If you or anyone you know is thinking about becoming a librarian (getting an MLS, MSIS, or any other incarnation of that degree), do some research first, especially if you've never worked in a library before. The whole thing about a librarian shortage is kind of sham, and there are other downsides. Some upsides, but I don't think people know enough about the downsides--so here's a crappy public service announcement.
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No thanks!
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12 commentsReplies
JasAsian v2.0 said, (248 days ago)
You should make one of those "This is your brain on drugs" public announcement commercials.
CocktailsMalIntent said, (248 days ago)
@Jas: I would like to see an ad about my librarian on drugs. that would be pretty awesome.
Quential said, (248 days ago)
If you're thinking about becoming a librarian and don't do research, hello?! Why would you want to be a librarian if you don't like doing research? :P
flyingfishstick said, (248 days ago)
I was considering drinking the kool-aid for a while, but everyone I know who already has is pretty down on it. I'd like to be a personal research assistant - any market for that? I want to answer your questions.
Machined said, (248 days ago)
I'll take some better-than-google porn. librarian porn would work too :-)
ilikedginger said, (248 days ago)
I have a fetish for amputees with dildos for prosthetics. Find it. Also, what kind of money do you make anyway?
Mike G ("GeekyTech") said, (248 days ago)
@flyingfishstick Some companies actually do have dedicated research groups (not the corporate library but in a business unit) where people spend most of their time tracking, searching, analyzing and packaging information that they provide to other internal departments. A friend of mine does that at a financial services firm. She does actually have an undergrad librarian background. These groups might be focused on market, product or competitive research.
Zab said, (248 days ago)
@Quential: You'd be surprised. A lot of it's not so much about research though. I got into the field mainly cause I didn't want to teach, but my best bets at decent jobs involve teaching all day long--teaching about databases no less.
@flyingfishstick: Some MLS programs let you specialize in business research, and you can work for a venuture capital company or some other type of business--sometimes these fall under a big category called "special librarianship." That might be a better bet because it's not non-profit stuff you're dealing with. The business people want to make $$$$.
@ilikedginger: I've made between about 42-44K in my first year or so. That's really good for an entry level librarian in Texas--a lot of us pull more like 30K. I have to live in an area that's 100 miles away from any kind of urban center though. It's easier to get a job in a not-so-cool area. The money varies somewhat from state to state/region to region. I will get on the amputees.
Zab said, (248 days ago)
This chick's blog should be required reading for anyone who's thinking about the field--funny look at all the crap aspects of the profession: http://annoyedlibrarian.blogspot.com/
Mike G ("GeekyTech") said, (247 days ago)
I track about a dozen or so blogs related to libraries, let me know if interested.
If you have any questions please ask before you drink the librarian kool-aid. As a librarian, I like to answer stuff. But people do not ask me. They ask Google. I could also probably find you better porn than Google can, if you only you would ask. ;)