Master of Library Science

I'm looking for the most affordable, ALA approved, Master of Library Science degree I can find. Must be a DL offering, any hints?

Thanks, in advance , for your help.

J

 

Good evening!

The ALA distance learning list at http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=lisdir&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=24819 on the web shows quite a few programs with DL options. Unfortunately, many of these options are away from campus but limited to classrooms in other state locations. Finding a fully online program may be a bit of a challenge. You may take a look at programs such as Arizona's offering at http://www.sir.arizona.edu/distance/intro.html or Florida State's program at http://www.lis.fsu.edu/Prospects/Grads/ssd38_online_degrees_grad.cfm on the web. I had heard that Southern Connecticut offered a reasonably affordable MLS, but the information at http://www.southernct.edu/departments/ils/ was a bit sketchy. The program at Southern Mississippi (see http://www.usm.edu/~slis/SLISonline.htm online) can be completed at a distance, and the tuition is very affordable since they don't currently make a distinction between in-state versus out-of-state residency (only a $50/course fee applies). There are a number of interesting programs in the list at the ALA site, so enjoy the search!

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the information.

According to this article,

http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/jul02/tenopir.htm


by 2017 68% of current librarians will be retiring. Maybe this is an area more DL schools should exploit.

 

Syracuse University offers an ALA-accredited Master's in Library & Information Science.

There is some residency involved, but you'd be hard pressed to beat the reputation & name recognition.

 

Just curious, do librarians make much money?

 

You could go to a salary.com type of website to find out but a short answer is - yes. I don't remember what the exact number was, but I saw a job opening for a Librarian in my area and was shocked - I think it was around $80,000. I realize that is not a lot of money by some standards, but it sure beat the image of an old woman with bi-focals and a hair bun out of my mind!

 

That kind of money, and peace and quiet too.

 

$80,000 in Southern California? Isn't that eligible for welfare? JK.

 

Yep, that's why our state is broke!

 

salary.com indicates that a librarian in California averages about $45,000. (A "chief medical librarian" averages about $50,000). The $80,000 figure does not seem believable.

 

Trust me (MALS from the dark ages), Mark's figures are more accurate. Except in the case of corporate librarians, there are few who make $80,000. (that would be for administrators). The American Library Association does annual salary surveys. Go to their website (www.ala.org) and search for salaries. They have a number of PDF's of their past surveys.

Judy

 

I have no idea what the official title was, but it was not for an entry level librarian.

snip from:

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm

"...the highest 10 percent earned more than $62,990."

"The average annual salary for all librarians in the Federal Government in nonsupervisory, supervisory, and managerial positions was $63,651 in 2001."

Then add OC SoCal into the equation and I don't think it is all that unbelievable. I did say "around $80,000."

 

My Mother-Inlaw is a Librarian employed by the county in CA. She's not even in the 40's, I think she's around $33k.

 

I live in the 2nd most expensive area of the US, if that helps add context to this discussion.

 

Indiana State University offers a 100 percent online certificate program, either graduate or undergraduate. They have a MLS, but not via distance learning. I've already got a M Ed coming, so I've thought about going the certificate route instead of another Masters to get K-12 library certified.

Perhaps the additional grad credit might help if I decide to go with the Union Institute later for a doctorate - they seem to be the only school that would recognize credit past the M Ed towards a PhD.

The University of Montana advertises a similar certificate program but have not replied to my e-mails.

 

I believe the University of Illinois has a 100% DL MLS.

 

Cheap

That University of Southern Mississippi MLS program is only $216 per unit for online courses and is a 39 unit Master's program. At $8500 with Professional (ALA) accreditation it has to be one of the cheapest RA + professionally accredited Master's programs out there.

 

East Carolina University also offers a 100% DL MLS program. However, out of state tuition may kill you.

http://ltdi.soe.ecu.edu/mlsmenu.htm

Duff

 

I think it's useful to distinguish between ALA-accredited Master's degrees in Library Science, which open the door to opportunities in many different kinds of libraries; and NCATE-accredited Master's degrees in Library Media Technology or some variation on that theme, which enable one _only_ to work in the k-12 setting. I'd be absolutely sure, before opting for one of the latter degrees, that I wanted to be a school librarian for the rest of my life. With an ALA degree and appropriate licensure, it's quite possible to get a job in k-12 librarianship, if that's your thing, then change your mind later. For a list of both ALA and NCATE-accredited degrees, see http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Education_and_Careers/Accredited_Programs/Accredited_Programs.htm.

Incidentally, the quiet that we librarians supposedly enjoy is an urban legend. I'm responsible for three campus libraries. Just today, I've answered reference questions on every conceivable topic, helped students with papers, projects, and PowerPoint presentations, taught people how to cite, updated instruction sheets, and more, all while purging this *&%#@ worm from every computer I'm responsible for. It's sounded like the trading floor at the NYSE in here. And this is only my first campus visit--I've got two more to go before the day is done!

Do I regret getting my MLS? For all the hubbub, perennial lack of a decent budget, and (for the amount of education we have to get) relatively low pay, I must say I don't regret it for a minute. It's really a great profession, and I'd be glad to discuss it with anyone off-list if desired.

 

This is a great field

My mother is a librarian. Most people do not know that librarians must have a Masters degree. Make sure your degree is ALA approved but there are more than a few online programs now. I have looked into it myself and I would say there are at least 4 or 5. FSU has a good one. My cousin went through them. If you do a simple web search you should have no problem locating them. A few years ago they were few and far between but now they are cropping up all over. Again, just make sure it is ALA approved and you are all set.

My mother works as a librarian in the DC area and makes over 50,000. You must remember that what you make depends on where you live. It is like that with any job. You can compare librarians salaries to that of teachers but they make a tad more than teachers generally.

There are many different fields for librarians to go into. They don't just sit behind a desk at the local public library. You can work at a public library or you can work at a college library. For this you will need a subject masters as well (history, english, sciences etc.) Law librarianship pays very well from what I udnerstand and many get a dual JD along with a librarian degree. You can be a children's librarian. This is something I'd probably consider for myself in the future. You can work as a business librarian working for a corporation or some other business. Libraries are everywhere. Good luck!