I received my MLIS from IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis) in August of 2010. I had not worked in a library previously. I finished my degree in one year. I took a majority of my courses online and commuted to Indy for three of my classes. I did this while being a stay-at-home mom to three children (and was expecting my fourth). After graduation, I applied and applied for positions. FINALLY, a year later I got a position as a library CLERK. I have been working here for over a year now and although I have applied for positions, I haven't had many interviews. The few interviews I have had, they opted to go with someone with more programming experience. It gets very depressing!!! I am still in love with the library and hope to land something really soon but I suggest that you really do your homework. Intern, Volunteer with organizations...if you want to do something that involves programming, volunteer at churches or something where you will get that experience. Working part-time and spending the rest of my time researching (when not chasing the 4 kids) leaves little time to go out and get those experiences. If you are young and have time....PLEASE take advantage and do this. At this point, I feel like I have a MLIS and debt and not much else to show for it.

I can totally relate! Internships and getting experience before you graduate is key if you do not have previous library experience. However, it is really hard to get that experience if you work and have a family. I have two young children at home and was pregnant with my youngest when I decided to start my MLIS degree.

But don't get discouraged; I have heard from other recent graduates that it can take a while to find a position. Just be persistent in your search and eventually you will find a good fit. You also might want to see if there is any extra work or projects you can do in your current position to help give you some more experience beyond the level of clerk. All the best to you.

I'm a traditional student halfway through my MLIS program at the University of Pittsburgh. As far as the advantages to having an MLIS go, even in this job climate it's a decidedly more marketable degree than my B.A. in English lit. I love how flexible a degree it is - I could do anything from reading to little kids to teaching information literacy at a university to working for a company. I get nervous if I look at job placement statistics, but I know that even if I have to wait a while for a full time job, it will be worth it when I find one. My MLIS career will be better than working at an SAT-prep center for the rest of my life!

I'm excited about the changes in libraries and librarianship. I think one of the biggest advantages to getting our degrees now as opposed to even five years ago is that we're on the cutting edge of new technology, new practices, new cataloging standards, new ways of teaching and reaching patrons. We're comfortable with change, especially technological change, and I think that makes us well-prepared to enter a rapidly changing field.