I didn’t realize was that taking different classes throughout my MLIS degree would open up other areas of interest. I can remember dreading taking my Reference class thinking back on my undergrad experience with not being able to find anything in those huge books that no one seems to use. After taking that class my whole attitude changed towards reference and it ended up being one of my most favorite classes. I learned how amazing the reference works could be if you knew how to search appropriately and have a little perseverance.

Jennifer