#library school

[okayto]

I'm in a reference class right now and I just get so irrationally angry about the requirements.

Like, obviously, the purpose of the class is to make sure all the theoretically-future (or sometimes current) librarians know how to actually look things up AND verify sources AND in a wide variety of subjects and topics. Yes, good, valuable, important.

BUT I hate it so much. I hate questions that sound like they came from an alien whose best human impression comes from old chatbots: "Who is Zora Neale Hurston? What is she known for? Does Sparkle Library have any of her books?" why are you asking the first two questions if you clearly know them enough to ask the third "What's this geologic feature I saw in town? What's its history? Where is it?" can I point you to Google Maps please "What is the meaning of the word fandom?" why am I required to find you four verified resources on a dictionary definition "Can you help me find articles about this topic" yes but our professor hasn't actually given us examples of how they'd 'verify' articles so IDK if this will work even though it's literally exactly how I'd do this in my actual library job where I provide reference services to college students.

[pumpkinpaix]

I have my graduation meeting in 15 min and I feel sick lol. I’m going to cry I can feel it and it’s going to be so fucking embarrassing I hate this program I hate this field for what it purports to sell!!!!

[refulgently-transcendental]

700-1000 word papers my beloathed

[ao3cassandraic]

Hi! I'm about to apply to get into graduate school and start working to get my MLIS. Do you have any advice?

Hi! Welcome to the information professions.

Until my shop changed processes a couple of years ago, I read applications for admission. Lots of them. I was the department app-numbers champion three years running.

Here's what I typically looked for:

Can you write? Like it or not -- and I don't, always -- these professions are hyperverbal and so is our program. If writing isn't your strong suit, that's not a dealbreaker; it just means "find reliable beta readers for your essay." And when you hit campus, locate the campus writing-help unit and make friends with them.

Do you have some idea what you're getting into? For some applicants this is direct work or volunteer experience; for others, a mentor; for others, a grounded sense of career direction; for still others, a statement of their abilities and aspirations that they think fits the profile. That last one can be tricky, though -- if it's nothing but rose-colored glasses or bogus stereotypes, it won't count in your favor. I suggest talking to some info pros about their jobs, if you need to. We're a pretty forthcoming bunch. All this said, you DO NOT need to know to the ninth (or even first) decimal place what you want to do. These professions contain multitudes, and it's exceptionally common for people to discover their career direction while in the program, or (like me, actually) wind up doing something they never could have envisioned beforehand.

Do you know anything about our program specifically? Someone may have told you "the MLS is a union card; all library schools are the same." Don't you believe it! We all have specialties. We all have niches we don't touch with a ten-foot pole -- and yes, I have absolutely disrecommended admission for an otherwise-excellent applicant whose desired niche my shop just plain doesn't serve. If you have a niche in mind already, it won't hurt you one bit to spend five or ten minutes on the school's faculty-staff page to figure out who teaches in that niche so you can mention them in your essay. Or check out the program outline and explain why you think the requirements will help you be good at info-pro-ing. If one of our alumni recommended our program to you, let us know.

Will you make it through the program? For this I glance over undergraduate transcripts and read recommendations, unless the applicant has been out of college so long it makes more sense to check their résumé. A rough time in undergrad is not a dealbreaker unless I don't understand why it happened and (crucially) why it won't happen again -- address these briefly in your essay if you need to. (We do totally get that there's been a pandemic -- we were there too! If it's that, say so and move on.) What I don't want to do is admit someone I don't think can graduate -- that'd be a cynical, unethical waste of their time, money, and energy.

Do you differ from the typical applicant in cool and/or useful ways? Like most professions, there are coveted/oversubscribed info-pro niches and niches that are... less so. The typical applicant profile for library school is an English or history major just out of undergrad. It won't count against you if that's you... but a STEM major or minor, tech savvy, cultural competencies, teaching experience, research or publishing experience, and/or leadership/management experience will count FOR you, because those niches need people real bad. Similarly, the information professions are hella cishet white neurotypical. If you're not and (under current US law, damn it) can explain how that's going to make you a better info pro, let us know.

Any red flags? Usually these are in rec letters, so choose your recommenders wisely. I've also had to disrecommend people whose recommenders or essay... how shall I put this... put their commitment to inclusive professionalism in doubt. But there's also a cultural thing in librarianship where librarians despise library schools. Many think them unnecessary, or would prefer an undergrad major rather than a master's-level program. Many judge their entire library-school experience by their worst instructor (and ngl, we have some lulus -- even I haven't always covered myself with glory, and I try real hard to be good at what I do). Point being, the commonest red flag I saw was an app essay that oozed contempt for the pointless hoops the applicant was already jumping through, and the hoops they'd have to jump through if admitted. And I'm just like, why? Why would I admit an applicant who hates us, thinks they know it all already and we have nothing to teach them, and is clearly unwilling to meet us halfway? Go poison some other school's culture, applicant; I don't want you in my shop. Now, you don't have to flatter us! Unnecessary and can be a bit creepy! But don't hate on us, please.

Hope this helps, and feel free to ask more questions in the comments. That goes for everybody, not just OP!

[archivespace]

Submitted my last every grad school assignment last night. Got a confirmation email from my prof/advisor that made me cry. All that’s left now is to graduate and I’ll have two master’s degrees. Holy fuck.

[eleftherian]

so I’m in like one of the most highly ranked LIS programs in my country and the majority of my classmates so far have been queer & like… this gives me hope for the future of libraries tbh

[artificial-condition]

Me, an information professional, when a can of baked beans transmits information over a network: finally……. library school prepared me well for this…..

[tumbler-dot-tumbler]

Life update that I forgot to mention, I'm in grad school now for library and information science! Who would have thought? After working in libraries for the entire length of time that this blog has existed.

Anyways, I'm trying to figure out if anyone on here wants to commiserate. If you're an MLIS student or dealing with grad school I would love to post out in the void with you and procrastinate on assignments by shitposting

[thewomanwhoreads]

Nella Larsen’s application to library school

[thespookylibrarian]

I got the position! So excited to be able to say I’m the Digital Research & Scholarship Graduate Assistant at my university’s main library. I’ll be working on projects related to open access initiatives/advocacy, academic publishing, and digital literacy--all areas that I’ve been interested in exploring for a future career.

Still not exactly sure when it starts, but I’ll have to start thinking about what classes I want to take this summer in the meantime...the position requires me to be a full time student, so I’ll go from one to two or three classes per semester. This means I’ll be cutting my hours and/or quitting my job at the coffee shop which has honestly been starting to wear on me anyway.

Even though it’s a remote position and a virtual degree program, this also means I’ll probably be prepping for a move back to the university when my lease is up. 

As exciting as all of this is (you know, all of my plans finally falling into place), it seems like good news hardly ever comes without bad news. I’m waiting on a call from the vet that will more than likely change my cat’s life forever, so I can’t really celebrate how I’d planned. Just hoping we can handle it quickly and everything will be okay in the end. If you’re reading this, I hope you’re hanging in there.

[okayto]

I need a sanity check because I'm overthinking this.

I've gotta do a virtual (chat) library reference interaction as the user for class. Using an actual library chat service. I need a question that is "substantive" and meaningful so the chat doesn't end immediately, but needs to be asked somewhere that isn't my own school/institution.

I am, unfortunately, blanking on ideas because I'm one of those people who IRL refuses to ask for help until I've exhausted everything I can think of, so I've got no sense of "this is good enough to fit" here. Plus, I'm afraid of asking a question that would have the librarian directing me into their own institutional databases, which I wouldn't be able to access.

The only thing I can think of is asking for help finding open-access stuff on a topic. (Topic I've thought of is anime, open to suggestions that are less potentially restrictive.)

Does this sound reasonable? Or

Does anyone have a better idea of something I could fire off at a random reference librarian in another state without embarrassing myself?

[goodolreliablejake]

Hey there,

So I'm a newbie interested in pursuing Library Science. I have a Bachelor's Degree in English and have been out of school for several years. The idea of working with the community and helping people access information and resources in a one on one setting really appeals to me; the happiest I ever felt at a job was when I was a tutor in college.

Would anyone in the field be willing to direct me to some resources? Or just offer some advice to someone with 0 experience considering the long path to becoming a librarian?

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, Tumblr.

[refulgently-transcendental]

hello everyone i’m back ✨

[ao3cassandraic]

Hi! I've gotten into my top two pick graduate schools for MLIS! I'm going to visit both of them in the next couple months - what do you suggest I ask people/do while I'm there? For the one I have a definite date for visiting, I'm already scheduled to sit in on a class (there were only two options on a Friday, but one was the rare books seminar and while that isn't the ideal option, it's fine), and I plan to spend an hour or two poking around the graduate library.

Congratulations, that's fantastic! I'm so pleased for you!

Ask whoever you've been talking to in the department to arrange for you to hang out with some current students. This shouldn't be a huge ask for them and they really oughta pay for coffee or lunch or something too! (Budgets being what they are, you can't count on this, but it could happen.)

Also ask if you can meet an advisor. For this it'll help if they know your interest area(s) -- they may have this in their records already, but reminding them is kind. Advisor can walk you through how the academics work and what your options are, and of course answer questions.

The rare books class could be a lot of fun. I've always kinda wanted to go to Rare Book School -- I never have because it'd be wasted on me, I'm one of those weirdo librarians who gets sneezy around old books en masse. (IT'S NOT ABOUT DUST, okay, y'all? Happens to me even in squeaky-clean conservation labs.)

[archivespace]

Some things from work today. The room with floor to ceiling shelves is the vault that connects one building to the other and houses most of the library collections. The title page with the drawing is of a book from 1599! The oldest one I’ve worked with so far.

[eleftherian]

my thesis is due tomorrow ahhhh