Librarian

The library sciences are an appealing career field, offering the opportunity to work with people, make use of excellent research skills, and including a broad variety of possible specialties. More and more people are considering work in libraries, and today's librarian may have an entirely new skill set than in the past.

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A Career in Library Science
Librarians work in libraries of all sorts, ranging from those in children's schools, to public libraries, to university libraries. Some librarians also work in law libraries, art libraries, in museums, or in other research facilities. Many people become a librarian because they love books, libraries, or the overall mission of libraries. Careers in library sciences can be a great choice for those with a love of knowledge and desire to help others learn.

Library sciences incorporate humanities, law and applied sciences when training students to be librarians. In some cases, library sciences programs also provide training in the archival sciences. A number of sub-disciplines exist within the library sciences, including automated services librarians, library media specialists, preservationists, as well as several individual branches of study. Librarians do not just work in libraries, but also in archives, museums, as conservators and more.

Some librarians may even put their focus toward new ways of organizing information and making it more accessible to the world as a whole. This can include the possibility of converting information to digital media, or working as an information architect and dealing with data and information in entirely new ways. As you can see a career in library science is as varied as the librarians who choose this field.

Who Should be a Librarian
Librarians are no longer the stereotypical older woman with glasses perched on her nose. Today's librarians are library media specialists, skilled in managing and understanding information from a wide variety of sources. Libraries in the modern world integrate not only books, but also computers, audio and video materials and more. More and more libraries even make use of and offer any number of virtual resources, including downloadable files and more.

If you enjoy information of all sorts and like organizing and sharing information, jobs in library sciences may be right for you. That is functionally the job of all librarians, whether they are library media specialists, automated systems librarians or specialty librarians of one sort or another. Excellent research skills are critical for any librarian, and you may find yourself regularly assisting library patrons with a variety of research projects or needs. While you are not expected to know the answers, you do need to know how to find the answers to a wide range of questions quickly and easily.

Not all library jobs are customer service positions. Some may involve organizing and cataloging materials, ordering, and even book preservation. The key criteria to whether you should consider jobs in a library is simple. Do you love libraries? If you do, perhaps choosing a library career would be right for you.

The Skills a Librarian Needs
Librarians need a wide variety of skills in order to do their jobs well. A career as a librarian of any sort, whether it is as one of several library media specialists or automated systems librarians or working as a reference librarian or children's librarian, requires attention to detail. If you enjoy cataloging and organizing, whether physically or virtually, this is also a helpful skill for careers in library sciences. A keen memory will allow you to do your job efficiently.

One of the most critical skills a good librarian possesses is research. Librarians often find themselves called upon to assist library patrons with finding the information that they need, sorting through available resources, and quickly discerning the potential use of a given research material. If you enjoy doing research, you might be well suited to library careers. In today's libraries, librarians need to be comfortable with both print materials and other media in order to serve the library's patrons.

Depending upon your specialty, you may also need to feel comfortable working with automated computer systems, people, or children. An art librarian may find a good memory for images helpful, while a reference librarian in a public library system may find it beneficial to understand tax forms or other common questions.

Types of Librarians
There are a number of types of librarians, and you may be surprised to know that some librarians work entirely behind the scenes. As a child, you surely remember the children's librarians at your school or public library. Their jobs included not only standard library duties, but also coordinating children's activities and working to inspire a love of books and reading in the youngest patrons. Academic librarians work in schools, ranging from elementary to universities. School librarians may have special concerns with regards to intellectual freedom and coordinating activities and information with regard to curriculum. Public librarians have some of the broadest tasks, and may find themselves working with people of all ages and all sorts of materials. Archivists work with special materials, maintaining historical documents, collections and other materials. Special librarians may work in medical or law libraries, art libraries, or even corporate libraries. Within these libraries, there may be library media specialists, computer specialists, and others.

Some library jobs are much less hands on than these. Some librarians work to preserve and organize information. They may develop new and unusual means of engineering information and linking data from one source with that from another. These librarians are typically classed as information architects, and this is a particularly innovative form of library work in the modern era.

What is a Library Media Specialist?
The library media specialist is a new branch of library science, connected specifically with school libraries; however, you may also find library media specialists in community libraries. Library media specialists work with teachers, students, and administrators to fully integrate the library and all it can provide with an overall teaching experience. Library media specialists do more than just help students check out books. They work actively within the school to allow both teach and provide resources to students and staff. Integrating school curriculum into their work, they may assist teachers in using available library resources. They also strive to increase overall information literacy skills for all students. This incorporates not only traditional library skills, but also many skills relating to computers and technology.

Library media specialists also balance out their duties with the students and teachers of the school with strong administrative skills. A qualified library media specialist will not only meet the needs of the school, but also keep the library itself up to date and running smoothly.

Automated Systems Librarians
Automated systems librarians work not with books, but with computers. The automated systems librarian's job is twofold. Automated systems librarians also maintain library computer systems and software and improve them. While systems librarians are trained in library sciences, they are, first and foremost, computer professionals. When you look up a book in via computer at your library or on your library's website at home, you are making use of the work of the automated systems librarians.

Automated systems librarians also work with virtual and digital information, working to make it both accessible to the public and understandable. If you are using databases to search periodicals and access them on-line, taking advantage of the many resources available on your library's website, or accessing academic databases, you are benefiting from the work of automated systems librarians.

Working as an automated systems librarian may be an excellent choice if you love the library, but are not interested in working with the public and have strong computer and technical skills. Your job can incorporate both of these interests. In order to do your job well, you will also need to be able to communicate effectively about technology, in terms the average person, including both patrons and your colleagues can understand.

Educational Requirements for Librarians
Librarians in most libraries are required to have a Masters in Library Science. This graduate level degree is offered by many universities, and some may have flexible scheduling options for non-traditional students. You may choose to enter a graduate program in library sciences with any sort of Bachelor's degree, whether it is a B.A. or B.S. If you are considering specializing in a particular type of library work, your undergraduate work may be a good basis for this specialty. If you are especially interested in library work with children, you may want to consider undergraduate work in early childhood education, as an example. Those hoping to be library media specialists may wish to consider a background in an appropriate field to ensure their success. As with any graduate level degree program, you will need a good academic background, references and graduate exam scores for admission.

You can work in a library without a Library Science degree, and if you are interested in library work, but unsure, perhaps this is a good option to try out. Many positions, including check out and shelving in local libraries, are available to interested parties. You can also volunteer in some libraries to get a better feel for the overall environment.

Today's Librarian as Information Architect
While librarians once just organized and cataloged books in the library, assisting patrons as needed, today's librarians are each truly an information architect. They manage information, not just in the physical library, but also by assisting patrons with virtual research materials and collections. Information architects develop new ways of linking and managing information to make it both more accessible, but also more multidimensional. While some information architects may work within the library, handling information both on paper and digitally, others work in the corporate world.

While information architecture is a library science, it is used by many fields outside of libraries as well. Information architects may work with web developers, search engines and more. They strive to develop clear means of labeling and designating information, particularly on-line information so that it may be accessed logically and coherently.

While many library science programs teach information architecture, many people in this field enter in entirely different ways, some simply through technology jobs of one sort or another. Journalism, library sciences, technical communication and database design all impact the work of information architects. Good information architects are analytical, but also insightful. Successful information architecture requires an understanding of how people's minds work, what information will answer what questions, and a thorough knowledge of the most modern technology with regards to search engines and Internet developments.

A Librarian's Salary and Job Satisfaction
Library and information sciences have been ranked as one of the best careers in recent years by US News and World Report magazine. The median salary for a librarian is $51,400 in 2007. Growth in this field is a bit slow, especially with changing technology; however, it can be an excellent option for both financial security and overall career happiness. Salaries for librarians depend upon your region, your duties and the type of library in which you work. As with any field, the more specialized your services, the better your salary. In order to succeed in jobs in library science today, you need a wide range of skills, in regard to books, information, and technology. In order to earn the best salary in library science jobs, be certain to keep your skills up to date, take advantage of continuing education options when available and really loe your job.

While the salary of a librarian is quite reasonable, some of the greatest benefits of working as a librarian are not financial. Librarians have a high rate of job satisfaction. It is a field with good, visible rewards as you help patrons find the information they need or succeed in accomplishing their goals. Many librarians grew up loving their childhood libraries and can imagine nothing better than spending their days in the library as an adult, all the while earning a salary for it, and making it a better place for those who visit it.


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