Question about MLS/Library Archive Certification (consulting, degrees, degree, jobs)

[dreamofmonterey]

I recall someone here had mentioned this program as a good career if you are in a city. What types of jobs other than library; i.e Curator, etc? Just curious, thanks for any help. This is the Masters/ post Bachelor program.

[belovenow]

I happen to know first hand that with an MLS degree you can get involved in Knowledge Management or Corporate Library work (including handling Market Intelligence, Competitive Intelligence, or fielding reference desk inquiries).

With an MLS there's a lot of opportunity to do a lot of things related to the information age ... I know many MLS holders who also are involved in web content management, social computing, and a few who also do consulting work for companies looking for information management expertise.

In reality the sky is the limit for holders of MLS degrees, and no I don't feel like I'm exaggerating. If you have the confidence and presence, you can achieve anything in the corporate world that someone with an MBA or Engineering degree typically can. If you don't then you may want to be like 99% of MLS holders "out there" and become a public, academic, or school librarian. Not a bad career path at all, working in a library is typically not very stressful, with nice working hours, no travel, stable long-term, and it can pay well.

These observations are ones I've learned over many years. If I had to identify a single shortcoming of getting an MLS degree... it is simply that most people have never heard of it. In the corporate world I believe you need to market yourself thus accordingly or else you may not be recognized for your graduate education. Most everyone in the business world knows what an MBA is, and if from a top school it garners a lot of respect. With an MLS degree you'll just have to remind people that you are an information architect in a business world increasingly dependent upon information.