A Library science online degree - what does it take and what can I use it for?
Why study for a library science online degree? Did you know that there are only 56 Masters in Library Science degree programs in the country accredited by the American Library Association (ALA). Lower grade degrees are suitable if you wish to work as a technician. This lack of places for library degrees may cause you a bit of a problem if you don't happen to live anywhere near one of these centres of education. It is even worse news - as to get a job in a library, or even in some school libraries, you need to have a Masters degree in library sciences - what can one do? The good news is that there is a way of out this problem - you can now study for a library science online degree, which means that no matter where you live or what the crazy hours your job keeps, you will still be able to become a fully qualified librarian.
Where can I find an accredite online degree in library sciences?A very small number of distance learning institutions offer ALA-accredited programs that are fully online. These include:
What can I expect on an online course?The first thing you will realise is that you will still need to work incredibly hard to gain your online degree. Any online degree worth anything will make you work for it. Avoid any degrees which offer to let you pass in a few weeks, take in your previous experience in return for credits or even offer a two - for - one offer - as all these will disappoint you further down the line. You will be trained in how to run a library, how to cater for a wide set of tastes and make sure you know a large amount of information in terms of how books are organised. You will also need to learn your legal rights and responsibilities as a librarian and the best ways of organising information both online and also in the library itself.
What happens when you have gained your library science online degree?The librarians' median annual earnings were about $43,000. However if you work for the Federal government, you can earn an average of $70,000. With online library degree, you can also continue on an branch out into a wide range of specalisms and you could become an archivist, curator, or museum technician. It is worth nothing that most states require school librarians to be certified as teachers before they become librarians. As a teacher I find this an odd requirement as often the librarians are the last people who I would leave my class to - as they are often more interested in their computer and books than a boistourous class of 25. With a growing demand for online books, you may also be interested in becoming an online librarian, responsible for organsing and maintaining collections purely online. This is a new direction to travel, and I believe it will become an increasingly important one as companies such as Google invest a growing amount of money into online books.
Reviewing online library degreesWe would love to hear about your experiences. If you do find a great online course, please take the time to let us know, so that we can share your review with the rest of our readers.
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