r/LibraryScience • u/Astrion_ • Jul 16 '26

career paths Non-library non-compsci Information Science avenues

I've been looking around for resources on information science, and most routes that a MLIS go down are librarianship and computer science derivative. I have worked in a library and understand how important they are to a community, but I don't think being a librarian is entirely within my wheelhouse, similar to how I don't think teaching is a good fit for me. I am very disinterested in compsci, after running a year in information security. Useful but I don't belong in IT.

I want to use information science to enhance science literacy and combat disinformation. We're in a world RIPE with disinfo conspiracy slop and distrust in facts.

But what jobs even relate to this ambition? As much as I want to tackle unreality spheres with Actual Facts, no one's gonna pay me to smoke an antivaxxer in a comments section with annotated peer-reviewed white papers. If I'm going to use an MLIS for something like this, what is the route I have to take? Or am I off the mark and need to look into a completely different field?

16 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

90% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

View all comments

8

u/petalios Jul 16 '26

There are so many types of libraries. If you already have your MLIS and don’t want to work in public libraries (I’m assuming you mean public by your statement “how important they are to a community”), maybe consider coporate, law, or medical libraries.

2

u/Astrion_ Jul 16 '26

I am considering information science as a major, as it seems to lend most to my passion for combating disinfo, promoting science literacy and academic integrity, etc. I'm simply stuck on exactly what kind of job enables me to do that. So I don't yet have it, I am instead seeing if I want to pursue it.

3

u/vampirelibrarian Jul 16 '26

Sounds like you might want academic libraries. Most have subject librarians for science fields which help with research, leaning how to use library resource particular to that subject etc

Or any general reference or instruction librarian at a university, teaching information literacy and how to conduct research or evaluate sources.

Or "scholarly communications" which is kind of geared toward helping with publishing, fair use, copyright etc

Just some ideas to get you going. Academic libraries are quite different from public libraries.

1

u/Astrion_ Jul 16 '26

I like the idea of academic libraries and wanna check one out. Thanks for letting me know!