Librarians...

[Andy]

who here is a librarian or a future librarian?  my sister just moved to Austin to go to UT's library science masters program.

[Laurie]

Emily is a librarian in training, and I aspire to be one.

Does UT Austin really have a library science program? I thought they only had an information science program, which may or may not be different. Or something. I'm in the stage where I'm looking at different programs and trying to figure out which one suits me best.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is ranked number one. Should I get into that school, it will give me ample opportunity to see Portastatic live, I'm sure. Mac McCaughan is my current musical obsession.

[Sarah]

I'm the checkout gal at the local library once a month--indeed, I just learned I am the longest-serving volunteer there, a fact that was revealed during a long and tedious award ceremony that I was roped in to attending last Saturday, much to my dismay (photographs were taken--I anchored a napkin to my face for that--and certificates distributed; it was painful)--and do data entry for it from time to time, helping with the slow move toward an electronic card catalog (something of which I don't entirely approve--I will mourn the physical catalog if it ever disappears entirely).  I've often thought that being a reference librarian would be a fine job.  Except for the people.  And having to get dressed to go to work.

One thing you learn working at a small library is that men don't read as much as women.  Or are embarrassed to admit that they do and so acquire their books surreptitiously online, reading them on the sly at night in heavily curtained locked rooms.

[Emerson]

I co-founded this thing:

http://underground-library.org/

~EmD

[A.M. Thomas]

I was thinking of going to school for this, this "library science" in a few years.  Seems like one of the best jobs.

[Sploops]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two of my cousins are librarians and each's husband/boyfriend also works at the library but not as full-on trained librarians.  All 4 are also vegans coincidentally.  That makes 5 of us out of 12 at holiday dinners.  Which is cool.  Way above the national average which is below 0.2% I think.  We hope to someday outnumber the meat-eaters at dinner and eliminate the turkey/ham course altogether.  First thanksgiving dinner then the world.

don't mean to hijack the thread but I'm kurious ---

who here is a vegan or future vegan?

[Emily]

It's a cool profession.

Once I went to a convention for librarians (before starting school) and there was a professional searcher who spoke about her job & she actually worked from home, so it is possible.

Also, many places have libraries: law firms, museums, universities, hospitals, corporations. And there are many specialty areas that you can find work in: music, art, news, business, health, science, archives - especially in larger universities, where there are more subject-specific libraries. And of course, there is the traditional public library.

And then within the libraries there are different jobs, like cataloging (describing books, etc.), reference (finding books), acquisitions (ordering books), and administration, among others.

And then there are more tech-based areas of the library field that involve content/systems management, data analysis, workflow and asset management, digital libraries and metadata. Some of these areas are pretty cool because you can be in the position of deciding what works best for your library/collections. And, it's somewhat 'cutting edge', at least in terms of knowing about new technologies & possibly setting standards for libraries, in terms of what methods they use to manage and provide access to information.

Or you could always go all the way and pursue a Ph.D. in Library Science ! which can involve using social science research methods to prove or publish on topics like user trends (how people search for information online etc.), interface designs, human-computer interaction and information systems. Though this route usually requires teaching library science courses, which I can't imagine being too much fun, but whatever.

Oh yeah, there are also jobs for librarians with web design & programming skills, because libraries are moving towards all things digital, or at least most things digital.

Anyway some of the classes in library school can be a bit dry, and the pay isn't always the absolute greatest, but there are plenty of jobs out there & I think there are interesting areas of the field.

So, have I sold you on it? I hope I haven't bored you all to death.

Hey, is anyone here a personal trainer who lives in Northern NJ/NYC? I am so lazy I really need help.

ps: Laurie - since this is already offensively long, check out the American Library Association site for info on MLS vs. MIS:  http://www.ala.org/ala/accreditation/accredfaq/faq.htm
In the FAQ's it's the 5th bullet point.

I'm not a vegan.

[Laurie]

Thanks, Emily. I had already intended to further explore the ALA website later tonight. And by "later tonight," I mean after I thoroughly squash the competition in a game of ACROWARRIORS. EAT IT!

Thanks, Emily!

[Emily]

I co-founded this thing:

http://underground-library.org/

~EmD

Hey Emerson - That is very cool. Will this eventually be a digital library, or is it an online catalog for your physical archive/collection? Either way it's very proactive. Congrats!

[Emerson]

Hey Emerson - That is very cool. Will this eventually be a digital library, or is it an online catalog for your physical archive/collection? Either way it's very proactive. Congrats!

Thanks for the kind words. Right now, the emphasis is on the physical archive - the digital side is mostly a high-tech card catalog. We're willing to PDF things for any donors who want it, but a lot of publishers are still wary of digitization. We think that's going to change. Slowly.

Co-founder Nell still wants to get her certification, but we thought, in the meantime, why not just start a library? It's been a lot of fun.

~EmD

[demartino]

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is ranked number one. Should I get into that school, it will give me ample opportunity to see Portastatic live, I'm sure. Mac McCaughan is my current musical obsession.

Laurie: You will no doubt have an embarassment of Portastatic riches after a few months in Chapel Hill -- Mac's the ubiquitous opening act around these parts it seems, especially if a Merge or Merge-friendly band's coming through town. I've run out of digits to count the number of times I've seen Portastatic.

I <3 Durham. -john

[Laurie]

Emily, did you get my private message? Or did ye olde messaging board eat it?

[buffcoat]

Durham rules.  What other midsize Southern city has TWO FOT board members living there?  And a guy who sounds a lot like many of the callers on the Best Show lives somewhere nearby, I hear tell.

Does the Master's Program in Library Sciences have a lecture in "whipping off your glasses?"  Because many, many movies and TV shows have led me to believe that it does.





I apologize in advance if that remark is an extremely old chestnut to librarians and potential librarians.

[Emily]

buffcoat - no, but demonstrating your ability is standard on applications - either during the admissions interview or by video demo (for out of state applicants).

laurie - yes, i got yr message. i'll will get back to you soon.

also, i think Chapel Hill is technically rated #2 by US News & World Report (2006), it seems as if they haven't updated their library school website.

not that i think ratings are all that important, i'm just saying i think it's misleading (not unlike "acrowars")

[Laurie]

Does the Master's Program in Library Sciences have a lecture in "whipping off your glasses?"  Because many, many movies and TV shows have led me to believe that it does.

I understand that "yanking out the pencil holding your luxurious locks in an effortless chignon and letting your hair down in an insouciant manner" is a prerequisite for that one, but only if you're a sexy, sexy lady. If you're British and have some knowledge of the occult, you must take a class in "absently chewing on the arm of your glasses whilst consumed with your own thoughts."

University of Chapel Hill is tied for first place, I believe.