A master of library and information science (MLIS) is essential to a wide array of information-centered careers. Hosting courses on traditional library and information topics, as well as emerging technologies and innovations, a well-rounded MLIS program provides students with the knowledge and tools needed to be successful in their field.
While traditionally centered on library professionals, MLIS curricula have expanded throughout the years to include such wide-ranging topics as archives, data, records, and digital asset management. To help navigate this interesting yet complicated discipline, I’ve written an article that will walk potential students through the ins and outs of an MLIS curriculum from the perspective of a recent graduate.
My experience attending San Jose State University’s (SJSU) Master of Library and Information Science program was both challenging and illuminating, with frustrations, insights, and even some regrets. In the hopes of assisting interested students, my MLIS curriculum article aims to guide you through the good, bad, and ugly of an information science education.
Core Courses
Most MLIS programs will begin with required “core courses” aimed at laying the foundation for a library and information science education. This typically involves two or more introductory courses on basic information topics. At SJSU’s iSchool, my core courses included information literacy (how to locate the appropriate information for a given user), information communities (social settings in which information is sought, located, and exchanged), and research (how professionals in the field advance the way we utilize information).
Initially, the thought of having to successfully pass courses with names like “information communities” and “applied research methods” was daunting. But after diving into the work, I found that none of these courses required any heavy academic rigor but rather introduced us new students to introductory information science thought in a manner that was both straightforward and intriguing.
Further Courses and Elective Courses
After completing required introductory courses, students are allowed to tailor their program according to their interests and goals, often with the aid of a student advisor. Advisors weigh a student’s goals, interests, and background in order to pair them with majors and coursework best suited to their needs.
As a student unsure of which pathway to take, I ended up sampling electives from a variety of pathways, ending up with a hodgepodge of MLIS knowledge. Though I enjoyed learning a bit about each of the discipline’s facets, I regret not choosing a unified pathway because upon graduation, I found myself unsure of my future steps. I recommend reading up on each pathway as much as you can so as to identify which would be a best fit. It can be a tough choice to make but the cohesive skillset and expertise you acquire will be valuable to a successful career plan.
Choosing a Pathway
MLIS curricula often center on an educational pathway or major that more narrowly defines students’ course path. While some programs enable students to take whichever courses they want, many suggest or even require a pathway in order to maintain focus. These pathways help create a more cohesive program for students, allowing for a smoother educational journey and a more stable professional objective. Some MLIS pathways include public librarianship, academic librarianship, archives, digital curation, and more.
I recommend choosing a pathway that parallels your personal interests. If you like children and interacting with the public, public librarianship is a good fit. If you like working with materials more than the public, I’d recommend archives. For students interested in technology, the many data and digital centered pathways are well suited. After graduating without a specified pathway and interning at various institutions, I found that my love of antiques and history led me to follow a more archives and special collections-centered career trajectory. All in all, it is essential to follow a path you’re interested in personally so as not to lose interest in your courses and to better serve your professional needs.
Public Librarianship
As free and open centers of information, public libraries play a vital role in a diverse range of communities. From metropolitan cities to rural towns, public libraries provide essential resources for all walks of life.
Thus, public librarianship education covers many different subjects besides traditional library theory. As stewards of their community, public librarians must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to address patrons’ information needs while maintaining a positive information environment.
Majors in public librarianship center on the organization, management, and running of public libraries. Keep in mind, public libraries no longer house only physical written materials such as books; they also offer key public resources such as computer and internet access, community meeting grounds, instructional workshops, children’s storytime, and digital media. Consequently, public librarianship curricula cover topics including but not limited to information communities, information literacy, digital literacy, children’s programming, and library management.
Review our research team deep-dive into management and leadership within library science.
Academic Librarianship
As the name implies, academic librarianship deals with libraries attached or associated with colleges, junior colleges, and universities. Thus, one of the central roles of an academic librarian is to support the students, faculty, and curriculum of a higher educational institution.
Academic librarianship pathways involve a curriculum of courses such as information literacy, reference, and courses dealing specifically with issues related to academic library environments. As mentioned, information literacy deals with how patrons search for and locate the information they need. In academic settings, this principle most often applies to patron curriculum. Therefore, coursework on information literacy for academic librarians consists of how students look for and acquire information, what types of information students often request, how to tailor your aid to students and their curriculum, and how to navigate school technology.
Regarding courses on academic library reference, studies will address how to speak with and aid students and how to locate materials for them. Unlike information literacy, which deals with how to find the information you need, reference deals with how to help students check out materials they can’t locate themselves or otherwise are unable to.
Pathways in academic librarianship will likely include a course specifically focused on issues in academic libraries. Courses such as this help MLIS students gain insight into the sort of social and structural issues, theory, and problems academic librarians and their patrons face. Topics such as plagiarism, emerging technologies, common problems on the job, and so forth are typically addressed. This way, instead of focusing on issues in library science on the whole, MLIS students are able to learn about and be better equipped for those most pertinent to their desired profession.
Archives
Another common branch of MLIS curriculum is archives. Archives, unlike libraries, typically deal with primary source materials such as diaries, journals, and manuscripts, in addition to other non-textual items. Archives can deal in physical or digital resources or both. Archives pathway curricula involve courses on ingest and acquisitions, preservation, and organization.
Ingest and acquisitions courses cover the beginning stages in a collection’s life – how it’s acquired, what to do with the materials, and how to ultimately organize them for future use. Preservation and conservation teaches students how to protect and extend the lifecycle of materials so that they can be used for as long as possible and in the best shape. Lastly, courses dealing with the organization of archives focus on which established rules govern the organization and compartmentalization of items within the archives. Because archives differ greatly from libraries, an archives-specific curriculum can help in situating students appropriately for a complex field with its own peculiarities.
As mentioned, an archives pathway is great for students interested in materials and preservation more than public service. Although archivists come into contact with people looking to use the materials, these interactions are usually pre-approved and occur less often than those in public centers.
Digital Curation
A digital curation pathway allows MLIS students to explore and learn more about the non-analog side of libraries, archives, and information. Pertaining to the strictly digital aspects of information, digital curation can be thought of as the whole of processes related to digitized and born-digital information. Processes include ingest, digitization, the lifecycle of digital items, preservation and conservation, organization, and more.
Courses include an introduction to digital curation, digital preservation, and the access, storage, and retrieval of digital data. In addition, students will be instructed on how to prevent cyberattacks and which software and security measures to take in order to ensure digital artifacts are safe, accessible, and usable.
In my program at SJSU, I found digital curation to be the most complicated subject I studied. Because it deals with the entirety of digital materials (their acquisition, organization, lifecycle, etc) and not just the materials themselves, I found the topic, in addition to its heavy reliance on technology, to be challenging. If you find digital materials and their corresponding technologies to be more interesting than vexing, I recommend this pathway.
Additional Pathways
In addition to those outlined above, pathways such as special librarianship, data science, leadership and management, and youth services are also often available. Like public and academic librarianship, special librarianship is a branch of library science focused on a particular library setting and type. Special libraries are ones that cater to specialized and sometimes restricted patron populations. Law libraries, medical libraries, and art libraries all fall under the special libraries umbrella. While much of the coursework will be similar in nature to that of public or academic librarianship, students will be encouraged to explore topics relating to their special library area of choice, as well as courses on issues in special libraries specifically.
A data science pathway will align students with a curriculum closer to that of a digital archivist or digital curator. Unlike librarians and archivists dealing with relatively more modest collections, data scientists deal with massive data sets and what is known as “big data” (data that cannot be managed by traditional management techniques). Curricula will include courses on digital assets, data management, and information technology.
Leadership and management, as the name implies, focuses on the leading and managing of libraries and other information arenas. Courses include collection management, information communities, and library management.
Youth services pathways focus on children and young adult programming in information centers. Spaces such as schools and public libraries are the center of this pathway, which deals with how information professionals meet the needs of young people in contemporary libraries. Given the types of services sought and found in these places, coursework includes subjects like collection development, storytime or storytelling, and information communities.
Before attending my MLIS program, my knowledge of library science was limited to a vague idea of public and academic libraries and what I thought of as archives. The truth is, the realm of information is vast. At the root of the field is the information itself and the users who seek it. If you consider information in any form to be unimportant, or the patron population of libraries and information centers inconsequential then I would give an MLIS program a second thought.
Thesis Or Capstone
To complete a typical MLIS curriculum, students must round out their journey by completing a master’s thesis or similar project showcasing their experience. Such a project is in the form of a thesis, capstone, or learning portfolio.
The most traditional form, the thesis, is a research paper showcasing a student’s developed skills and knowledge on a particular topic. Most likely, the topic will be newly or little-researched before, allowing students to develop their work through thorough academic research and showcasing their ability to be a part of their field. The thesis will also undergo a review process carried out by members of the faculty, which varies from school to school. While some may disagree, the requirements, process, and length of it lead many to consider the thesis option the most challenging.
A new but increasingly common alternative to the traditional MLIS thesis is the capstone project or portfolio. While the specifics of this option vary from curriculum to curriculum, the capstone option involves any number of alternate culminating projects based on a student’s experience in their MLIS journey. One such example is SJSU’s e-Portfolio, a composite of assignments from students’ programs showcasing what they have learned and how it highlights the program’s various core competencies. I opted for the portfolio option and didn’t regret it. Although less formulaic or rigid than a thesis, my academic portfolio helped highlight my educational milestones by allowing me to apply my past work to crucial MLIS theory and thought. Through the process, I was able to connect what I completed in the form of assignments and research to important concepts that laid the groundwork for my current career.
Skills Gained
The skills gained from an MLIS curriculum are of invaluable importance to an information professional. Granting them foundational skills in library science, in addition to wider theory and topics, the curriculum prepares graduates for innumerable scenarios and issues in libraries, schools, archives, and beyond. Some of the most notable skills I gained from an MLIS curriculum were:
- Information literacy: the ability and knowledge needed to search for and acquire information.
- Preservation and conservation: how to safeguard physical and digital materials for the future.
- Collection management: assessing, planning, intaking, and organizing library and archives collections.
- Technology: how to identify and use appropriate technologies in information centers.
Career Paths
- Public librarian: librarianship in traditional public libraries, bringing professionals in direct contact with their local information communities. Coursework such as information literacy, information communities, reference, and collection management are crucial to performing this role correctly.
- Academic librarian: librarianship in higher education institutions. Professionals in this role work with colleges, universities, and junior colleges, supporting their curriculum, students, and faculty in their work and information needs. Courses on information and digital literacy, issues in academic libraries, reference, and information technology all apply to the duties carried out in this position.
- Archivist: assesses, organizes, preserves, and maintains archives. Coursework in archives, conservation and preservation, and archives management lends itself to the development of this career path.
- Digital Information Specialist: any number of information professions involving digital items. This includes digital archivists, remote reference librarians, and digital asset managers.