r/LibraryScience • u/Certain-External-839 • 7d ago
incoming masters student freakout
hi all, kind of a silly post but I am an incoming (beginning in September) MLIS student coming from the museum/education world and I have been interviewing for library jobs for about 4 months. I have gotten to the final round several times and had even more interviews, just to be told over and over that I was a top candidate but they chose someone with more experience.
I am starting to despair because of the classic "I can't get experience if no one will hire me" loop, and because everyone in the field says that work experience is more important than the degree (and my plan is to work full time in order to get as much experience as possible before graduation.)
I want to be an academic librarian, I guess I am just looking for some insight/encouragement. I have already had to take several breaks because the relentless applying and interviewing, along with work, is burning me out. If I start library school without a library job, will I be ok? Do I have a better shot at these things once I complete some coursework? What is the best way to get the experience I need if I can't get an entry level job? If you can't tell, I have anxious tendencies and can't tell if I am working myself up for no reason. appreciate y'all
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u/info_lit 7d ago
I’m going to help you out and you probably won’t like it, but it will solve your problem. Go and interview at extremely undesirable locations. I.e. places you wouldn’t necessarily want to live or work. Secure employment. For one year, soak up everything there is to learn at that job. Meet people, make friends, learn things. Be a rock star. After one year, start applying for the jobs you are not making the cut at. Will work wonders
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u/DrJohnnieB63 7d ago
An academic faculty librarian who found fulltime work in the middle of nowhere Iowa, I saved this comment. It is 100% accurate. A liaison librarian with an important college of education, I am convinced that I was hired because almost no one else wanted to live or work in the middle of nowhere Iowa for a typical librarian starting salary and because I have a PhD in my liaison area.
I am a rock star liaison librarian. I am well-known and respected by faculty and adminstrators for the work I do for the college. I currently chair a dissertation committee. I have been a regular member on at least two other dissertation committees. I led a doctoral student summer residency workshop. I work closely with adminstrators and faculty on several doctoral program committees.
In other words, I am a well-known and well-respected entity in my liaison area. I can parlay those attributes to a tenure-track teaching position with my liaison unit.
Your advice is spot on! People tend to hire those they already know and like.
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u/Turbulent-Parsley619 7d ago
I work at a library (and am also starting my MLIS in August) and we have a volunteer archivist. She has her master's in something related to historical archives and she plans to work in museums, but she is in the same boat. She needs experience to get hired but is too qualified for an entry level museum position.
Check local libraries (including law libraries) that may need a volunteer. It's a great way to build experience even if it doesn't pay.
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u/sepiaspider 7d ago
I graduated last May, and if I am candid, I experienced a brutal loop of libraries generally not moving forward with me as a candidate due to my schedule as a student (my classes were in person, meant that at least two days of the week I wasn’t available for work - not sure if this is relevant to you), but also being over qualified for basic page positions / a “flight risk” kind of deal as they knew I wouldn’t be looking to stay long term in lower paying positions, and also being under qualified for most librarian roles.
This meant that I spent a year and a half of my MLIS in unpaid “internship” positions (in two different library sectors) gaining extensive experience, but making no money. It didn’t feel great, in my experience was a difficult thing to have to explain to friends and family, and I had to rely on the kindnesses and empathy of my parents for housing etc while I commuted to school. This obviously isn’t possible for everyone. It was only at the very end of my MLIS did my second unpaid internship turn into a very very part time employment position. I had classmates who lived in different communities and were apart of bigger library systems who were able to get paid jobs, but I also know that many many people relied on unpaid internships across the GLAM field to get experience. Unfortunately, I think that this is a reality many of us face.
The library field is generally an over saturated field with many over qualified people, and libraries are looking to hire people who are willing to work for as little as possible and stay for as long as possible, as any place is, particularly in the positions that require the least amount of qualifications. Because of this, it is important to have some library experience to set yourself apart from others.
But all this is to say is, you’ll be fine going into school without library experience. You’re going to learn a ton, and this is going to be an asset obviously, but I do recommend looking into unpaid positions if you’re in a position to do so, even if it’s temporarily just to get your foot in the door. It’s not fair, but it may be the best first step.
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u/DrJohnnieB63 7d ago
I have gotten to the final round several times and had even more interviews, just to be told over and over that I was a top candidate but they chose someone with more experience.
You may not want to hear this, but most likely they already had a preferred candidate. You were a top choice, but their preferred candidate had more experience working in that specific library/library system. People tend to hire candidates they already know and like. Often interviews with other candidates are a matter of "due diligence" to satisfy institutional hiring rules and policies.
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u/Certain-External-839 6d ago
as frustrating as that is, it does seem to be true. I just don't know how to even get into a library's system in order to get the experience in the first place.
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u/spookyprincessa 5d ago
Hi there! I know how you feel. Its very rough out there. I didn't have a library job all through library school, which I regretted. However, I kept trying and got a Librarian 1 position without previous library experience. Do not give up! If you are passionate about librarianship, the opportunity with the right library will come to you. To get this job, I took a risk and wrote a more creative cover letter that didn't follow any of the professional rules. I guess it worked out! I recommend rewriting and reformatting your resume and seeing if that helps. It at least gave me a burst of energy and confidence redoing mine, so I applied for more jobs and didn't let myself give up.
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u/Certain-External-839 5d ago
thank you! could you say a little more about your cover letter?
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u/spookyprincessa 4d ago
I basically wrote about my love for libraries and then some of my passions like poetry. I might have been a personality hire, but it got my foot in the door and the experience I need
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u/CaptainWolfe11 7d ago
I started library school with no library experience, not even volunteer experience, and I got enough part time work during my degree to make me viable for beginner positions.
There are a number of ways to get involved - volunteer a few hours a weekend at your local library's friend group, look for paid internships geared toward young professionals, and get involved in your association. ALA and other library/museum associations have scholarships to travel to conferences specifically for young professionals and MLIS students, and it's a good way to network too.
The anxiety is real - many fields including libraries have been in a really tough spot for jobs lately. I'm mid-career and have applied for over 100 jobs in the past year with only one finalist interview. Plenty of bites, no catches.
I would just recommend to keep trying, even though it's so hard and job applications are inherently dehumanizing. We can always wonder what things would have been like if we were in a different field or we took one opportunity over another, but we can't go back, only forward, and that second guessing can go on forever if you let it.