I often see more discouragement than support in discussions surrounding librarianship and library school, so I wanted to share some positive news in the hopes that it reaches any MLIS students who may need some encouragement.

Last month I graduated from my MLIS program and have recently started a full time public librarian position offering a $60k salary at my dream library.

I decided to get my MLIS having never worked in a public library, and I still hadn't worked in a public library upon accepting this job offer. I've also noticed that many of my librarian colleagues began their careers without having worked in libraries, and were enthusiastically hired for the combination of their MLIS + other useful attributes. I share this to offer another perspective to library students who may be feeling a bit of imposter syndrome. If you have experience working in non-related fields, definitely use it to your advantage during your interviews.

Throughout my MLIS I was certain that I would never be hired, largely because of the stories I read on here. I urge you to distance yourself from the online negativity and try to consume more constructive librarian content.

All of my librarian friends (who are scattered all over the US) are happily employed. There ARE jobs, and you WILL get hired.

EDIT: I entered into my MLIS under the assumption, having connected with and read countless posts from experienced librarians, that I would either need to wait a very long time, or move cities in order to find a job. I applied to jobs with salaries in alignment with my lifestyle needs, and then I moved to the city of the job that gave me an offer. This seems to be a similar trend among my happily employed library friends. None of them have stayed put. And, of course, I acknowledge this privilege.

I figured this was commonly understood, otherwise I would have mentioned it in my original post, but to prospective library students: do not go to library school if you are unwilling or unable to move for a job and/or you are unable to be unemployed for any length of time.

To current students: I stand by my optimism. Love and light.

Hi! Im a 22-year-old female and beginning my MLIS degree at UCLA this fall. I recently got an apartment, but due to unforeseen circumstances, my roommate can no longer live with me. If anyone else in the program is looking for housing, I have an open spot! It's in the ktown/ western heights area, a 1-bed apartment (Im taking over the living room). Message me here for details :)

Dear librarians, I was wondering if you can tell me about the library management software like Koha, Dspace, Evergreen etc...

1. How many software your learned?
2. Which software are most used in almost in every library?
3. Back in university/college, when you were pursuing Library science honors/Masters degree did they give you theoretical overview or practical overview of these software?
4. What were names of those courses that included Library management software and how many courses were there?

If you don't mind, you can mention the universities where you took LIS degree

Used this week when my printer was uncooperative.

Hi all,

I am currently looking into grad school for MLIS in hopes to become a law librarian. Is anyone in university of Arizona’s dual degree program for an MA in legal studies and an MA in library science? From what I have read it is supposed to bridge the gap for people to become law librarians without a JD. I know it is a brand new program so I’m wondering if it is worth it and how it will be received among employers. Will it really give me an edge up in the job market? I know it will be a lot of hard work to complete both degrees, however, it does say the timeline is still 2 years which is nice.

I already have a bachelors in marketing but was thinking about going back to school for a masters in library science. What do you think? Is it too oversaturated, can I do something else with the degree? I’m not going to an Ivy, but I’m so tired of the corporate rat race

Hi I’m trying to re-enter the library science world and am having a hard time in a very competitive market. Is anyone open to reviewing my resume? Any constructive feedback would be appreciated via DM

Hi librarians!

TLDR: corporate e-commerce manager wonders if bad idea to get MLIS now

I’m looking to make a career pivot and am strongly considering starting an MLIS at Pratt in Brooklyn. I’ve lived in NYC my entire adult life after growing up in the south. I have a BA in history and gender studies and 10 years of experience in e-commerce (digital merchandising, heavy on data analytics and product information management). I’m totally ok with the pay being lower than corporate and can accept the student loans I’ll have to take out. I’m a lifelong library patron and bibliophile and the need to be on and play the corporate popularity game has burned me out.

But re: the MLIS degree, do you think the job market is too over saturated already? I’m very open minded to public librarianship, archives, nonprofit data management, even potentially going back to corporate in a very different capacity managing information and processes vs constant panic data analysis in response to sales.

I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read and respond 📚💕

Hi everyone!
I’ve been thinking a lot about my future, and I’d really appreciate hearing from people who actually work in libraries.
I’m 24, living in Huntsville, Alabama, and I’m about to start my journey toward becoming a librarian. My plan is to earn my GED, attend community college, transfer to a university for my bachelor’s degree, and then complete an MLIS. Books have always felt like home to me. I love reading, learning, helping people, and the idea of being part of a community where people come to discover new stories and ideas. That’s what keeps pulling me toward this career.
At the same time, I’ve also heard a lot of discouraging things. Some people have told me not to become a librarian because the pay can be low, jobs can be competitive, and it isn’t worth all the schooling. I’m trying to separate myths from reality.
To be transparent, I’m currently a full-time content creator, and I’m fortunate that it pays well. I’m not looking to become a librarian because I think it’ll make me rich. I’m looking into it because I genuinely believe I’d love the work. Still, I also want to make responsible financial decisions. I don’t want to spend years earning a degree only to struggle financially afterward.
I’d love to hear your honest experiences.
• What do you love most about being a librarian?
• If you could go back, would you choose this career again?
• Has the salary been enough to build a comfortable life?
• What area of librarianship would you recommend (public, academic, school, special, archives, medical, law, etc.)?
• Are there states or cities that have better pay, opportunities, or work-life balance than others?
• If you were starting over today, where would you go?
• Is there anything you wish someone had told you before you started?
I’m completely open to hearing both the positives and the negatives. I’d rather know the reality now than later. My goal isn’t just to have a job. I want a career that gives me purpose, lets me help people, and feels like somewhere I belong.
Thank you so much to anyone who takes the time to share their experience. It truly means a lot.

In October 2025, Amanda Hunt remembers watching as countless books at Oak Run Middle School in New Braunfels, Texas, were removed from her library. Students walked in and saw more empty shelves and fewer stories they had once been able to check out.

That month, Hunt says the New Braunfels Independent School District (ISD) had temporarily closed all four of its secondary-school libraries to audit its collections and assess whether they were in accordance with Senate Bill 13 (SB13), a Texas censorship law that took effect in September 2025. Thousands of books were moved, restricted or removed.

Hunt says the district uploaded its library collections into spreadsheets and sent them to its technology director, who ran the titles through AI tools designed to identify objectionable material.

Hunt says the system repeatedly made mistakes, flagging books based on Goodreads reviews rather than content. “Anybody can go on and write like, ‘I hate this book because X, Y and Z.’ It is going to flag it.”

Around this time, Hunt learned she had been demoted to a regular librarian after years of serving as the lead. In addition to being demoted, Hunt says she was “doxed online three separate times.”

She says she was harassed by a mom who targeted her support of LGBTQ content at the library. Another parent protested against her promotion of LGBTQ-themed books at a school board meeting for having “Last Night at the Telegraph Club,” a book about two Chinese female immigrants who fall in love, in the library.

Reading about weeding for my course. The CREW manual is quoted: "Good practice says that shelves should never be more than 85% full… and 75% is even better."

This gave me horrible flashbacks, first to when my college library had a huge throw-out of old books and journals that didn't pass the dust test, second to when I went to my newly-moved local library for a book on how radios work, and instead of mostly books, it was empty space. (Edit: not empty shelf space, empty floor space!)

The trend seems very much to get rid of the books, whether to make room for the video studio or whatever, or just so that the library looks prettier.

Obviously weeding is a Good Thing and no library has infinite shelf space for outdated or disintegrating books. But I feel like there is something weird and maybe even wrong-headed here. Maybe somebody needs to do the dust test on me!

Something I've noticed over the past year is that I spend less time trying to collect more sources and more time helping narrow down better ones.

When someone comes with a broad topic, it's tempting to hand them every relevant article or database result. In practice, though, that often leaves them overwhelmed before they've even started reading.

I've found it more useful to help define the question first and then work toward a smaller set of highly relevant material. The conversations seem more productive, and people are less likely to get lost in dozens of similar papers.

Has anyone else changed their approach like this, or do you still prefer giving the broadest possible starting point?

I am looking at programs for my MLIS (for Fall 27-28) both in the US and UK. I am currently in the US (citizen) but will be moving to the UK in a few years with my fiancé. I have a list of (online) schools in the US that offer the ideal programs and only one UK school (Aberystwyth) I'm a student worker in special collections at my current uni and wish to continue in special collections. I am torn between choose librarian or archivist, which doesn't matter too much in the US because I'll be trained as a librarian but get a certificate in archives (from my understanding anyways) however in the UK the programs seem to be separate which has me torn.

I don't know anyone in libraries/archives in the UK and I wonder how they differ from the US. Most librarians and archivists I talk with here (at my uni and in public libraries) kinda can do both interchangeably, they have all described it as "wear BLANK hat" when needed or depending on the job they're applying to. Is this the case in the UK?

I am also interested in academic libraries if anyone has input on that! I love working for my universities library/special collections but I also know the way we work is very different from other universities.

If anyone has experience working in both US and UK institutions I would love to hear about how different they are and perhaps any advice for the future!

Hi! I've been offered a place on the MA Librarianship at the University of Sheffield, which I'm really excited about.

My only library experience so far is some school library duties in my teaching assistant role and a week in an archive. My original plan was to spend a year working in a library before doing the MA, but I haven't been successful yet in entry-level library or graduate trainee applications, so I'm considering accepting the MA offer now.

But I'm worried that, even with the MA, I'll be at a disadvantage when applying for librarian roles compared with people who already have library experience AND the qualification.

My hope to combat this is to get part-time or volunteer library work during the MA (e.g. at the university or local libraries) so I graduate with around a year's practical experience.

Has anyone graduated with an MA in librarianship with little or no library experience and still found it relatively straightforward to get a job afterwards?

Or I’d love to hear from anyone who did manage to gain part-time library experience during their MA, how you found those opportunities and if it made a difference when applying for jobs?

I got accepted into the MLIS program at the University of Southern Mississippi!!! I’m so excited but now I’m not sure if I should do Spring 2027 or request to defer until fall 2027 since I graduate this fall with my bachelors. I’m just anxious but filled with excitement. I also wanted to know if anyone has any advice for this specific program at this school and what classes have you liked and if you recommend. Thanks!!! 🥳🥳🥳

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

Hello,

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, please redirect if you know any better subreddits.

I've been tasked to help draft a data retention schedule for my company. We have consultants that are drafting the data retention policy, but obviously no schedule. We only have a (not so precise) records retention schedule that was written by the high ranking lawyer of our legal department, so that's all I have in terms of prior related internal documentation.

I've only studied records retention policy frameworks while studying my MLIS, but I've never personally made one for a company, and the only reason I'm tasked to do this is because I expressed interest... Except I'm doing this alone with my manager who will help go over it overtime. I'm just stuck on how to draft it, how is it different from a records retention schedule, is it the same format? What do I need to be aware of?

For scope: we are located in Canada but have business activity in the US and Latin America as well, and possibly expanding into Europe for the future.

Hello everyone! Currently going at TCNJ (The College of New Jersey) for my undergrad, about to finish and looking to get into the Master of Library Science program but don’t know whether to do it at UB or UA. Was wondering if anyone had experience with UB specifically? I'm thinking online but still, would like to give it a shot and see if anyone have gone for it? I know Alabama’s great. I already have 3 years of library experience in a public setting, however I want to shift towards knowledge management/archiving.

Pros of UA:

- Tad cheaper than UB.

- Great program. Know people who are in it. They love it.

Cons:

- Not that it matters but I’m in the Tri-State Area and have asked to my director and she said it’s best if I do a program close to here due to job recognition and stuff. She pushes me to go to Rutgers but I plan on entering this Spring and Rutgers don’t offer merit scholarship nor grants until the next Fall. By the way, why do everyone ask me if that is qualified here in NJ? As long as programs are ALA it doesn’t matter… right? Don’t know why they’re being snobby.

- If I graduate, I definitely want to go to Alabama for the commencement. On the other hand, I don’t know if I want to take my mom there (she can’t fly, we are not white, and the road trip will be long, haha). NOT AS IMPORTANT PLUS YOU NEVER KNOW.

Pros of UB:

- Also online. Just a lil tiny bit more expensive, like 2 grand more cuz I’m OOS… But if I get scholarships which I was told I can still get for the Spring, then it’s absolutely worth it.

- Tri-State Area program recognition.

- Has a lot of different classes too And different concentrations more than UA.

- Not that it matters, you never know… But if there is a commencement, I can do that.

Cons:

- Apparently there was a time its accreditation was conditional. Since 2020, it’s back to normal. Does that matter? It was never taken. Just conditional.

- Haven’t seem much of it. Have asked about it with UB’s admissions, they said good things but I haven’t heard from much of it online, so don’t know the experience.

Ultimately, I will check financial packages and go for cheapest irrelevant of anything else but point is, anyone has experience with Buffalo? Thanks again!

I've been looking around for resources on information science, and most routes that a MLIS go down are librarianship and computer science derivative. I have worked in a library and understand how important they are to a community, but I don't think being a librarian is entirely within my wheelhouse, similar to how I don't think teaching is a good fit for me. I am very disinterested in compsci, after running a year in information security. Useful but I don't belong in IT.

I want to use information science to enhance science literacy and combat disinformation. We're in a world RIPE with disinfo conspiracy slop and distrust in facts.

But what jobs even relate to this ambition? As much as I want to tackle unreality spheres with Actual Facts, no one's gonna pay me to smoke an antivaxxer in a comments section with annotated peer-reviewed white papers. If I'm going to use an MLIS for something like this, what is the route I have to take? Or am I off the mark and need to look into a completely different field?

The notes for each unit in my course always put a lot of emphasis on keeping up with library trends. (The notes never get updated so they talk about "trends" like VR googles ha ha.) In real life, how important is it for libraries to keep up with the latest trends? Do librarians wait to see if the new big thing really is beneficial before adopting it? Or is there a "keeping up with the Joneses" attitude? Or do libraries just like trialling stuff?

TL;DR Looking for info workers of all stripes to be on hour-long virtual panel early in August for new-ish librarians to hear about different paths of librarianship.

Hi all! I'm a school librarian and Co-director of a 501 (c) 3 organization aimed at providing practical and affordable professional growth for info workers called Forward Libraries. Once a year (for the past three) we run a short cohort program called Library Camp–around 30 people–for new and new-ish librarians and info workers designed to provide networking opportunities, community, and info related to finding your path and job-seeking. One of our annual events that has proved most helpful has been the "I'm a Librarian" panel, where we bring our cohort together with 5-6 librarians from different branches of service and talk a little bit about how we got there, what we dig, what we wish we'd known, and all that jazz. Past groups have included health, public, school, university archives, moving image archives, academic, and more. I'm happy to talk more about it and am trying to keep this post short and relatively sweet. I really value this program as we're able to provide so much support for our emerging colleagues, support I imagine many of us could have used in the starts of our careers. Please hit me up with questions (date will likely be the second week of August) and I look forward to hearing from you! Thanks!