MLS overqualifies for Assistants or Technicians?

August 3, 2008 10:09 PM

I'm a Library Assistant who will not leave the Pacific Northwest - if the only jobs I can get are non-MLS, will having an MLS hurt my chances?

I'm thinking about going on and getting my MLS even though I know how strong the competition is for jobs in this field. I'm not leaving the area. If I need to leave my current Assistant job and can't nail a proper Librarian position, would I be dismissed as over-qualified for other Assistant/Technician jobs?

I know librarians are *ahem* touchy about the value of an MLS and could see them not hiring one as a tech because it might seem to devalue the degree. Am I wrong?

posted by codswallop to work & money (9 comments total)

It wouldn't disqualify you outright but as a library manager myself I'd be a little bit leery of hiring MLSs for LA jobs - because I'd be expecting them to be applying for MLS positions, which means to me that they might be leaving earlier rather than later. Lots of libraries located at or near library schools have tons of MLSs in LA jobs though, so maybe its just me.

If you won't leave your area (a very short sighted view imho) and don't think you can get an MLS job anyway, why do you want the degree?
posted by the dief at 10:27 PM on August 3, 2008

Are you leaving the Assistant job to get the MLS? If so, is there any way you can keep the job and just get the MLS at night?

the dief's right. I always hated the idea of disqualifying candidates for being "overqualified," but as soon as my current assistants finish their MLSs I know I have to keep an eye out for replacements should they decide to bolt (though, of course, I'd be happy for their progress). I'd be even more concerned about new hires with the potential to jump ship.

The actual classes you take in a library program will be hit or miss, and 90% of what you might learn there can also be learned on the job, or by attending workshops, or simply by talking to librarians. Most of the value of the MLS is in the piece of paper at the end, and if you're convinced it won't help you get a job in the northwest (or get you paid more where you are) there's little point in getting it.
posted by aswego at 10:46 PM on August 3, 2008

Oh, I think I can get a job I'm qualified for but I'm not stupid. MLS jobs around here can be hard to get. I personally know of three recent grads who've had to truck off to points very far away.

I'm not leaving the Assistant job to get the MLS, but for complex yet irrelevant reasons, I'm going to have to leave my current position one way or another in about three years. If I can't move up to an MLS job, I'm ok with being an Assistant somewhere else. But, yeah, I can see them expecting me to bolt. That's a drag.

I understand that refusing to leave the area could be seen as short-sighted but I have lived in many other states and I'm just not interested at all in leaving. It's a quality of life thing and is worth thousands of dollars in salary to me. I just want to make the most with what I've got to work with.
posted by codswallop at 11:29 PM on August 3, 2008

Have you considered using your MLS as a librarian outside of a traditional library? I work for a management consulting firm, and we're searching right now for a MLS to come in and help us improve our research function. Candidates we've interviewed have worked not only in traditional libraries, but with law firms, architectural firms, construction companies (creating a physical library of construction materials!), and other places. It's a very useful degree.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 4:48 AM on August 4, 2008 [2 favorites]

the dief had my answer pretty much. I would worry if you were an MLS in an assistant position that you'd be looking to leave for a better-paying or higher status job eventually. If you have a reason for being fine with an assistant position, whatever that might be (need a part time job because of family, prefer the work, partner has another job that is higher stress, whatever) that might change my mind a lot. The PacNW [which is where I got my library degree] is pretty large and there are a lot of teeny libraries you could pretty much RUN with an MLS if you weren't hellbent on staying in one of the major metro areas. I know you asked mostly about getting assistant jobs

I know librarians are *ahem* touchy about the value of an MLS and could see them not hiring one as a tech because it might seem to devalue the degree. Am I wrong?

This is a little backwards, not wrong. Librarians can be touchy about the degree and might not hire a tech with an MLS because they think the degree is a bigger deal and so they'd be likely to assume you'd want to go off and be awesome with it.

Of course I'd encourage you to talk to your current workplace about getting an MLS and staying somehow in the library or system that you are in, but honestly you'll have to look at whatever your reasons are for getting and MLS -- which will likely not make you MORE attractive for assistant positions but gives you lots of other benefits down the road -- and see if it's really what you want to do.
posted by jessamyn at 7:11 AM on August 4, 2008

I would not hire someone with an MLS to work as one of my Library Assistants for the above stated "they will move on" reason. Paradoxically, I would hire someone who is pursuing an MLS as one of my Library Assistants, even though they may move on after getting it, because in my opinion there are way too many have-a-MLS-but-no-experience library school grads floating around my neck of the woods.

So you may want to look about your area for assistant jobs that will help pay for your MLS. This is also a great chance for you to conduct informal interviews with other librarians about the field as you try to suss out your future career path. These librarians will remember who you are when it comes time for you to ship off your resume.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 7:41 AM on August 4, 2008

NotMyselfRightNow took the words out of my mouth. I'm an MLS (actually mine is information science, but that's not the point just now) and I have worked as a Librarian in a library and now I'm working in the non-library world - AND I didn't have to leave my geographic area. So if other fields are a possibility for you, look at corporate, government, legal, and non-profit spheres.
posted by pointystick at 8:36 AM on August 4, 2008

If you can explain to someone why you're happy with a tech/assistant position, I don't see how it can be anything but an asset. I'm a librarian with hiring power for a small special library, and I'd hire someone as an assistant or a tech with an MLIS in a heartbeat, if they were otherwise qualified and assured me they wouldn't be zipping off elsewhere quickly.
posted by booknerd at 10:10 AM on August 4, 2008

Firstly, if your computer skills aren't up to snuff, start teaching yourself programming languages and basic database software. The more programming you're able to do, the easier it will be to find a job. Many of my former comrades from library school ('08 grads) have found positions in medical libraries, law libraries, news libraries, research positions, government libraries, corporate libraries/records management, information architecture (making lots of $!), and database management. Are you only looking for a position as a public librarian? If not, you should start exploring the Special Libraries Assn and all the jobs its members hold. With creativity and resourcefulness, you can apply for a broad array of jobs and convince the interviewer that your MLIS is indispensable to their organization.

When I worked in a public library, the library management did not seriously consider hiring MLIS students or grads as LAs because they didn't want them to leave the position in two years. They did, however, offer a lot of encouragement to our LAs who decided to pursue an MLIS.
posted by HotPatatta at 10:48 AM on August 4, 2008