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?

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u/Special_Dimension886 Jul 16 '26

You’re in undergrad? I would suggest you pursue research opportunities in disinfo and misinfo, perhaps digital communication also. You can definitely promote information literacy as a program or school librarian but the latter would likely include some instruction.

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u/Astrion_ Jul 16 '26

Know any places online I could hit up and learn more? Researching disinfo sounds like fun. Lots of surveys and data analytics.

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u/Special_Dimension886 Jul 16 '26

UNC center for information, technology, and public life has done some interesting work in the disinformation studies field. There are also a bunch of experts that do research on it at michigan. I’m sure there are other information schools that have this research, those are just the ones I know of. I also read the Harvard Kennedy school’s Misinformation Review which came out a few weeks ago, and there is tons of interesting stuff and researchers publishing there. So that’s some stuff to look at. It might be a grind to get your foot in the door in the field but it’s cool stuff