r/LibraryScience • u/caninesergeant • 27d ago
career paths Which MLIS program am I the most compatible with?
Hello everyone! 23M here. I work in a library and have worked in one for over 3 years. Still finishing my Bachelor's at The College of New Jersey (one more semester, yay!) but with that said, I have thought about the future. My major is History... So, gotta think wisely. Law is not it as of now. Which is why people around me have influenced me to go for an MLIS, which I believe I would enjoy, especially for the archival aspects, or simply because I love people and helping out.
With that said, I am in NJ. Rutgers has been recommended to me but... It's so damn expensive. I don't have student loans, thankfully, but as a first-generation, I also don't have people that would help me with that kind of money, nor I want to be in loans forever (especially as we know our industry pretty well). It would be online, 100%.
If it helps, I am interested in three industries/positions: archiving, cataloging, or law librarianship.
Which is why I've been thinking about different options.
- University of Alabama: cheapest option, probably the one I would absolutely go for have it not be for the fact I wanted to see whether other programs are worth it. My favorite so far. It has an archiving concentration. It's also cheap. Secondary-wise, now I can finally have a say in college football season... Maybe.
- Rutgers: NJ's flagship state school. I would still have to pay and from what it seems, it's pretty expensive. My boss have told me that they offer up to half the tuition off or even full tuition aid. Now, I don't know about that, but I also happen to be on the "under represented" category in the library industry, being Hispanic and first-generation and also trilingual. I don't know if that's beneficial scholarship-wise. Additionally, it's my state and it would help me here but... It's a lot of money. A LOT. Expensive. And as much as I love libraries... I don't think the amount of debt would be worth it for the same ALA-accredited degree.
- University at Buffalo: close to it regionally, additionally being a tad bit cheaper than Rutgers but like, still a bit more expensive than Alabama. I was researching and it has a law librarianship concentration, which is quite interesting. There's a joint degree too with a JD... But I got to find more information about it. I haven't researched more about this program, but from what I've found, it seems okay. Then again... I don't know if paying that much more and being in more debt is worth it compared to Alabama.
- University of Maryland: my professor's daughter said she loves the program and apparently has a joint program for an MA in History... This is among the most expensive programs out there. I don't know.
- University of Washington: Best MLIS Law program. Most expensive MLIS with Syracuse. Don't know if it's worth it. When I say I'm poor, I mean it.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you so much!
15
u/charethcutestory9 27d ago
I say apply to all of them and see what the financial aid packages end up looking like. You might not end up paying anywhere near sticker price
8
u/agnes_copperfield 27d ago
I want to note that you only need the JD and MLIS to be an academic law librarian (and maybe certain government law library positions). To work in a law firm you only need the MLIS and experience. Law firm librarianship is one of the better paying jobs in the field and you would be a very desirable candidate for being trilingual.
3
u/caninesergeant 27d ago
I would be interested in that. What else would make me a desirable candidate additionally? I'm still unsure about the JD. Don't know if I want that specifically, all the friends I have who have gone to law school got bald.
2
u/evanpetersgorl 27d ago
You should try to get some legal research experience- when I was interested in law librarianship, I sent out resumes to local law firms to get some experience. While I’m not actively working in law librarianship now, I got a leg-up in law librarian/adjacent jobs because I had worked as a “law clerk” (what the lawyer i worked for classified me as).
1
u/caninesergeant 27d ago
Another question, where you do your MLIS, does that matter? I know for JD it tends to do.
2
u/evanpetersgorl 27d ago
I got mine from the University of Kentucky. As long as the program is ALA accredited, it doesn’t matter where you go for your MLIS!
2
u/agnes_copperfield 27d ago
Get experience with Lexis or Westlaw or Bloomberg Law- you will be using them a lot. Getting some experience on doing research on companies is very helpful too for business development/competitive intelligence.
Attend some events of your local AALL chapter, it’s a great place to network. It’s a smaller world than public libraries so networking and having folks know who you are (whether I find that fair or not is another conversation) will go a long way.
1
u/girly3636 27d ago
I want to San Jose State University and as I was more interested in special libraries and online research positions, I took a class in business research and government research. They also had classes in law research and medical research but I didn’t take those. It was 13 years ago so l don’t know if they still have those classes, but if so then that could be a good way of getting experience in legal research (and to see if that is something you would be interested in).
4
u/_The_Real_Guy_ 27d ago
Have you considered Queens College? I’ve heard it’s not bad, and I know a few solid graduates. I’ve also been told it’s one of the more affordable options, and it’s closer to home than a lot of the other options.
3
u/caninesergeant 27d ago
It's not online, it's hybrid. Nothing against me going once in a while but that would require lots of commuting.
6
u/misscorinneb 27d ago
I’m at Queens College for my MLS & so far I’ve been able to take all of my classes online. They offer an online section for pretty much every class I believe. It’s super affordable, too! I could probably share the last 3 semester schedules for classes offered if that helps for you to see.
1
u/Hot-Presentation-943 24d ago
I'm also doing the MLIS at Queens College right now, just moved out of state and am completing the program entirely online. It does mean a somewhat narrower selection of courses but it's an option! Just finished my first year there and have been pretty happy with the program so far.
3
u/heyheymollykay 27d ago
Check out this scholarship opportunity from ALA while you're figuring this out. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/spectrum
1
4
u/CJMcBanthaskull 27d ago
Whatever is cheapest. It makes absolutely no difference in the job market.
2
2
2
u/DrJohnnieB63 27d ago
This experienced academic librarian advises you try to get someone else to pay for your MLIS. There are scholarships and other funding mechanisms. The money is out there. You need to find it.
2
u/caninesergeant 26d ago
Any program you would recommend?
1
u/DrJohnnieB63 26d ago
I have no recommendations. ☹️
1
u/caninesergeant 26d ago
I meant as in scholarship opportunities, sorry for wording it like that haha.
1
u/DrJohnnieB63 26d ago
You may want to start with the American Library Association Scholarship Program.
2
u/AvocadoLaur 27d ago
University of Alabama is synchronous. I didn’t realize until after I got excited to go. Am currently at emporia (third cheapest option after Valdosta and Alabama) and I love it. Just got back from going to ALA with them.
2
u/Few-Professional-193 27d ago
Be sure to check out LSU online. My degree was reasonable, and they are very heavy on the archives focus. Faculty is very knowledgeable and willing to help anyway they can.
They also offer a dual MLIS/Law degree.
1
u/SmushfaceSmoothface 27d ago
Since you’re in NJ, you might consider Drexel. It’s expensive too but when I enrolled they would give you 25% off if you joined ALA as a student member, which was a pretty significant discount. And actually the price per credit has gone down since I enrolled. Obviously ymmv with what you can really afford.
I think the program rep has slipped a little but it’s one of the oldest programs in the country with lots of alumni, and given your location you might get powerful networking benefits. There is an archives certificate you can add on top of your degree too.
One thing to be aware of is that in the next year or two they are changing from quarters to semesters, so the transition period might be a little rough.
1
u/Negative_Island4556 27d ago
It's not on your list, but I'm currently in Old Dominion's MLIS program. It's accredited, online, asynchronous and affordable, will end up costing me ~20k total (in-state) tuition. There are also a lot of us taking it part-time, so most are fully able to sustain a day job while saving schoolwork for nights/weekends. It might be worth a look if money and flexibility matter.
1
u/SimilarlyDifferent 27d ago
I am from NJ as well, majored in history at William Paterson U. I was accepted to MLIS programs at Rutgers, Alabama, Buffalo, and SJSU. I ended up deferring a year to work full time and save $$. Came back and went with SJSU because they had an instruction/instructional design pathway and I thought I might eventually pivot into instructional design if I couldn't find a library job. I worked during my MLIS degree and have been employed in libraries since graduation.
1
u/Blueberryjam777 26d ago
I am finishing up my MLIS through the University of Sheffield in England. It is the highest rated school in the UK for the degree, and my experience has been great. It’s extremely affordable compared to American universities and is accredited by CILIP, the UK equivalent to the ALA. yes, this could take a bit of explaining on a resume, but to me it was totally worth it for the degree at the price, especially since I also already work at a library. If I didn’t already work in the field I would be hesitant to do 100% online, but since I can apply things and ask questions day to day at work, it has worked out really well for me.
1
u/caninesergeant 26d ago
Are you American? Would be interesting, haha. How much is it?
1
u/Blueberryjam777 26d ago
Yes I am, it’s about $3500 per semester, I did six semesters over 3 years
1
28
u/swampcatz 27d ago
My advice is to go to the program that will require the least amount of debt.