I have been working as a librarian for 5 years already. My story is really unusual as well, because I never thought I would end up being a librarian one day. Back in 2014 I was just a girl with scanner personality and two university degrees: one in theology, and another one in engineering, who've just came back from Turkey where she took Turkish language courses for almost a year. So I returned to my home country and desperately needed a job, just any kind of job. While looking through job ads, I found one saying that a librarian who would know a foreign language is needed. I was like: "Ok! I'm not a librarian, but I know three foreign languages, so let me call them." I called, and they asked me what are the foreign languages I speak, and when they heard that one of them was Turkish, they told me to send my CV immediately and invited me to the job interview the next day. It turned out that they needed someone to work with thousands of books in Turkish, but no one out of 300 employees of the library knew any Turkish, so they were ready to hire anyone who spoke Turkish, even without a degree in library science. And since then I work in the library and am in love with this job. 😁
Thanks for this video! Enjoyed it. I am currently halfway done with my MLS degree to be a school librarian and I just got offered a position at an elementary school for August 2020! I have loved my journey and I am excited to transition from classroom teacher to school librarian :)
I become a librarian by accident, computer science is my dream course but I ended up in library and information science, I like everything that has to do with technology. When I finished my Blis, I want to do my masters in Information Technology.
I was an art teacher that couldn't find a job, so became a math teacher for twenty years. What I didn't realize is how well those experiences prepared me for becoming a school librarian. I got bored teaching math and needed something else. I went to a tech convention and wandered in the librarian users group meeting. I was sold. I started school and within 6 months took over my school's library. My creative and analytical juices, as well as my love of books and teaching prepared me for the best job in the school. I looked forward to going to work every single day. Retired now, but still consulting for school libraries.
I resonate with a lot of that. Happy you got out of the poverty trap! I remember going to my local library being poor after being late to return a few books and being unable to pay the fines. So they agreed to wipe out my fines if I helped with doing rebindings on books. That was a lovely experience.
Your story speaks volumes to me, and you really inspire me, even though I realize this video is 4 years old. I was poor when I was growing up as well; but I didn't understand that until one Christmas when I was 13-14 someone from a church dropped off a box of shoes at my house. That simply act created a huge trauma for me. Well, as time went on, things changed. I actually got to go to college, got reasonably good grades, got to work in a library, even took a few library courses. Now, I'm retired, but am seriously considering going back to college for an MLIS degree.
I also want to say that your story about the fines you were assessed really resonated with me. As a school librarian, I tried to move our building away from mandatory fines and I waived fines all the time. No child should feel like they can't afford to use the library.
During my thanksgiving break this semester I had the revelation that I want to be a librarian.. after years of thinking the job was perfect for me but telling myself I couldn’t pursue that because it was a masters degree to “just be a librarian” and I wish I had realized the truth sooner! Even knowing that the job isn’t exactly what I imagined, it still sounds perfect for me. I have been watching your videos as much as possible because they are informative and comforting. Not sure what you’re up to currently but I hope you’re well and maybe we will see something new here soon? Thank you for all these videos!!
I am a librarian here in the Philippines and work in a higher education institution, and I enjoyed listening to your stories. before also i am enroll in an education program but I failed hahaha, until I realize that I have this passion in books, service, answering questions then it came to me that maybe I am capable of being a librarian. sadly, here in the Philippines misconception about being a librarian is somehow heartbreaking, and so frustrating in my part. anyways, keep up!
Hi Peter, I was scared to teach because I don't like disciplining others. I did do teacher certification courses, but did not earn certification because I didn't finish the program. I had the travel bug and went to teach English in France instead of finishing teacher certification. I got the idea to become a librarian from talking with a former library manager and librarians at Georgia State University. I also loved working in libraries. I always felt confident. I earned my library degree at San José State University. I've been a Youth Services Librarian for almost three years.
You now have the experience from your childhood and forward, making a great difference as a Librarian :) and I'm looking forward to do the same when I'm a Librarian.
I loved books as a child but it never occurred to me that I would enjoy working in libraries. My path to libraries was very long. I also joined the Navy, but in my case, right out of high school. Originally, I intended to learn Russian and work as an interpreter, but though I scored high on the language aptitude barrier, I have hearing loss in the upper frequencies and the powers that be decided that it was better that I not potentially mistranslate something because two words sound similar. I was in the Navy four years and when I got out I got a job driving a school bus for students with high needs. Talking to them and getting to know them was enough fun that I decided I wanted to become a teacher, so I went back to school to get my Masters. After graduation, I couldn't get a job. This was during the Great Recession. I ended up subbing for several years. Then one day, I subbed for a school librarian, otherwise known as a teacher librarian. I had a great time. The subject matter was interesting, it was pretty low stress, and I was surrounded by books. I subbed for the same person a few more times and then decided to get my library endorsement, which is about a year of post-graduate work. Anyway, I got a job as a teacher librarian right after and have been working in school libraries ever since. One of the great joys of working in a school library is that not only do I get to help people find the information they need, I get to teach them how to find it for themselves. In these days of misinformation, I find that to be very fulfilling.
In 5th grade I was a library aid. I lived down the street from a library in a rec center and went often but stopped after I got fines haha. In high school, I volunteered for 2 months and logged a lot of hours. When I came back from my first year of college, I got a message from the coordinator asking if I needed a job and I said yes quickly. I got to work in my childhood library and got to hang out with kids. Now with a bachelors not related to the library, I am conflicted but moving on to a full time job in a bigger library system since our city has split full time jobs to internships to save money bc of COVID.
Honestly, I think that's a strength of the profession. While there are lots of things that librarians have in common with each other, the profession broadly draws from folks with lots of different backgrounds and interests.
Loved hearing a story of an accidental library. I have a B.A. in media studies and my work doing videos and documentaries I was always working alongside people in the library, During the pandemic the library field has been the a great backup plan for me to seriously look into for further studies.
This week I realized that I wanted to become a Librarian, and not a Teacher. My mother want's me to become a Teacher, but I think becoming a Librarian is perfect for me.
So encouraging! And what a fascinating road you've traveled! I have a PhD in a STEM field and it's been great in some ways - but there are problems too. I am seriously considering doing an MLIS here at age 50, and changing careers, but for many of the reasons you mention: helping people, and learning, in all sorts of creative unexpected ways. The good things from education, recast. It's so nice to know you and others have taken wandering paths to get there, and are fulfilled.
I was fresh out of my undergrad, wotkinh retail and hating it( i like helping people but the push to sell more and di more was a pain) my friend/coworker was told my they were hiring at her other job (a shared middle and high school library) and that i wohld love it. I didn't want to apply cuz i thought i cursed too much to work with kids, but it was a better job with benefits so i went for it. After 5years as a library assistant i decided to get my master's and 3 years later im the teen services librarian for Anchorage Public Library. Dream job!
Hey, nice your vídeo despite of I was looking for librarians in Canada, but TH-cam signaled your vídeos, very nice hear and know other librarians around the world . I Love my career like librarian.
Can i assume that being a librarian or study in library science is kind of 'destiny' ? My lecturer keep saying that belongs in this program is 'lost in the right path' :')) I choose library science because of accident >< BUT im enjoyed it really well... Thanks Peter, what a great video!!!
I mean, perhaps! I'm not one much to think of things being destined or not, but I think that nowadays many people who find themselves in the field do so because something about the idea of helping people understand information drew them in. In any case, I'm glad I ended up here -- and you too! Glad to have you as a colleague. :)
Thank you sharing your story! I'm currently getting my undergrad in Anthropology to work in museums but I want to get a masters in library science. Working as a librarian has always intrigued me. Your videos are super helpful! Thank you!
It is really helpful to hear about coming to the profession after having tried a few other things. I'm currently a software tester and I want to be a librarian, but it's hard to make the decision to give up a steady income to go back to school and take on more debt, even if it will be much more fulfilling. It is encouraging to know that there are others in similar boats who have made it through.
It's a big decision to make! As self-serving as it sounds, check out some of the other videos I've done on this channel if you haven't already to get a better feel for the profession. There's a lot to love, but also not a perfect gig to be sure.
I applied on a whim for a youth services position. I have a bachelor's in creative writing, love working with kids, and I am self taught with web design, and that was just the right combination for getting a library assistant job!
Hi ... I write from Bogotá, Colombia. Im a librarianship and I have worked in university and public libraries. When you say how you became a librarian, I can see that the stories of Latin American librarians are very similar to yours in North America. I've been following you for a while, and I enjoy your videos although I don't speak English (I have to translate them slowly). Thanks for the video.
gracias por escribírmelo! :D De hecho no tengo mucho conocimiento de las bibliotecas de latinoamérica (aun me interesa mucha), pero tengo ganas de visitar algún día. tengo familiares colombianes entonces Colombia es una prioridad. Espero que todo se vaya bien y mantengas sano -- y por supuesto no te olvidas hacer preguntas! :D
I'm one semester away from finishing my Masters in Information Science. And Two semesters for Academic Librarian. I'm scared of the job landscape, but I do miss working in a library. Currently I work as a journalist, and mixing it with this will be gratifying.
OH MAN WHAT A POWER COMBO OF DEGREES! It's okay to be nervous about the job landscape. Just remember that if you need a job, the training & experience you got doing your MLIS can be broadly applied to other fields as well so you should (ideally) be able to feed yourself regardless. :)
Loved this, with the twist ending. Although I'm someone who grew up loving libraries (and was there because my family was poor), I've been accepted to a MLIS program 4 times and always got cold feet, or something else got in the way. *In those years in between* those acceptances, I realized I'm not really geared to traditional librarianship, and I'd rather focus on the tech side, like data asset management, or some kind of analysis. I think the ideal place for me in a traditional library setting would be reference, but I also like teaching people how to access information. The dangling question at the end of my short story here is, are there enough jobs in the data and tech side of the MLIS, or is that as competitive as working in libraries, too?
Another accidental librarian here, my parents forced me to go to law school and I hated it and the librarians there talked me into becoming a law librarian so it all worked out in the end, I hope.
I'm almost finished my MILS and I just feel like giving up. It's so hard to get a job, even just an entry level job especially when you have disabilities. 😔
I agree with Nikki, don't give up! I realise it doesn't sound like it, but I wasn't employed until about six months AFTER finishing all my coursework. It definitely wasn't an instant thing, but it DID happen -- after a lot of applications, a couple rejections, and the support of others. We're rooting for you.
Thanks Peter. I previously had early childhood teaching to fall back on but after a back injury I've been unable to continue. I can relate to growing up poor as well, I feel like it never truly leaves you, you always get anxious about money even when you have more. Right now my partner supports me but it's not the most ideal situation.
I have been working for almost 4 years in IT project management. The pay is great but the stress is killer and not very fulfilling. I had a student assistant job in college helping to sort through an archive of special collections that I loved! There's something about helping to preserve history that is inherently satisfying to me. I am thinking about a career shift but the prospect of getting a MLIS a bit daunting (and expensive). Any advice on how to tell if this field is right for me?
I'm thinking of applying for the MLIS program. I just get worried that I won't find a job, when I'm done. I have a bachelor's degree, but haven't really used it. I'm hoping getting a masters might push me in the right direction.
The job market is very tight at the moment, and fears around the coronavirus aren't helping things -- but if you're willing to get a job outside of public or academic libraries, your outlook is somewhat better
I had my Information Systems Degree with knowledge of SQL. Is it also required of being used in the Library System? And I find it should be a stable job and would like to seek an MLIS degree.
Once I knew I was going to get out of the Navy (about a year and a half before my Navy enlistment contract expired), I started putting away as much of every paycheck as I could afford! I didn't know what I wanted to do immediately, but I knew that I wanted to travel, so after about a year and a half of no eating out, I had about 17k saved up! I used that to pay for the last few classes of my BA, and then travel -- about 8 months.
@@StacksFacts If you don't mind me asking underneath this reply..you said you were in the US Navy..even though you attended a university in British Columbia you are not a Canadian citizen by birth?.
Hello, I am a Chinese who is preparing to resign and take the postgraduate entrance examination to major in library and information science, and I want to learn English. Can you recommend some English learning channels? The English learning channels I have found so far belong to exam-oriented education and cannot help. I understand English better, if you can provide it thank you very much!
Guys pls pray for me dat I get a librarian job before d end of 2020 or 2021,I hv finished my mlisc ND recently realised dat to bcm a librarian was my real calling Bcs I hv alys Luvd reading midway in my life I had strayed away frm it but now realising it mks me want to bcm nthng but a librarian ND to bcm a responsible citizen ND b a part of ppl working for d benefit of the society we live in through books if possible. Thank you and amen.
No upper age limit! Schooling is a couple of years, and if you haven't been in school for a while it can be hard to get into the swing of things, but that's all
@@StacksFacts thanks , yes i am doing an access course for university at the moment then onwards to do a degree and then the masters in librarianship and information studies in Dublin . if all goes according to plan
Do you think that you still had a sense of privilege being a white cisgender male who could possibly be viewed as heteronormative. I feel like the first 5 minutes of your oppression porn could’ve been saved imo. But that’s for sharing your story I guess 🤷🏽♀️
Of course I did -- privilege, much like racism or sexism, is systemic. In my case, I had the advantage of being white in what felt like a 90% white community, which meant that I had freedom of movement and opportunities growing up that non-white racialized folks didn't get. I was able to do some major social blending in the community and work that to my advantage. This channel's more about librarianship though, and librarians are overwhelmingly middle-class, white, straight, cis women. If you're curious about why librarianship is that way, you can learn more about it from this video explaining why the profession excludes men and non-white people by design: th-cam.com/video/xm_dKgMg_G8/w-d-xo.html -- and I go more into depth on how male privilege and gross gendered expectations play out. It's important to me that I provide an example of that not being the case out there so that folks who don't fit that template might find their way into it, so that the profession can better represent the communities they serve. As long as that's so clearly not the case, we're failing our people.
Stacks & Facts I guess my frustration at the global context resulted in displacement of those frustrations directed at you. What you, and many other librarians on TH-cam, describe is accurate and not just in the context of librarianship. Being a trans woman of color, I guess I just viewed the narrative you share to be a “Well, we’re doing the best we can now.” This obviously isn’t the case generally speaking, but after hearing your response I think that you would also agree. During my time in academia, much like many of my peers (and kind of like what you speak about) I’ve found myself drifting from major to major trying to find the one that I can envision myself in I’ve known that representation is important in the media but I think it’s even more important for marginalized groups to be represented in institutions because of those systemic oppressions that you spoke of. Thank you for your response.
A more in-depth reply to this and your other comment -- I really do appreciate you + the struggle of trying to find somewhere to fit in academia. I hate that the world tends toward shitty for trans folks, especially trans women, and ESPECIALLY trans women of color. So, like, I can't do a whole lot but if you never need the very specific skills of a librarian I got ya 😅
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I have been working as a librarian for 5 years already. My story is really unusual as well, because I never thought I would end up being a librarian one day. Back in 2014 I was just a girl with scanner personality and two university degrees: one in theology, and another one in engineering, who've just came back from Turkey where she took Turkish language courses for almost a year. So I returned to my home country and desperately needed a job, just any kind of job. While looking through job ads, I found one saying that a librarian who would know a foreign language is needed. I was like: "Ok! I'm not a librarian, but I know three foreign languages, so let me call them." I called, and they asked me what are the foreign languages I speak, and when they heard that one of them was Turkish, they told me to send my CV immediately and invited me to the job interview the next day. It turned out that they needed someone to work with thousands of books in Turkish, but no one out of 300 employees of the library knew any Turkish, so they were ready to hire anyone who spoke Turkish, even without a degree in library science. And since then I work in the library and am in love with this job. 😁
Accidental librarian here too. Bachelors degree in chemistry. Ended up in a public library and never looked back. Love serving my community 🙂
Thanks for this video! Enjoyed it. I am currently halfway done with my MLS degree to be a school librarian and I just got offered a position at an elementary school for August 2020! I have loved my journey and I am excited to transition from classroom teacher to school librarian :)
I become a librarian by accident, computer science is my dream course but I ended up in library and information science, I like everything that has to do with technology.
When I finished my Blis, I want to do my masters in Information Technology.
I grew up poor too. We used the library for air conditioner and free movies lol
I was an art teacher that couldn't find a job, so became a math teacher for twenty years. What I didn't realize is how well those experiences prepared me for becoming a school librarian. I got bored teaching math and needed something else. I went to a tech convention and wandered in the librarian users group meeting. I was sold. I started school and within 6 months took over my school's library. My creative and analytical juices, as well as my love of books and teaching prepared me for the best job in the school. I looked forward to going to work every single day. Retired now, but still consulting for school libraries.
I resonate with a lot of that. Happy you got out of the poverty trap!
I remember going to my local library being poor after being late to return a few books and being unable to pay the fines. So they agreed to wipe out my fines if I helped with doing rebindings on books. That was a lovely experience.
Your story speaks volumes to me, and you really inspire me, even though I realize this video is 4 years old.
I was poor when I was growing up as well; but I didn't understand that until one Christmas when I was 13-14 someone from a church dropped off a box of shoes at my house. That simply act created a huge trauma for me.
Well, as time went on, things changed. I actually got to go to college, got reasonably good grades, got to work in a library, even took a few library courses. Now, I'm retired, but am seriously considering going back to college for an MLIS degree.
I also want to say that your story about the fines you were assessed really resonated with me. As a school librarian, I tried to move our building away from mandatory fines and I waived fines all the time. No child should feel like they can't afford to use the library.
During my thanksgiving break this semester I had the revelation that I want to be a librarian.. after years of thinking the job was perfect for me but telling myself I couldn’t pursue that because it was a masters degree to “just be a librarian” and I wish I had realized the truth sooner! Even knowing that the job isn’t exactly what I imagined, it still sounds perfect for me. I have been watching your videos as much as possible because they are informative and comforting. Not sure what you’re up to currently but I hope you’re well and maybe we will see something new here soon? Thank you for all these videos!!
I am a librarian here in the Philippines and work in a higher education institution, and I enjoyed listening to your stories. before also i am enroll in an education program but I failed hahaha, until I realize that I have this passion in books, service, answering questions then it came to me that maybe I am capable of being a librarian. sadly, here in the Philippines misconception about being a librarian is somehow heartbreaking, and so frustrating in my part. anyways, keep up!
Hmmm...think I might have just found my calling... Thx for this vid.
Hi Peter,
I was scared to teach because I don't like disciplining others. I did do teacher certification courses, but did not earn certification because I didn't finish the program. I had the travel bug and went to teach English in France instead of finishing teacher certification. I got the idea to become a librarian from talking with a former library manager and librarians at Georgia State University. I also loved working in libraries. I always felt confident. I earned my library degree at San José State University. I've been a Youth Services Librarian for almost three years.
You now have the experience from your childhood and forward, making a great difference as a Librarian :) and I'm looking forward to do the same when I'm a Librarian.
I loved books as a child but it never occurred to me that I would enjoy working in libraries. My path to libraries was very long. I also joined the Navy, but in my case, right out of high school. Originally, I intended to learn Russian and work as an interpreter, but though I scored high on the language aptitude barrier, I have hearing loss in the upper frequencies and the powers that be decided that it was better that I not potentially mistranslate something because two words sound similar.
I was in the Navy four years and when I got out I got a job driving a school bus for students with high needs. Talking to them and getting to know them was enough fun that I decided I wanted to become a teacher, so I went back to school to get my Masters.
After graduation, I couldn't get a job. This was during the Great Recession. I ended up subbing for several years. Then one day, I subbed for a school librarian, otherwise known as a teacher librarian. I had a great time. The subject matter was interesting, it was pretty low stress, and I was surrounded by books. I subbed for the same person a few more times and then decided to get my library endorsement, which is about a year of post-graduate work.
Anyway, I got a job as a teacher librarian right after and have been working in school libraries ever since. One of the great joys of working in a school library is that not only do I get to help people find the information they need, I get to teach them how to find it for themselves. In these days of misinformation, I find that to be very fulfilling.
In 5th grade I was a library aid. I lived down the street from a library in a rec center and went often but stopped after I got fines haha. In high school, I volunteered for 2 months and logged a lot of hours. When I came back from my first year of college, I got a message from the coordinator asking if I needed a job and I said yes quickly.
I got to work in my childhood library and got to hang out with kids. Now with a bachelors not related to the library, I am conflicted but moving on to a full time job in a bigger library system since our city has split full time jobs to internships to save money bc of COVID.
I’m in my first term of my MLIS and also had a bit of an unconventional journey to this profession, so I really appreciate hearing your story. Thanks!
Honestly, I think that's a strength of the profession. While there are lots of things that librarians have in common with each other, the profession broadly draws from folks with lots of different backgrounds and interests.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you for sharing! It was great to hear your journey to where you are now. What really stuck with me was the phrase, "Ask a clarifying question."
Thank you for this video. Beautiful:)
Lovely hearing your story, thanks for sharing.
Loved hearing a story of an accidental library. I have a B.A. in media studies and my work doing videos and documentaries I was always working alongside people in the library, During the pandemic the library field has been the a great backup plan for me to seriously look into for further studies.
Love this! I'm in my own program right now and love hearing librarians' backstories.
This week I realized that I wanted to become a Librarian, and not a Teacher. My mother want's me to become a Teacher, but I think becoming a Librarian is perfect for me.
So encouraging! And what a fascinating road you've traveled! I have a PhD in a STEM field and it's been great in some ways - but there are problems too. I am seriously considering doing an MLIS here at age 50, and changing careers, but for many of the reasons you mention: helping people, and learning, in all sorts of creative unexpected ways. The good things from education, recast. It's so nice to know you and others have taken wandering paths to get there, and are fulfilled.
I was fresh out of my undergrad, wotkinh retail and hating it( i like helping people but the push to sell more and di more was a pain) my friend/coworker was told my they were hiring at her other job (a shared middle and high school library) and that i wohld love it. I didn't want to apply cuz i thought i cursed too much to work with kids, but it was a better job with benefits so i went for it. After 5years as a library assistant i decided to get my master's and 3 years later im the teen services librarian for Anchorage Public Library. Dream job!
Hey, nice your vídeo despite of I was looking for librarians in Canada, but TH-cam signaled your vídeos, very nice hear and know other librarians around the world . I Love my career like librarian.
I just discovered your channel this weekend. Great informative videos that are well edited!
Thanks! I'm happy to have you along :D
Can i assume that being a librarian or study in library science is kind of 'destiny' ? My lecturer keep saying that belongs in this program is 'lost in the right path' :'))
I choose library science because of accident >< BUT im enjoyed it really well... Thanks Peter, what a great video!!!
I mean, perhaps! I'm not one much to think of things being destined or not, but I think that nowadays many people who find themselves in the field do so because something about the idea of helping people understand information drew them in.
In any case, I'm glad I ended up here -- and you too! Glad to have you as a colleague. :)
Thank you sharing your story! I'm currently getting my undergrad in Anthropology to work in museums but I want to get a masters in library science. Working as a librarian has always intrigued me. Your videos are super helpful! Thank you!
You are so welcome!
It is really helpful to hear about coming to the profession after having tried a few other things. I'm currently a software tester and I want to be a librarian, but it's hard to make the decision to give up a steady income to go back to school and take on more debt, even if it will be much more fulfilling. It is encouraging to know that there are others in similar boats who have made it through.
It's a big decision to make! As self-serving as it sounds, check out some of the other videos I've done on this channel if you haven't already to get a better feel for the profession. There's a lot to love, but also not a perfect gig to be sure.
I applied on a whim for a youth services position. I have a bachelor's in creative writing, love working with kids, and I am self taught with web design, and that was just the right combination for getting a library assistant job!
Hi ... I write from Bogotá, Colombia. Im a librarianship and I have worked in university and public libraries. When you say how you became a librarian, I can see that the stories of Latin American librarians are very similar to yours in North America.
I've been following you for a while, and I enjoy your videos although I don't speak English (I have to translate them slowly). Thanks for the video.
gracias por escribírmelo! :D De hecho no tengo mucho conocimiento de las bibliotecas de latinoamérica (aun me interesa mucha), pero tengo ganas de visitar algún día. tengo familiares colombianes entonces Colombia es una prioridad. Espero que todo se vaya bien y mantengas sano -- y por supuesto no te olvidas hacer preguntas! :D
Thanks sir
All the best!
I was just talking to Jaki about being a librarian and was going to get you up next!
DO IT! We can start a secret society of librarian sailors that shows up to professional events wearing our dress white covers
I'm one semester away from finishing my Masters in Information Science. And Two semesters for Academic Librarian.
I'm scared of the job landscape, but I do miss working in a library. Currently I work as a journalist, and mixing it with this will be gratifying.
OH MAN WHAT A POWER COMBO OF DEGREES!
It's okay to be nervous about the job landscape. Just remember that if you need a job, the training & experience you got doing your MLIS can be broadly applied to other fields as well so you should (ideally) be able to feed yourself regardless. :)
Loved this, with the twist ending. Although I'm someone who grew up loving libraries (and was there because my family was poor), I've been accepted to a MLIS program 4 times and always got cold feet, or something else got in the way. *In those years in between* those acceptances, I realized I'm not really geared to traditional librarianship, and I'd rather focus on the tech side, like data asset management, or some kind of analysis. I think the ideal place for me in a traditional library setting would be reference, but I also like teaching people how to access information. The dangling question at the end of my short story here is, are there enough jobs in the data and tech side of the MLIS, or is that as competitive as working in libraries, too?
My impression is that there are a lot mote jobs on the tech side than the library side.
很喜欢这个视频，谢谢分享！
不客气！
I am an accidental librarian/archivist. Thanks for your channel. I became a Librarian/Archivist first, and I am pursuing my MLIS second.
Hi Peter! Greetings from a librarian based in Kazakhstan 🇰🇿
Hi and welcome! :D
Another accidental librarian here, my parents forced me to go to law school and I hated it and the librarians there talked me into becoming a law librarian so it all worked out in the end, I hope.
I'm almost finished my MILS and I just feel like giving up. It's so hard to get a job, even just an entry level job especially when you have disabilities. 😔
Please don't give up! Be encouraged. Your representation in the field of library and information sciences MATTERS.
@@iamnotmyhandle Thanks Nikki
I agree with Nikki, don't give up! I realise it doesn't sound like it, but I wasn't employed until about six months AFTER finishing all my coursework. It definitely wasn't an instant thing, but it DID happen -- after a lot of applications, a couple rejections, and the support of others.
We're rooting for you.
Thanks Peter. I previously had early childhood teaching to fall back on but after a back injury I've been unable to continue. I can relate to growing up poor as well, I feel like it never truly leaves you, you always get anxious about money even when you have more. Right now my partner supports me but it's not the most ideal situation.
@Harold Millican thanks. Good to hear there are others out there with mobility issues that are employed in the feild.
I am also a Librarian :)
I have been working for almost 4 years in IT project management. The pay is great but the stress is killer and not very fulfilling. I had a student assistant job in college helping to sort through an archive of special collections that I loved! There's something about helping to preserve history that is inherently satisfying to me. I am thinking about a career shift but the prospect of getting a MLIS a bit daunting (and expensive). Any advice on how to tell if this field is right for me?
Yeah! at the risk of shamelessly plugging myself, give this video a watch： th-cam.com/video/T8o1qu2WgWo/w-d-xo.html
I'm thinking of applying for the MLIS program. I just get worried that I won't find a job, when I'm done. I have a bachelor's degree, but haven't really used it. I'm hoping getting a masters might push me in the right direction.
The job market is very tight at the moment, and fears around the coronavirus aren't helping things -- but if you're willing to get a job outside of public or academic libraries, your outlook is somewhat better
@@StacksFacts Thanks for the reply. Yeah, it's a pretty stressful time.
in the exact same boat!
I had my Information Systems Degree with knowledge of SQL. Is it also required of being used in the Library System?
And I find it should be a stable job and would like to seek an MLIS degree.
No, but knowing SQL is helpful in understanding how libraries work!
How did you fund your previous TH-cam/film project channel?
Once I knew I was going to get out of the Navy (about a year and a half before my Navy enlistment contract expired), I started putting away as much of every paycheck as I could afford! I didn't know what I wanted to do immediately, but I knew that I wanted to travel, so after about a year and a half of no eating out, I had about 17k saved up!
I used that to pay for the last few classes of my BA, and then travel -- about 8 months.
@@StacksFacts If you don't mind me asking underneath this reply..you said you were in the US Navy..even though you attended a university in British Columbia you are not a Canadian citizen by birth?.
Correct! UBC takes lots of international students from lots of different countries.
Hello, I am a Chinese who is preparing to resign and take the postgraduate entrance examination to major in library and information science, and I want to learn English. Can you recommend some English learning channels? The English learning channels I have found so far belong to exam-oriented education and cannot help. I understand English better, if you can provide it thank you very much!
How old were you when you started your MLIS?
I was 29!
Guys pls pray for me dat I get a librarian job before d end of 2020 or 2021,I hv finished my mlisc ND recently realised dat to bcm a librarian was my real calling Bcs I hv alys Luvd reading midway in my life I had strayed away frm it but now realising it mks me want to bcm nthng but a librarian ND to bcm a responsible citizen ND b a part of ppl working for d benefit of the society we live in through books if possible. Thank you and amen.
how old is too old to become a librarian?
No upper age limit! Schooling is a couple of years, and if you haven't been in school for a while it can be hard to get into the swing of things, but that's all
@@StacksFacts thanks , yes i am doing an access course for university at the moment then onwards to do a degree and then the masters in librarianship and information studies in Dublin . if all goes according to plan
I have to know.... Did you ever go back and pay those fines?
... no comment. 😬
Happy accident!
Are you an INFJ?
I'm not!
Do you think that you still had a sense of privilege being a white cisgender male who could possibly be viewed as heteronormative.
I feel like the first 5 minutes of your oppression porn could’ve been saved imo. But that’s for sharing your story I guess 🤷🏽♀️
Of course I did -- privilege, much like racism or sexism, is systemic. In my case, I had the advantage of being white in what felt like a 90% white community, which meant that I had freedom of movement and opportunities growing up that non-white racialized folks didn't get. I was able to do some major social blending in the community and work that to my advantage.
This channel's more about librarianship though, and librarians are overwhelmingly middle-class, white, straight, cis women. If you're curious about why librarianship is that way, you can learn more about it from this video explaining why the profession excludes men and non-white people by design: th-cam.com/video/xm_dKgMg_G8/w-d-xo.html -- and I go more into depth on how male privilege and gross gendered expectations play out.
It's important to me that I provide an example of that not being the case out there so that folks who don't fit that template might find their way into it, so that the profession can better represent the communities they serve. As long as that's so clearly not the case, we're failing our people.
Stacks & Facts I guess my frustration at the global context resulted in displacement of those frustrations directed at you. What you, and many other librarians on TH-cam, describe is accurate and not just in the context of librarianship.
Being a trans woman of color, I guess I just viewed the narrative you share to be a “Well, we’re doing the best we can now.” This obviously isn’t the case generally speaking, but after hearing your response I think that you would also agree. During my time in academia, much like many of my peers (and kind of like what you speak about) I’ve found myself drifting from major to major trying to find the one that I can envision myself in I’ve known that representation is important in the media but I think it’s even more important for marginalized groups to be represented in institutions because of those systemic oppressions that you spoke of.
Thank you for your response.
A more in-depth reply to this and your other comment -- I really do appreciate you + the struggle of trying to find somewhere to fit in academia. I hate that the world tends toward shitty for trans folks, especially trans women, and ESPECIALLY trans women of color. So, like, I can't do a whole lot but if you never need the very specific skills of a librarian I got ya 😅