MLS program for an aspiring science librarian

November 10, 2008 7:17 AM

I want to be a science librarian. Help me find the right MLS/MLIS program. My main criteria are: many opportunities for practical experience and networking, a track record of gainfully employed alums and, probably the most important, funding.

I've read all of the MLS related posts in the archives, but I'm wondering if my interest in science librarianship and my hopes for funding would elicit some different responses.

Information that may or may not be relevant: I have a B.A. and an M.A. in Biology (3.9 or so GPA). I scored very high on the math and verbal sections of the GRE, but literally bombed on the analytical section - I'll be retaking it in December. Notwithstanding my performance on the GREs, I am actually a decent writer. I have won writing awards as an undergraduate and have two articles in the process of being published in professional science journals. I live in Massachusetts, but, my husband and I are growing weary of the Northeast so having to move is fine. I am also open to online programs.

posted by a22lamia to education (16 comments total)

Just a quickie note from me. I think the most important thing about an MLIS program is not going into terrible debt (*cough cough* *Simmons*)for it unless you happen to be fairly wealthy. If you're interested in science librarianship you might also consider going to an in-person school where there is a science library where you can work while you're in school. When I went to UW I worked in the Natural Sciences library while I was in school and I think getting out of library school with real world experience is a really good idea. A lot of academic librarians have double masters degrees [MLIC and subject specialty] so you're well positioned. Don't worry too much about your GREs if you've got a good GPA or, rather, check to see how they measure up with the accepted students' GREs. I bet you'd be surprised.

So, my suggestion is to move to Seattle which would be fun anyhow. Establish residency and then go to the UW when it's cheaper. Talk to MeFite fuzzbean who is there now and see what she thinks about it.
posted by jessamyn at 7:26 AM on November 10, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Not a science librarian, but just jumping in to echo jessamyn's point about not going into crazy debt for an MLIS. As long as you go to an ALA-accredited school, its not a huge deal about where you go to school.

The most important thing is that you pick a school where you can get good experience. Going to a school with a reputable science library is a good move, but there's also a ton of opportunities in science libraries outside academia - government agencies and labs, pharma companies, etc. Even before you start a program, I'd highly encourage you to reach out to libraries that interest you and ask if they offer internship (paid or unpaid) opportunities, or just set up information interviews with the science librarians to get informed advice about the profession and career options.

Also, get yourself a student membership to the Special Libraries Association (SLA) and any of the divisions (biology, chemistry, pharma, et al.) that are of interest.
posted by dicaxpuella at 7:54 AM on November 10, 2008

Well, i've long been a proponent of UIUC's GSLIS on the green, but I'd like to point out that, while they're not able to fund 100% of their grads, they do have a fair amount of aid available. And UIUC does have a great tradition in the sciences as well . . . and yes, Jessamyn is absolutely correct when she notes that (1) minimizing debt is key to success, and (2) Seattle would be a fun place to live.
posted by deejay jaydee at 7:55 AM on November 10, 2008

Wow, is it really $24,000 for the UW MLIS? You might want to consider a Canadian MLIS (University of Western in Ontario is $10,000 a year for foreign students and I think it is just a one year programme).
posted by saucysault at 7:58 AM on November 10, 2008

I started my degree at Western, which saucysault just mentioned, and finished at the University of Toronto. I can confirm that while it is possible to finish in one year, you may really want to take advantage of the co-op program. After my fall term, I was placed in a Toronto public library for the winter term, continued living in Toronto and working in the same library part time while commuting to London for a full slate of courses in my summer term, and got a full internship at McMaster University in Hamilton the following year. At that point I got tired of travelling and took another three terms to finish at U of T.

So while I loved going to UWO and really owe a lot to the co-op placements and internship, keep in mind that the co-op placements may require that you move away from London itself for one or more terms, as it's a relatively small city and few placements are available locally.
posted by maudlin at 8:11 AM on November 10, 2008

The UWO program is a one-year program if one only does the coursework and foregoes coop opportunities. But, that would be a false economy unless one already has considerable library experience and only needs the MLS.

While in general funding opportunities are rare in MLS programs, UIUC is an exception. They have a relatively large number of assistantships which involve working in a university library. Plus, it's a highly-rated program with an excellent track record for its alums.

The School of Information at the University of Michigan offers the University Library Associates program. While the financial terms are quite generous, it's very competitive.

I would be leery of an online program unless you are currently working in a library. As yet, the networking and funding opportunities are not there, compared to on-site programs.
posted by needled at 8:15 AM on November 10, 2008

Seriously, as long as it is ALA accredited, go where ever you'd like. And nth ing joining library associations to network. Make sure you get library experience while in school, be it an internship or practicum.
posted by cestmoi15 at 8:30 AM on November 10, 2008

UIUC also has MS concentrations in Bioinformatics and Data Curation, both of which you might find interesting.
posted by MsMolly at 8:46 AM on November 10, 2008

Echoing that there could very well be good science library opportunities even if your school doesn't have a Science library - I went to UNC SILS and several of my classmates worked part time in corporate or governmental libraries in Research Triangle Park and the other Universities in the area. One got a full-time job at the same library; another used her experience at a government library to get a post-school job at a laboratory in her desired location, and a third used his time at a corporate library (at a scientific-oriented company) to contribute to his thesis.

My state's education department was tremendously useful - they ended up paying the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition for me because there wasn't a public program in the state that met what I was going to school for. I had my choice of institutions in 8 states, and there were 2-3 I seriously considered (plus UIUC) when making my choice. All I had to do was basically have every intention of coming back to the state to work, which I did (in all senses of the word). I'd check to see if they offer a similar deal or incentives for students in the sciences.
posted by julen at 9:20 AM on November 10, 2008

St John's University has an IMLS-funded program for special libraries accepting applications right now for January 2009 and July 2009. I started in the Youth Services cohort and am able to work full-time during the day.

There are a lot of benefits to this particular program, including free tuition and laptop, membership to various organizations, et cetera. However, you are expected to work in an urban area for three years after graduation.
posted by amicamentis at 9:44 AM on November 10, 2008

As jessamyn mentions, I'm in the UW's MLIS program right now (and just registered for my second quarter). They don't publicize this much, but there are teaching assistant and research assistant jobs available that include a full tuition waiver (even if you're out of state), health insurance, and a stipend. I have one. If I didn't I probably wouldn't be going. Feel free to ping me if you want to talk more about the program or just general library-school stuff.

And yeah, Seattle is awesome!
posted by fuzzbean at 10:11 AM on November 10, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I am a science librarian and I went to the University of Texas at Austin.

I did not initially plan to be a science librarian, so I did not pick UT Austin with that in mind but I did go there because of the eight places that I applied it offered me the best funding. I found that the Information Studies program at UT Austin was very good both in terms of informing students about different professional opportunities (they had a designated, very proactive, Career Services staff member) and in terms of arranging things such as resume review sessions and meet & greet type events with local library type folks.

When I went there (2004-2006), the tuition was much more reasonable than many other similarly rated programs but that may have changed since I left.

Anyway, while I definitely enjoyed my time at UT Austin and I certainly think that you could do much worse than going there, my general recommendation would be to apply to quite a few different schools that sound promising and then see whether you have a clear winner in terms of overall costs. While it can be expensive applying to multiple places, the amount of money that you can save if you get a scholarship/ fellowship/ TAship somewhere can be very significant. You can make some educated guesses about where you are more likely to get funding but you can get some happy & unhappy surprises when you actually hear back from individual schools.
posted by pie_seven at 10:18 AM on November 10, 2008

Thank you so much for all of your advice! Jessamyn, I really wish I thought I could get away with not retaking the GREs - could my GPA and a near perfect math score (coupled with a very respectable verbal score) really make up for an abysmal analytical score?

I've been looking at UIUC and thanks to your responses I've added UW (Seattle!) and Michigan to my list.
posted by a22lamia at 2:16 PM on November 10, 2008

When I went to library school at UCLA, grips of our students were hired by the math, science, and medical libraries on campus. Full time employees also get free tuition. There program also has relationships with a lot of science & tech libraries/archives in the area, so internships are easy to get. Every person I know from the program got a job after graduation.
posted by HotPatatta at 2:35 PM on November 10, 2008

Depending on the school and your GPA, you might not have to even send your GRE scores. UIUC's program only requires the GRE if you have less than a 3.0 GPA. Washington requires them, though, as does Michigan. I'd recommend against taking them again unless you can afford it and you can deal with the stress. They're not nearly as important as your letters of recommendation and your personal statement. In fact, since they're going to have samples of your writing from the personal statement, they probably don't take the analytic section of your GRE into much account at all.

Michigan's a great program, but they really don't give a lot of money out for their master's students at the school of information. Washington gives a few more fellowships/scholarships, but not as many as Illinois, which provides assistantships to a large number of on-campus students (this is based on my experience applying two years ago; I think that with the state of the economy, it's even harder to get funding for an MLIS now).

Like pie_seven said, you can increase your chances of getting funding if you apply to more schools. It's expensive but the investment is worth it if you can find a good school to pay your way for you, even if they just offer to pay the in-state portion. Just make sure to check the box "I'm interested in an assistantship/TAship/RAship/fellowship" on your application; most of these schools do not require a separate employment application for funding opportunities.
posted by k8lin at 3:26 PM on November 10, 2008

I am a science librarian, but only by amazing accident. Everyone has great things to say, I just wanted to emphasize the bioinformatics and data curation specialties. This is seriously where things are going, and I wish I had the opportunity to learn them (because they're interesting too!). You would be golden.
posted by unknowncommand at 10:45 PM on November 10, 2008