What to do for 17 months between a BA and MLIS?

April 24, 2022 11:02 AM

I'm currently finishing up my undergraduate degree and am interested in pursuing a library graduate degree. Unfortunately, the graduate program I'm most interested in doesn't allow people to apply until they've already fully completed their undergraduate degree. I'm looking for ideas on what I should try to accomplish in the 17 months between graduating with my BA and earliest possible start date of this MLIS program.

Re: the graduate program I'm most interested in doesn't allow people to apply until they've already fully completed their undergraduate degree
This is pretty unusual, from what I can tell. All the other library graduate programs I'm considering allow applications from students finishing up their undergraduate degree and considers admission based on interim graded and contingent on completing the undergraduate degree before completing the program. I've confirmed this is the policy with the program's admissions team, and it doesn't seem like there's flexibility around this requirement (although I am still exploring this). As this program is (unfortunately) my preferred program, I'm probably going to end up taking a gap year even though I'd rather continue straight into graduate studies.

Existing ideas
I thought it might be wise to use this gap year to improve my chances of admission into this program. Some current students recommended I take some programming courses, but I previously worked as a web developer so that doesn't seem very useful for me. I'm thinking to try and get library-related work/volunteer experience. Not sure what else would be helpful?

Thanks in advance!

posted by dokodomo to Education (18 answers total)

Between a BA and MLIS, I'd try to get a job working in a library or volunteering in a library should be a top priority.
posted by VirginiaPlain at 11:11 AM on April 24, 2022 [26 favorites]

Perhaps contact the admissions team for this course and ask them to tell you what they're looking for in potential students, and what you could do to make yourself stand out?
posted by underclocked at 11:26 AM on April 24, 2022 [3 favorites]

If you aren’t already living there, move to the state where the grad program is so you can meet the (usual) one-year residency prerequisite for in-state tuition.
posted by stellaluna at 11:32 AM on April 24, 2022 [15 favorites]

I would also ask around locally to find out if some libraries near you offer tuition assistance for their staff - the library I work at does, after the person has been working there for one year.
posted by xo at 11:47 AM on April 24, 2022 [7 favorites]

Seconding VirginiaPlain: get a job in a library. This should be your number one priority with the exception of if you have full-time library work experience from before/during your BA, in which case I'd still highly recommend it but maybe it doesn't need to be your absolute highest priority. I'm an ex-librarian who started my library science degree in my early 20s, a few years after finishing my undergrad degree. I worked in libraries while completing my degree and one of them offered tuition reimbursement, but I think I had to work there for a year before it kicked in.
posted by mskyle at 11:47 AM on April 24, 2022 [5 favorites]

When I was finishing up my last degree before my MLIS, I took courses in stats, sociological research methods, and programming. All proved useful.

Also, 17 months is a long time. Unless you’re getting the tuition/residency benefit that multiple people have mentioned, I’d see about doing something interesting, if you have or can come up with the means (travel, strange job, foreign study, whatever). You have your whole life to work, and toiling away for those 17 months in the kind of work you will/should be doing as a student… it’s a real roll of the dice whether that will help your long-term arc. I’ve talked to way too many current or prospective LIS students who have pinned too many hopes on their 5 hr/wk volunteer gig as a career anchor.
posted by cupcakeninja at 12:02 PM on April 24, 2022 [5 favorites]

Thirding VirginiaPlain. I hire people for librarian jobs, and I would be very reluctant to hire someone who didn't have work or significant (like, you led a project, organized a program series or a community partnership, or did something else that's at least adjacent to something a professional librarian would do) volunteer experience in a library.

Beyond that, other good things you can do are mostly dependent on what kind of librarian you want to be.

If you want to be a public librarian, you might work on learning a second language, participating in professional organizations (most have discount student memberships), or, if you want to be a little more hardcore about it, find the syllabi for your first semester of courses and start doing some pre-reading.

If you want to work in archives, or in back-of-house jobs in public libraries like tech services or collection development, start networking :)

I know less about academic, special, etc. libraries, but maybe someone else can be more helpful on those subjects.
posted by box at 12:11 PM on April 24, 2022 [3 favorites]

I worked in an academic library for 5 or 6 years before becoming a full-fledged academic librarian. If you're interested in an academic path but not able to get an academic paraprofessional job, I could probably help you think through alternate jobs to consider.

That said: can you tell us more about *why* you want to get your MLIS? What do you imagine using it for? Some people get it so they can work in a public or academic library, while others want to do more technical "information science" type work. I feel like it would be easier for us to advise you if we knew your impetus for going to library school.
posted by leftover_scrabble_rack at 2:52 PM on April 24, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster:

That said: can you tell us more about *why* you want to get your MLIS? What do you imagine using it for? Some people get it so they can work in a public or academic library, while others want to do more technical "information science" type work. I feel like it would be easier for us to advise you if we knew your impetus for going to library school.

I guess I am mainly taking it for interest but also to have an option to work in public libraries. My area of interest I think it usually called critical information policy? I'd like to learn more about policy and social dynamics around information creation and access. My previous work was in web development and digital accessibility, so I'd be interested in integrating those skills as well.
posted by dokodomo at 3:05 PM on April 24, 2022

My area of interest I think it usually called critical information policy? I'd like to learn more about policy and social dynamics around information creation and access. My previous work was in web development and digital accessibility, so I'd be interested in integrating those skills as well.

Oh nice. Well a thing you could do besides the many other great suggestions is join your state or province's library association and get some sort of a leadership role (we are all very tired and someone showing up and offering to help with something especially along the lines of your interests would be warmly welcome in my state for example). There are often ways to get involved working on library-adjacent issues and depending on where you live that could be extremely critical right now (i.e. active issues/challenges/problems) or just "Might be an issue coming up" kind of thing.

You could also join the American Library Association but I warn you, they are not for everyone. However, their incoming president (a one-year job, different from being the exec director who runs the org) is a labor organizer and a real spitfire who will talk about some of the topics you are interested in. Among library folks who have a critical librarianship approach (I am one, there are many others) they tend to use the #critlib hashtag on social media, so you can use that to stay somewhat abreast of topics online. Feel free to email me if you have questions, public library people tend to be a friendly bunch to people who have questions about the profession.
posted by jessamyn at 5:49 PM on April 24, 2022 [3 favorites]

Travel and visit some of the world's great public and academic libraries.
posted by fairmettle at 10:29 PM on April 24, 2022

Work/ volunteer at some interesting libraries. University libraries will differ from public libraries and there may be some special interest library that would interest you.
posted by theora55 at 7:02 AM on April 25, 2022 [1 favorite]

Right, so if you have a year between undergrad and grad school and have an interest in libraries, I don't actually recommend trying to get a job in libraries unless you are really jazzed to do that. For grad school admissions folks and library hiring committees, non-library work experiences can be as interesting as library work experiences. Also, while it's not true everywhere, there can be a bias against hiring into librarian positions people who have MLISs and are in non-library positions in libraries (sometimes known as para-professionals, library technicians, and similar). I don't think this is a conscious or intentional bias, and I don't think it's justified or good! But, it is a real thing.

It is good to get experience in a library before you graduate. Ideally, this would be through a position designed for library science students, as those positions are often sort of semi-professional and might give you the opportunity to do librarian work rather than typical student or clerk work like reshelving books. (Again, I am not suggesting there isn't value in that kind of work, but about what will make you more hirable). Volunteering would be okay too, perhaps with an internship or practicum for credit. You don't want to finish library school without having any library experience if you want to work in libraries.

But, in the meantime, during this gap, non-library work can be incredibly enriching for libraries and give you so much more depth of experience you can use as a librarian. My earlier jobs in customer service, outdoor recreation, and teaching have given me useful skills and perspectives that I bring to my library work. And, I always get asked about this stuff during job interviews. Plus, what we librarians can bring to library is a diversity of other experiences and knowledge. Potential programs and employers will likely be interested to see other skill sets and interests and experience. What's interesting to you in the world? Can you do that kind of work for a year?

For what it's worth, I think the web development and digital accessibility work you've done will be super interesting and relevant to a library career.

I also realize that this take is pretty different from other folks are suggesting. But, given that you're right out of undergrad and possibly looking at only one year not pursuing a library degree and then a possible career in librarianship, I think it's fine time to have some experiences to broaden your knowledge and interests rather than starting to specialize already.

I guess I am mainly taking it for interest but also to have an option to work in public libraries. My area of interest I think it usually called critical information policy. I'd like to learn more about policy and social dynamics around information creation and access.

I don't really recommend the MLIS as a degree to pursue for interest, if you're not pretty sure about working in libraries. There are likely more interesting degrees to pursue for the curriculum (especially one that doesn't track to a specific career). And please do check the curriculum of schools to make sure they actually offer (not just have on the books, but offer regularly) enough classes in this interest area. It's possible you could get into a program and they wouldn't really offer a lot on this, if anything. You might be all over this already, but I did want to give you a heads up.

Good luck sorting through all this!
posted by bluedaisy at 2:09 PM on April 25, 2022 [2 favorites]

Have you looked into taking graduate classes at your university-of-interest as a non-degree student? Some universities allow you to take a small-ish number of courses as a graduate-level non-degree-seeker before you are officially admitted, and will officially count those toward your degree after you've been admitted (assuming you are). It's a good way to get core courses done while you wait.

Source: I did this. But I was also reasonably sure a) I'd be admitted to the program and b) my performance in these courses would work in my favor when applying.
posted by invincible summer at 2:34 PM on April 25, 2022

I’m currently in an MLIS program and an affiliate of CITAP at UNC which sounds like it might be up your alley. Honestly, most of my classmates are not directly out of undergrad ~ and with a really wide range of experiences from customer service to warehouse work to cello playing. I would do something that really interests you but not necessarily for professional reasons…there are many skills that lend themselves to this profession, and you are only in your early 20s once!
posted by melodykramer at 4:39 PM on April 25, 2022 [1 favorite]

Honestly, most of my classmates are not directly out of undergrad ~ and with a really wide range of experiences from customer service to warehouse work to cello playing.

I am going to echo what melodykramer said above. I didn't provide this context, but it was definitely my experience that most folks in my program were not coming straight from undergrad. For some it had been a few years, and for others much longer. Many people enter these programs as a second career. And that's part of what I have seen and how I have appreciated the richness of those earlier experiences and what they can bring to your understanding and practice of librarianship.
posted by bluedaisy at 5:13 PM on April 25, 2022

Response by poster: FYI I am in my late 20s and have work experience. I went back to school after working for a few years.
posted by dokodomo at 1:58 PM on April 26, 2022 [1 favorite]

As a longtime public librarian, I would suggest getting some in-person customer service experience if you don't already have it. Find out if you really like people. It's all very well to like books or information theory, but if you don't like people, you won't like working in a public library.
posted by exceptinsects at 11:25 PM on April 29, 2022