Librarian

A librarian is a person who develops procedures for organizing information and provides services that assist and instruct people in the most efficient ways to identify and access any needed information or information resource (article, book, magazine, etc.). In the workplace, the librarian is usually a professional with a Master's degree in library science or information science who is trained and educated to analyze information needs and use a wide variety of information resources to meet those needs. Although librarians are traditionally associated with collections of books, they can deal with the organization and retrieval of information in many formats such as Internet resources, compact discs, photographs, videotapes, newspapers, magazines, and computer databases.

Education

In the United States and Canada, a librarian normally has a one or two-year master's degree in library and information science, library science or information science (called an MSLS, MLS, MIS, MISt, MLIS or MILS) from an accredited university. These degrees are accredited by the American Library Association and can have specializations within fields such as archiving, records management, information architecture, public librarianship, medical librarianship, law librarianship, special librarianship, academic librarianship, or school (K-12) librarianship. School librarians often are required to have a teaching credential as well as a library science degree. Many if not most academic librarians also have a second, subject-based master's degree.

Related Topics:
Master's degree - Library and information science - Library science - Information science - American Library Association - Archiving - Records management - Information architecture

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Elsewhere, a librarian can have a three- or four-year bachelor's degree in library and information studies or Information science; separate master's degrees in librarianship, archive management, and records management are also available. In the United Kingdom, these degrees are accredited by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals and the Society of Archivists.

Related Topics:
Bachelor's degree - Library and information studies - Information science - Master's degree - Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals

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Doctorates in Library and Information Science are also possible, with graduates of these programs holding Ph.D.s. They often become university faculty (teaching in LIS programs) or university librarians, e.g. directors of Academic Libraries. The PhD is normally required for a library director in an academic setting, though the doctoral degree need not necessarily be in Library Science.

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Other degrees often taken in conjunction with a degree in librarianship are law, management, or public administration.

Related Topics:
Law - Management - Public administration

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Library associates, Library technicians, and library assistants usually do not hold the specific Library Science or Information Management Master's degree, but often hold bachelor's and master's degrees in other fields. They perform duties such as database management, cataloging, ready reference, and serials and monograph acquisitions.

Related Topics:
Library technician - Library assistant - Database management - Cataloging

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