Librarian Expertise
What does it take to be a librarian? What kind of training do they undergo, what kind of skills are necessary for the position, and what good do these skills do for the community when they are put into practice? All these questions and more are to be answered in this discussion of the expertise of librarians.
Something that people may not know about librarians is that a masters degree is required for most librarian positions. The degree in question is a Masters in Library and Information science (MLIS or MLS for short). Since it is a masters degree this also necessitates that the person perusing the degree have a bachelor's degree of some kind. Usually the major of the bachelors degree is not of great importance. But what is an MLIS degree and is it similar to master degrees in the humanities, the sciences, or neither?
To give a short answer, the MLIS degree isn’t like either humanities or science degree, it is a very distinctive type of program. Those enrolled in an MLIS program have to learn about and be trained in the design and evaluation of information retrieval systems. They must be trained in planning, management, and advocacy. They must be able to use the basic concepts and principles related to the selection, evaluation, organization, and preservation of physical and digital information items. They must be up to date in the world of technology and literature. They must be leaders, expert communicators, and so much more. Librarians have to be multifaceted capable of a great deal in order to better serve their community. To see why someone may choose to choose MLIS as a major, please have a look at this interview with MLIS graduate Christine Perucci as she discussed why she chose her MLIS program.
Why do librarians need degrees? Why is it necessary for them to be trained in so many skills and to be able to do so much? It is because when equipped with these skills and armed with the education they received from their MLIS program, librarians are capable of changing lives. Take for instance these interviews conducted by the New York Public Library with late night show host’s Desus and Mero. Desus and Mero were the children of immigrants and growing up their families faced the struggle of living in a new country. However both Desus and Mero remember that the library was a safe place for them. A place where they could simply be present, read, use a computer and more. Desus’ mother worked at a library as an information assistant and eventually he too would have a job as a clerk at the New York Public Library. They describe their relationship with the library as being incredibly beneficial when it comes to their own writing, as they are both New York times best selling authors.
In another example Tara Franzetti, a public librarian in the Richmond Library system, discussed not only the importance of public libraries but also their relevance. In the modern day and with access to the internet most people can access most of what is provided by their library on their phone. Ebooks, databases, and movies all can be accessed at home, therefore why is it a necessity that libraries be open and be staffed by librarians? That is because Libraries are more than just book repositories. They are third spaces, they are community centers, they are after school programs, and they are places where people can get vital information and training on life skills they would otherwise be unable to achieve. For people who have a low level of technological literacy libraries can be the place where they develop those skills.
In a TED Talk Shamichael Hallman discusses how libraries in the past have been community focused establishments, and how in the future libraries can better shape their services to be more focused on community affairs and providing services to the community rather than just providing books.
Finally, academic librarians, while not focused on the general community, do have to serve a specific academic community. They are in charge of showing students how to utilize the library's resources so that they can not only pass their classes but also so that they can achieve their full potential. Academic librarians can have a make or break impact on students' performance throughout their college experience.
Librarians are trained extensively for the positions that they staff. In order to better serve the community, they are trained to develop an extensive skill set that allows them to perform a great deal of tasks, so the community can rely on them to fulfill multiple roles at once. Librarians are your research assistant, your collections curator, your teacher, your community center administrator, and so much more. It is for these reasons that librarians train incredibly hard in order to hone their expertise to serve the general public.
Class Critique: This looks really good and your resources look interesting! If I had any suggestion it would only be less text. Well done!