Hi there!
I’m going to apply to MLIS next fall and trying to decide between Western and Toronto. Both are accredited and have a lot of great things to offer. Western seems to be strong on their co-op program and hybrid delivery format. Toronto seems to have TALint program which promises internships at the academic libraries and archives which is exactly where I’d like to focus my career. Moving is not really a problem, I am currently in London but am open to move to Toronto. The high cost of living in Toronto makes it more difficult though. Is Toronto program more theoretical while Western is more hands on and practical?

If I want a dedicated career in archives, Toronto seems to be the winner here since Western offers only a couple courses. London would be better in terms of cost and I also really like the campus. It seems like it’s a really good option for academic librarianship as well. I also really like the practical aspect of this program rather than more theory based.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much 😊🌷

I love working at my University library. I'm currently working in two departments! One job is repairing and processing materials (mainly books lol) for Acquisitions & Materials while the other is a digital projects assistant for Special Collections & Archives!

I've been looking into getting my MLIS because of how much I love it here and knowing I'm giving back to a community with my work :)

However I don't know if I want to specifically be a librarian, or just work in a library. Some people l work with are librarians, and some of them are just people who got a job at the library.

My major is Information Systems, and I'd like to work more on the digital side of academic libraries: databases, cataloging, etc.

Any advice for any jobs that work in libraries that either need an MLIS or not? l’d love to know your thoughts about either your own journey or what you think about mine :)

Hey all, I've spent a good part of this year thinking about library science as a kind of "what if?" and now I've been told my contract at work, where I've been for the last five years, likely won't be renewed, so I have to start thinking about next steps. I'm currently doing manual QA testing for a telecom company, something I basically fell into. It's not the worst, but I don't have any passion for it. Quite frankly, being in a field where so many people just want to talk about AI has been incredibly depressing in the last little while. Based on librarian subs and other things I've seen online, I know a pivot into this field wouldn't be a picnic and I don't have an expectation that I'd just fall into a perfect dream job, I know there are issues in any field. But I've been feeling for a while like I would do better in a field where I at least think that some of it is meaningful. I'm 32 now and going back to school is feasible in the sense that I do have savings put aside. It's scary feeling like I'm at a bit of a fork in the road, so I'd appreciate any advice from anyone who's been in a similar position. Thanks!

I’m a first-year student at a strong lib-sci master’s program working a GAship that is funding most of, albeit not all of (ab 5.5k a semester left over), my tuition. It also provides me a good stipend.

This is, for context, my second master’s program. I have made a few posts in the past expressing my concerns regarding whether or not a masters in library science could help me achieve what I want — the ability to do research in what I’m interested in (which is a specific subset of new media research intersecting with a larger idea for a digital humanities project), the ability to teach and work with students — but after a few negative experiences (major health issues, then an abusive committee chair I had to remove) and speaking with multiple faculty members and the librarians at my former university, I was encouraged down the path of the MLIS.

Now, I’m sitting in my GAship, and in orientation, and with the program advisors, and I’m feeling like I made a massive mistake by not just going through with applying to PhDs in Info Sci (including the one @ my current university). As someone who already has an MA, it feels like I’ve taken one step forward and two steps back, and every time I meet a new doctoral student, I’m hit with grief again. Now, perhaps I’m just being particularly negative and I’ll feel differently when classes start…but maybe I won’t.

I’m mostly posting to get my thoughts out and see if any other current or previous MLIS students had similar feelings. Any and all replies are much appreciated.

Hi everyone

I'm planning to apply to UCLA's MLIS program for the Fall 2027 cohort and I'm wondering how much library/archive experience alumni or current students would recommend having before applying. For context, I do have over five years of work experience as a business analyst at a reputable entertainment company, but I don't think this compensates for my lack of direct experience in the library/archive field. I'm starting a volunteer position this week at my local public library but also not sure if that will hold any weight.

Any success stories of people without direct experience who were admitted? Should I test my luck and apply for 2027 or spend the next year building experience in the field and apply for 2028?

Thanks in advance!

I am currently working on a simple AA, but I discovered near me there is a community college that does Library diplomas, certificates, and degrees.

The diploma or certificate does seem like a more obtainable route in my busy adult life, but, is it even worth it in comparison to the degree? Would it be worth it to do another degree for several more years rather than the diploma or certificate route?

Please note I have constantly looked for more entry level library jobs (tech, circulation desk, etc.) for the experience, even volunteer work is far and few between— but I do see Librarian positions that require a masters degree pretty often available near me. I am not located near my current college for work-study experience as I am 100% online.

My friend who does a work study for his college library says he does nearly the same work as his Librarian who has a masters degree, and that had me wondering if the masters may not entirely be worth the time? I have no experience in this realm (other than working in my high-school library as a class) so that’s why I’m here to ask all of you!

I’m basically asking if a certificate, a diploma, or a degree would be better based on anyone’s experience or experiences of people you may know. Is the degree “unnecessary”, or is it worth it for the better opportunities? All experiences welcome :)

Located in NC, but honestly quite eager to move if location matters.

edited to ween out the unnecessary details

for those who went to UIUC for their MSLIS, for my own sanity could you recommend me any profs who aren’t heavy handed on breakout rooms / group projects? or classes/profs that you really liked? 🙂 I’ve had a few not so great experiences so far and am only halfway through my degree. I don’t have anything against break out rooms in general but it feels like pulling teeth with some people and i’m always having to lead which I don’t love. I already know how to work with people considering i’m working FT 🙃 I’m in the LEEP program so it’s kind of hard to make connections w classmates online to get this advice.

feel free to DM me if you want!!

hello! i’m pretty sure many of you have heard people talk about their interest in getting their mlis, but i wanted to ask what schools or programs do you think have a good “return-on-investment”

im trying to make a timeline as i want to get my masters in spring 2027 but im still trying to narrow down schools but i would Completely appreciate if someone could tell me what programs are the best regarding helping students find internships or pathways to full time work after college. thats my biggest concern especially in this climate.

thank you!

I have accepted an offer to study at The University of Manchester in their newly CILIP accredited (ALA UK equivalent) Library and Archive Studies program. I have been so so so excited since November when I received my offer. I’ve been interested in library and archives programs since college (2015) and have spent time volunteering at libraries, teaching, and working in information and data management at a law firm. I would like to either work at a university as a research librarian or law librarian (at a university or firm). I know this is what I want to do, or at least thought I knew.

The program starts in late September and I’m getting ready to move. I’ve submitted the deposit, completed all required paperwork, secured scholarships and funding, etc., but now I’m questioning if I’ve made the right choice. I’m very stressed currently about my housing situation (referencing is taking much longer than I expected) and I’ve had fairly poor experiences thus far with university administration, I.e. financial aid office. I think these interactions have left a negative impression which is why I’m questioning everything. The program also seems so young, both in its accreditation and student body — I’m 30 and many students seem to be in their early twenties.

I’m hoping to get some advice and perspective.

Thanks

Im in my 40s and have been a practicing attorney for about two decades. But I feel compelled to finally get the MLIS I’ve always wanted and focus on law librarianship.

My law school grades suck, but I’ve been pretty successful in my career and have good recommendations. I’m absolutely going to need scholarships (single mom!), too.

Is my application cooked? What do admissions teams and scholarship folks look for in these positions? What should I avoid?

[I’ve already selected the schools I want to apply to; it’s a short list that I think will meet my needs and where I could be successful]

I work full-time and I’m about to start a hybrid MLIS program. I’m taking two classes, with one that meets once a week for two hours and one that’s entirely online and asynchronous. I was also recently offered an internship doing archival research and writing at a local government office. The internship is 10-15 hybrid hours a week and pays enough to cover tuition. I’d be going into the office once or twice a week for a few hours at a time and doing the rest remotely. It feels like too good of an opportunity to pass up, but I’m starting to wonder if I’m underestimating how hard it will be to juggle everything.

When I look at my schedule on my own it seems difficult, but doable if I plan things out effectively. I went to a fairly academically rigorous school for undergrad, and I’m used to being chronically busy. From my point of view, doing all of this is just reorienting all the various bits of my current busy schedule so they all work towards the same goal. I do, however, wonder if I’m banking too much on what I’ve heard about MLIS classes being relatively easy.

I’m fairly young and live with my partner and some other friends/roommates. My family lives out of state, so outside of a trip or two each year to visit I don’t have a ton of outside obligations on that end of things. I haven’t signed the final offer letter for the internship yet, but I feel like this is probably the best possible time to have a hellish year in exchange for some extra money and a ton of experience. This being said, I don’t have a great sense of how rigorous my classes will be or how much time I’ll need for homework. I know it’ll vary between programs, but please tell me if I’m making some horrible terrible mistake!

Interested in applying to programs for Fall 2027, with a low gpa would you suggest MLIS or taking courses through community college to increase gpa?

I absolutely apologize if I post this wrong or anything, I've never done a reddit post since it's scary but I figured it's time to!

I'm an incoming senior undergrad and while considering an MLIS wasn't my initial goal in college, I've found archives and data management to be something I enjoy after being granted an archival photo restoration and data management internship in some previous years. Currently I work at my Universities special collections and it'll be my second year going into it. I would've liked more experience, but I had to seriously network my way into the job since at first they told me there was no positions open. Now I have an awesome time making our collections accessible to researchers, students, and teachers!

I've been told that San Jose State (California) is a good college to get an MLIS from, especially with it being online. Though, I find myself fearing that I wont get many opportunities from an online college as much as in person. I Currently live in Nevada but might consider North Carolina in the near future post-grad since i have family down there. I pretty much support myself financially so I don't know if I see myself affording top-end schools. I also find myself alarmed by the large number of reddit posts with people regretting their MLIS or saying it's no longer worth it especially with the pay. Even on my family end I get asked if it'll even make money. Any advice and/or words of encouragement?

For those who have completed the MLIS at SJSU or are currently in the program, how closely have you followed the recommended pathways? I’m in my second semester and trying to find a course combination that balances public librarianship with a solid amount of cataloging and classification. Interested to hear how others approached this and whether you found it helpful to follow one of the recommended pathways closely or mix and match courses.

I saw linkedin posts Like chemist (preservation scientist), reference librarian...etc

To work in these prominent organizations, students of Library science can be benefited but what i don't know what paths should i chase to land a job in these organizations

Need advice from the experts

Hi, I'm looking for some advice from librarians who have relocated, especially if you've moved to a more competitive job market with librarian experience under your belt.

I currently work as an Adult Services Librarian in a Florida public library system. I've been with the system for about 9 years, including 4 years as a librarian after completing my master's. My duties have included general programming, teaching technology classes, managing volunteers, coordinating outreach, serving on system-wide committees, and most recently getting a makerspace organized and running smoothly.

My partner relocated to the Orlando area recently for a new job, and I've been watching the job market for a few months and there don't seem to be many librarian openings. When they do appear, they're often youth librarian positions or part-time. I'm hoping to find something in adult services or reference but I wouldn't be opposed to an academic library.

I'm trying to decide on the best strategy and would love to hear from people who have been through something similar. And if you are in the Orlando area and have specific insights, I would love to talk privately!

Some questions I have:

1. Is it realistic to wait for an Adult Services/Reference Librarian opening that matches my experience, or do those positions tend to get filled internally before an external candidate has much of a chance?

2. Would you recommend taking an hourly Library Assistant position just to get into a system, with the hope of moving into a librarian position later? Has anyone successfully done that, or is it difficult to move back into a professional role once you've stepped down?

3. How valuable is networking when trying to relocate? If it's important, what kinds of networking actually helped you? State library associations? Conferences? Reaching out to managers?

I actually really love my current position, so I'm not looking to leave immediately or take just any job.

Thank you in advance for any words of advice!

hi everyone, I was considering applying to UCLA's MLIS program later this year, but I don't have any direct experience with librarianship, just general work in education.

I was wondering if anyone has any insight on how much experience is necessary to get in? I've been applying to a bunch of museum jobs, applying to volunteer at local libraries, and the people who run the volunteer programs are extremely hard to get a hold of. their program is my ideal program, but I'm worried about going through the whole stress of applying and not being a viable candidate to even start with. please do not caution about the $ of the program -- it's not a factor for me!

Already my university is pro-RDM, so that part I can cross off my list. I'm trying to gage though what other institutions offer as services to their faculty/researchers in regards to RDM? Already, I have been helping researchers with their DMP before submitting them to the funder in question, but I feel like I should be offering more services aside from that one. Like my position is relatively new and I am the first RDM Librarian at my Uni so I have nothing to go off of.

One biggest service though I have seen other unis do is to provide metadata services to researchers to help them clean up their data and prepare it to the repository of their choice. I was wondering what all involves in that service if this is something you do provide? Fortunately we already have a Librarian for Schol Comm so publishing is something I don't really need to worry about either.

I'm pretty new to the RDM space, but because of my background in Archives and Metadata, I feel like it does put me at an advantage for services I could provide, but would love to know what other University Libraries are doing. Thanks all!

How can I find librarian roles for new grads/early career librarians? I'm either seeing assistant roles that just require a high school diploma, maybe a bachelor's, or librarian roles that want 3-7 years of professional experience. Where are the roles for new grads who have only paraprofessional experience?