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Rank: Newbie
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I'm so glad to have found this site and forum. I am in the process of getting my stuff together to go back to school. I'm halfway to my History degree, and I'm really set on getting my Masters in Library Science after that. My question is, all the jobs I've seen have required a masters, but I recently found a close school that offers a 2 year program in Library and Information Technology. What kind of job would the 2 year certification get me, can anyone tell me?
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I'm certainly no expert on this subject, but I would strongly suggest you look at a lot of job ads before you make any decisions. I could probably count how many job openings I have seen in the last year that didn't require a master's in library science (from an ALA accredited institution) on one hand. This seems to be a requirement for most places, not something that could be negotiated.
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Location: Philadelphia, PA
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Hi -- Is it a master's program you're looking into? I can't imagine a 2-year program that just offered a certificate, since you can get your MS-LIS in a year if you do it full-time (I did 2 years part-time, which was easy enough). There are some programs that award a certificate in a specialty in addition to the MS-LIS -- is that how this particular one works? Good luck!
Lisa Grimm Assistant Archivist Drexel University College of Medicine Archives & Special Collections on Women in Medicine and Homeopathy
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Can you say more about the program in question? Is it a combination of an MLS and an MSIS (master's in information systems, which is more of an IT degree)? I think it could be very smart to get an MSIS or similar tech-oriented qualification, but in addition to (not instead of) an MLS. You'll probably notice that most librarian jobs will require an "ALA-accredited MLS degree."
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I'm thinking this 2 year program may be an Associate's degree (AA or AS) which would (in theory) qualify you for support positions - many of them posted as Library Technical Assistant (LTA) or similar. If you want that kind of job, many of them don't require the AA (but may require a bachelor's degree) If you want to be a librarian, be sure you're looking at ALA accredited graduate schools. The degrees they offer have many names (mine is an MSLS, others are MLS, I had a boss years ago with a MALS, and of course newer degrees may not say library at all - their Information schools) But short answer, it's got to be a Masters (which can be 1 or 2 years full time study depending on the school) and it's got to have that ALA seal of approval.
Good luck!
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Thank you everyone for the advice. I actually have found a few jobs that are accepting the AA degree, but to get to do the work I want to do, I would definitely need the MLS. The 2 year program is tempting because it would be quicker and cheaper and could get me a job locally. My goal though is to work in a school, which requires an MLS.
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Joined: 11/18/2007
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Location: River Forest, IL
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I'd agree - the full ALA acc. MLIS would be a good bet. In many libraries, you must have it to advance at all. Disclaimer: I teach in LIS edu! 
M. Michael Stephens - Assistant Professor Graduate School of Library and Information Science Dominican University 7900 W. Division River Forest, IL 60305 708-524-6603 mstephens@dom.edu
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Usually a 2 year tech degree is offered at a Community College, at least it is here in Michigan. With this Associates degree, one may usually get a clerical position or in many cases work in an elementary school library as a parapro (most Michigan elementary schools do NOT have an MLS librarian so they use para pro's) If you are looking for more professional work and pay, stick with an accredited MLS program
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