Some things I have discovered:
1. Most people don't realize you need a master's degree to be a librarian.
2. Most people don't have any idea what you'd learn in library school.
3. Being a librarian is way more complicated than it might seem.
4. Library school is a lot of work. At least my program is.
But I'm really loving it so far. I decided to do my MLS at UNC's School of Information and Library Science. It's a 2-year program, so I'm taking 4 classes each semester and working 20 hours a week. It doesn't leave a lot of time for fun reading. I'm not giving up on the blog, though. I am determined to limp along here - but I doubt I'll get posts up all that frequently.This semester I'm taking Information Tools, which is basically technology for librarians. We're doing UNIX, XHTML & CSS, Java, and databases. It's actually my easiest class because I know a lot of it already. Though now I can say HELLO in ASCII (01001000 01000101 01001100 01001100 01001111). I'm such a dork. It's awesome.
I'm also taking Reference (helping people find the information they need), Collection Development (deciding what should go into a library collection), and Preservation (keeping a library's materials in usable shape for as long as possible). Collection Development might kill me, because the professor seems determined to fill my every waking hour with reading, writing papers, and doing group projects.I haven't made the rounds through my blogroll in a while. Anything interesting happening in blogland? Any new books that everyone's talking about?
I did manage to read Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief and loved it. Will hopefully blog about it sometime soon. :)
16 comments:
Um yeah, sorry about that. I probably should have given you that list ;-)
Good stuff Jennie!! Although we miss you. :P
Hey, welcome back! That actually sounds like an interesting set of classes - bet you're learning loads!
Wendy--I did have some idea before - from your blog and other places. But I still think it's funny when I tell people I'm doing library science in grad school and they get this blank look and don't know what to say. Though some people think it's really neat. I think it's neat, so that's all that really matters. :)
By the way, does the SuperLibrarian want to help me write a collection development policy? Hee hee.
Hi Ames! I'll try to be around more. I do miss reading all my blogs.
Li--They are actually really interesting classes. And I've met lots of other book lovers in the program. :)
I have to admit I've wondered what goes on in library school. I imagined a whole lot of shushing. ;)
Thanks for visiting! And Mary Stewart is indeed the best!
Good luck! Have fun! Glad to hear that everything's working out for you.
Yay!! It's great to hear how you're doing :)
It's really awesome what you're doing, seriously :) I think I should recycle myself! :)
Good luck with classes--and yay for librarians! I finished my MLIS degree last December. It's amazing how many places you can use the degree--I'm working at a magazine cataloging their archives.
Yay! Glad you're back. Librarian school sounds wonderful. I remember when I learned the Dewey Decimal system in school and immediately decided I wanted to be a librarian because then I could always find my books. The problem came when I realized I had to put them back where they were supposed to go in order to find them later. Uh oh. That was it for me.
Alyssa--Actually very little shushing goes on! I've been amazed by how fun and social all my classmates are. The stereotype of the little grey-haired librarian does not really apply!
And YAY for Mary Stewart! :)
Thanks, Devon!
Nath--I highly recommend library school. Though 2 years of grad school is a lot of work. And you already have one master's! :)
Rachel--It does seem to be a really useful degree--there are lots of different types of jobs for information specialists. I'm definitely still deciding what I'll want to do when I get out.
Stephie--Yeah, librarians have to be very very organized. Luckily, I am. :)
Welcome to the librarian pack! I graduated with my MLIS in 2006 from a 1 year program that just about killed me lol. I hope you have fun with your's!
Hey You!!! So good to hear from you again. And YEA for you for going to Library School. I know you mentioned how much you wanted to and it is SO nice to see you following your dreams
Congrats I feel your pain. I graduated with my MLIS in December of 2006. I was pretty sure I'd NEVER want to go back to school for ANYTHING EVER AGAIN! LOL. But here I am, enrolled in Visual Communications through my work. Go figure. Good luck!
I have a friend going to school to be a librarian, I'm always asking her about her classes. Seems like so much fun to me!
Hi Alie--I love that I find so many librarians through the blog. :) We're getting to crunch time in this semester, so my life isn't the most fun right now, but I am really interested in my classes, so that makes it bearable!
Hi Kristie! Thanks! It's good to hear from you. I miss visiting everyone's blogs. I need to make the rounds soon. :)
Mollie--Yeah, I always thought I'd never want a grad degree. But I finished my BA 8 years ago, so I had a nice long break between.
Alea--It is fun, I think. Not for everyone, but it's definitely a good fit for me. ;)
I'm late!
Congrats to you on going back to school. Librarians are hard workers and the Collection Development class sounds like sanctioned torture by profs.
CindyS
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