By: Laura Birkenhauer
What I Didn’t Learn in Library School
ALA-accredited master’s programs preparing students for employment in the field of library and information science (LIS) offer degrees with a variety of names: Master of Library Science (MLS), Master of Librarianship and Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS), to name a few. Sometimes these programs are informally referred to as “library school.”
Beyond required foundation courses, these programs may allow students to choose from electives of interest or enroll in select courses based on a preferred career or type of library. But, what happens when a student, say, can’t fit a course into their already packed schedule or doesn’t realize they need knowledge in an area until they’ve graduated, are job searching or have already been hired? I asked NMRT what members wish they’d learned in library school (and what they did about it). Here’s how discussion participants responded:
Cataloging
“I wish I’d taken more in depth cataloging classes. I just took the intro course.” (Boniface, 2021)
“I did take cataloging in school and struggled so much in the class. I learned to catalog on the job and it was so much easier than class for some reason […]” (Puzier, 2021)
Collection Development
“[…] I acquired this knowledge [collection development] while working at my first librarian job.” (Blakowski, 2021)
“I took a collection development course in my program, but I wish it focused more on how to build a collection with limited funds instead of approval programs and no real budget. My first job outside of grad school, I was a collection development librarian with a very tiny budget and had to somehow balance multiple subject areas and competing voices.” (Cull, 2021)
Customer Service
“[…] I wish I learned more about hands-on customer service. How to deal with difficult patrons, different familial issues, ways to best approach situations etc. […]” (Mroczek, 2021)
“[Customer service] would have been a great class to take. I learned the hard way when working in a pharmacy. There were always difficult people to work with […]” (Bowman, 2021)
Instruction
“I never took a course on library instruction in school, and I very much learned to teach on the job, by reading up on the topic, observing coworkers teaching, and by taking webinars/continuing education on the topic! If I could go back in time, that would be the course I’d take if I could do it all over again.” (Birkenhauer, 2021)
Printing and Technology
“[…] a practical, “How to fix printing issues, etc.” because when you are working in a small library, you are the IT person responsible for helping students figure out how to make technology work and function properly.”
Research and Publication
“I wish I had learned more about research methods! I’m in a tenure track position, and I felt very overwhelmed the first couple of years when I went to write articles. I luckily have several colleagues who walked me through how to get IRB approval, craft a survey, etc., but I would have loved to take a class where all of this was explained to me ahead of time.” (Wilhelm, 2021)
“[…] I would have liked to learn more about the publication process and scholarly communication in general.” (Puzier, 2021)
Learning After Library School
Whether you advocate for library school curriculum reform or just wish you’d made the time to take a key course during your schooling, it can be helpful to go beyond venting and also share what you did about your post-library school knowledge gaps. I asked NMRT: how did members approach learning what they feel they missed out on in library school?
Experience
Whether through internships, contract work, volunteering, or on the job, many discussion participants shared about learning through work experience. Skills may come from previous, non-library work or in many cases are acquired after being hired into a professional position in the field.
Continuing Education
Webinars and conferences were named as excellent options for continuing education after library school. Another great (and free) option: take advantage of the library where you are employed or libraries near you and keep up to date with the current literature! Checkout books and access journal articles on topics you’d like to learn more about.
Connections
Participate in mentorship programs like those offered through ALA or local associations. Stay engaged with professional communities, like NMRT, and cultivate professional relationships. If you can’t attend a conference in person to connect, take the initiative to reach out online (by email, on Twitter, etc.) to those who presented on topics of interest to you.
References
Birkenhauer, L. (2021, May 15). RE: Online Discussion Forum May 2021 Topic: What I Didn’t Learn In Library School. Message posted to https://connect.ala.org/nmrt/communities/community-home/digestviewer
Blakowski, E. (2021, May 5). RE: Online Discussion Forum May 2021 Topic: What I Didn’t Learn In Library School. Message posted to https://connect.ala.org/nmrt/communities/community-home/digestviewer
Boniface, E. (2021, May 6). RE: Online Discussion Forum May 2021 Topic: What I Didn’t Learn In Library School. Message posted to https://connect.ala.org/nmrt/communities/community-home/digestviewer
Bowman, S. (2021, May 12). RE: Online Discussion Forum May 2021 Topic: What I Didn’t Learn In Library School. Message posted to https://connect.ala.org/nmrt/communities/community-home/digestviewer
Cull, K. (2021, May 6). RE: Online Discussion Forum May 2021 Topic: What I Didn’t Learn In Library School. Message posted to https://connect.ala.org/nmrt/communities/community-home/digestviewer
Mroczek, E. (2021, May 3). RE: Online Discussion Forum May 2021 Topic: What I Didn’t Learn In Library School. Message posted to https://connect.ala.org/nmrt/communities/community-home/digestviewer
Puzier, L. (2021, May 13). RE: Online Discussion Forum May 2021 Topic: What I Didn’t Learn In Library School. Message posted to https://connect.ala.org/nmrt/communities/community-home/digestviewer
Wilhelm, J. (2021, May 6). RE: Online Discussion Forum May 2021 Topic: What I Didn’t Learn In Library School. Message posted to https://connect.ala.org/nmrt/communities/community-home/digestviewer