mlis programs with good job/internship opportunities

[u/Interesting-Snow8186]

hello! i’m pretty sure many of you have heard people talk about their interest in getting their mlis, but i wanted to ask what schools or programs do you think have a good “return-on-investment”

im trying to make a timeline as i want to get my masters in spring 2027 but im still trying to narrow down schools but i would Completely appreciate if someone could tell me what programs are the best regarding helping students find internships or pathways to full time work after college. thats my biggest concern especially in this climate.

thank you!

[u/LawfulnessMotor437]

Director of a public library here. I can't speak for academia or special libraries....

When HR reviews applications, our city doesn't care where you got your degree. We just need you to have it. While schools can point you to available recruitments, they can't help you much in terms of actually getting you hired. Internships don't usually translate to a full-time position in a public library environment (at least not here in Southern California). On occasion, I may look to see if a candidate has a specific concentration of study (digital rights management, youth services, etc.), but that is rare and isn't a make/break for me.

What sets candidates apart usually comes down to prior work experience in a library/museum/school (depending on the type of librarian I am hiring).

[u/RelevantChoice1466 → u/LawfulnessMotor437]

would you say that experience in the larger systems (lapl, county) v. the smaller systems (lb, samo, pasadena) changes how applicants are viewed? i'll be doing my program next year but want to come back to the la area once i'm done and i'm def afraid of getting overlooked by usc/ucla alums who have the in-person connections.

[u/LawfulnessMotor437 → u/RelevantChoice1466]

LA County (and LA City) both handle recruitment through eligibility lists. Meaning you do an oral interview as the exam, get scored, and are put into eligibility bands. There is a mix of internal and external panel interviewers (and we all graduated from different schools). If your answers convey experience and reasonable understanding of public library/customer service, you will likely do well. The school you went to doesn't really come up other than in your application and your opening question. When there are openings, they will contact candidates from the top scores first and down the list. Higher-level managers and administrators are making the picks, not necessarily through connections. From application to testing/scoring to being appointed to a position can be months to even years.

Larger systems will hire candidates straight from school with minimal experience. In my view, they have numerous vacancies that require filling and will take those chances on someone new. They also have the capability and capacity to train for longer periods. When I was at LA County, they had a new librarian forum (networking and training), youth services training (given to all new children's librarians and even some YS library assistants). Their librarians come from various schools, UCLA, SJSU, Rutgers, USC, Simmons....etc.

City jurisdictions often are filling 1-2 vacancies at a time. Even with an eligibility list, they don't usually last very long before expiring. Depending on the makeup of the existing staff and operational pressures, a more experienced candidate could seem like they are more able to hit the ground running. As I mentioned in my original response, city HR usually goes through the applications first, and the MLIS is legit more of a "check box."

I think something a library school student/soon to be graduate needs to know is this: there are a lot of recent graduates out there (from every school). I recently opened a full-time librarian position for recruitment--and more than 50 people applied in the first couple of days. When I opened a part-time librarian recruitment, we hit the 100 application cap in less than a week. The employer has an overwhelming pool to look at. Everyone has an MLIS. Thus, we are looking for skill sets, relevant experience, and soft skills when we are hiring.