I'm so disappointed in my LIS program I find I don't even have much interest left in the profession. Which is silly because I've never worked in it, but it doesn't have half the appeal to me now that it did for decades. But I'm halfway through the masters, it's not difficult, and my employer is paying, so disinterest isn't really a good enough reason to quit now. With spring semester looming, I guess I'm just looking for a little encouragement. I mean, a lousy school experience means nothing about one's career experience, right? One librarian told me nearly everyone hates the school and loves the job, it's just a step you have to take. True for you? Or should I cut my losses and quit chasing a degree that no longer holds much interest to me? Yes, I know I need to go volunteer and start on internships but I have to work FT to keep my tuition reimbursement and the way that plan works I will have to drag this degree out for another 16 months. So I figure my one internship might best be left close to graduation. Thanks for any thoughts!

I am one of those people; I loved my master's work, so it is difficult for me to understand the specific level of frustration you are obviously feeling at this point in your career. However with that said, I know everyone does not like school. After talking to different new librarians, one specifically a recent graduate, it seems disappointment and frustration with the LIS process may be a growing problem within the profession that needs to be addressed.

I agree with Brian, there is indeed a vast difference between real world and schooling. I feel librarianship is a challenging, interesting, and rewarding career. Therefore, my concern would be for you following a path that you appear to have lost professional interest in persuing.

What about the school is particularly problematic?
Do you have a mentor available to discuss your concerns?
Is there an academic mentor for you at your university that would be open to dialogue?

-- and conversly --

What made you want to be a librarian?
Is the final professional experience one you want?
Do you still want to be a librarian?

Take some time and a step back before you make any final decisions. Get involved with student organizations, attend a local conference, and talk with professionals in the field. These things may change your outlook and help you reclaim the original spark that made you consider LIS masters work. If the problem is the school, maybe you can look at online opportunities for coursework you could take in conjunction with your current course load (University of Pittsburgh, Fast Track comes to mind).

You're right- it means nothing. Any course or job could be interesting or torturous to me, depending on the people.

I could squeeze in some volunteer hours but public librarianship isn't high on my list anymore. Do academic or other libraries use volunteers that aren't their own students? My school isn't local.

Thanks for responding!

I went to library school out from undergrad (I was a history major) so it was nice seeing other 20 somethings in the program.
I didn't stay in the same state for grad school. I attended a predominantly undergrad state university. What a change of a location! I went from being in the suburbs of a major city to a rural location. Since it was in a rural location, it wasn't well-known outside of the region. With such a small town (over 6000) there was little to do so you had to travel to get anywhere.
I had professors who were better than others. My academic advisor wasn't the greatest. I had a wonderful prof with whom I had 3 classes. He gave plenty of advice in and out of the classroom. When it came time to job hunt, that prof was the one who looked over my resume and cover letter and served as a reference. (I totally avoided the campus career services center for my job hunt)
I could've gone to a different school but finding housing would've been a challenge. My program was ok but not the greatest.
I concur with DianeS, get involved with a student organization. I was involved with 3 clubs including the ALA student chapter. I also presented a (old) history paper at a regional history honor society conference. I also made friends with those in my program and undergrads. Library school should be more than going to class.
What really turned me off about the university was its poor outreach to graduate students (ie no student orientation for grad students among my other complaints) so I wouldn't donate money readily.

Hi,

I was one of the people who was disappointed with what my library school offered me. I was only a year out of my undergrad with a history degree, and from a school and program I had loved. I went to a small private school that cost a fortune for my MLS, and was so upset by the quality of the classes. I was interested in going into school libraries and went to talk with the person in charge and was basically told to forget it because I didn't have my teaching degree already and schools only wanted "master teachers." So I gave it up. Guess what? I'm now almost done completing my certification for working in school libraries. I decided I had to go back because that is what I love. It took me 8 years to go back. I wish I'd just done what I needed to do in the beginning, rather than waiting.

That being said, I loved my job in the public library as a young adult librarian. It gave me the opportunity to work with teachers, students and school library media specialists in the schools we served. It gave me time to grow, learn from other great librarians, and come into my own. I have confidence in my abilities and know what I can and can't do.

Stay and get your degree. Get a job in a library you think you might like. Give it a year at least. Worst case, you hate working in libraries. But you still have the masters and that can't be taken away.

In any case, good luck, and remember you are already half way there! :)

Thank you all so much. I feel a lot better about the upcoming semester. I too had a top notch undergrad program and my MLIS program is not cheap in the least. I wish I had found or heard of one good prof in this program. But that's the breaks. I should be glad I have tuition assistance and the opportunity at all. (We need a smiley that's just a plain ol' smile!)

Yes, but it depends on the organizations policies, procedures, and attitudes. For example, my library often has accepted volunteers from various library schools. But I have heard other libraries do not due to union restrictions or dozens of other reasons.

---

Brian C. Gray
Head of Reference & Engineering Librarian
Kelvin Smith Library
Case Western Reserve University
http://blog.case.edu/bcg8
bcg8@case.edu

I also loved school (UNC-Chapel Hill), but it was also my undergrad alma mater, and I had a great job at the university library during school, and they won't the national championship in my favorite sport (men's basketball) while I was there... so I had a lot more going on than just my coursework.

I will say that it's really important to choose classes based on the prof, not on the content of the course. It was hard to stick to this lesson, but inevitably, the class that seemed great would turn out bad if there had been rumors that the instructor wasn't good. So take classes with the best instructors and professors (and don't assume that adjuncts are bad and professors are good--it depends very much on the person).

I've had a really good experience at UT, Knoxville. I will say that I have been frustrated at times with the lack of on-campus courses. I don't mind logging in to DE courses from home (and, at times, it's been really handy), but I learn best in a more traditional, face-to-face setting, especially if it's a seminar format. I do not take very well to long lectures and lots of powerpoint slides! This is compounded by sitting and staring at a computer screen while your significant other is sitting and reading or watching a good movie on tv :).

I have often heard that the education and the job are not very similar. I think that's probably true for any "professional" program (as opposed to an "academic" or research program). IT folks say they learn more in the first 6 months on the job than in all their computer courses combined. That will, to some degree, be true for many of us, I think.