Librarians: More Than Just Bookworms
By Alex Audia
When doing a project, looking up books or surfing the Internet for resources, the first person to ask for help is the librarian. Ranked among U.S. News and World Report’s best careers in 2008, librarians must be more than a person who organizes books. They know the most current ways to retrieve information and exactly where to find it.
“Librarianship is a good profession for people who want to be in an academic world without being in the classroom,” says Suzanne Rice, assistant dean for public services at Ball State University. Librarians must obtain a degree in order to help the public find what it needs. Most librarians have a Master of Library and Information Science degree, while having a bachelor’s degree in another field.
“People are helped by their degree,” says Arthur Häfner, dean of University Libraries at Ball State. “For example, a literary background will help in a library in that area," he says.
Obtaining a MLIS will allow for work at a public, academic or special library. The American Library Association offers a list of its 65 accredited universities that offer MLIS degrees. Those who have a doctorate in library and information science will be able to acquire positions as a professor, or an administrative job at a college or university. Just like many other careers, internships are a good way to gain experience as a librarian. For students of library science, internships can help them decide in what type of library they want to work.
“It’s a nice thing to take the theoretical things learned and see them in a practical application,” Rice says.
An article in the Library Journal said, “It can be especially beneficial to choose an internship in a library where you can see yourself actually working as a librarian after receiving your degree.” This helps interns get a better idea of what it would be like to work in that type of library, whom they would work with and what they would be expected to do on a daily basis as a full-time employee. It is recommended that students start internships around the same time that they begin library school.
In addition to a MLIS, some states require that librarians obtain certain certifications. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “About half of all States require that school librarians hold teacher certifications, although not all require teaching experience.” Some states have comprehensive assessments, or have certification requirements for local public libraries. Librarians must also practice continuing education and training to stay current on information systems and technology. The American Library Association offers a number of resources for continuing education. The American Association of School Librarians provides online continuing education classes, as well as other workshops to keep librarians up-to-date.
Because of the Internet, the way librarians do their job has changed. Paul Jones is an associate professor in the schools of journalism and mass communication and information and library science at The University of North Carolina, and director of ibiblio.org. Ibiblio.org is a contributor-run online library and digital archive, which receives 12 million information requests per day.
“One of the core practices of how we function in the world of information is to make sure people get accurate information,” Jones says. “This is one of the grand challenges.”
"With the advent of technology, things are less fixed," Jones says. "The authority, authenticity, how to get things that are relevant and the filtering and ranking of the information that you get.”
However, libraries haven’t necessarily suffered because of technology. “Libraries with an Internet connection have more visits,” Jones says.
Aside from the traditional public and academic libraries, there are special libraries. Special librarians can work in libraries kept by law firms, religious organizations, hospitals, museums or corporations. Jill Hurst-Wahl, a digital consultant and special librarian, owns her own business that offers services in digitization and competitive intelligence.
“I kind of fell into special librarianship,” Hurst-Wahl says. Her first job after graduate school was at a corporation doing information technology, and she was eventually recruited to supervise the business library within the corporation.
“I don’t actually describe myself as a librarian,” Hurst-Wahl says. “Being a librarian isn’t just being in the library. There’s this larger title called ‘information professional,’ and librarians are part of this larger group of information professionals that do so much more with their knowledge and skills than work in libraries.”
As of May 2007, children’s librarians accounted for 63,000 jobs in elementary and secondary schools nationwide. Brian Sturm, associate professor of library and information science at The University of North Carolina, says “They are the ‘information guides’ for kids in a way that teachers can do, but teachers don’t really have the time.”
Librarianship is not for everyone. Those who want to be librarians must yearn to obtain information, and to help others find the information that they need. “Every organization, every person, is always looking for information…always,” Hurst-Wahl says, “they will always need something that will connect them to the right piece of information for what they are doing, and a person with a library science background can make that connection.”
She said that librarians become the “go-to” person, whether it is formally or informally. Overall, librarians must be passionate about what they do. “It’s not a get rich profession,” said Sturm. “There is a huge service component and a service mentality, which is immensely humanistic. And I love that. That’s rare in a capitalistic society, where people will say ‘I will take less because I want to help people.'” Librarians are no longer just the people who put books on shelves. They are the people who help everyone find what he needs, whether it is in print, on the Internet or in a database. They are the professional information seekers who strive to help others.
