Preparing for possible LIS careers
These pathways serve to guide decisions about course selection and shape programs that will help our students achieve their career goals. The MSLIS program has two required courses: IS 505 Information Organization and Access and IS 510 Libraries, Information and Society. After fulfilling those requirements, students have the flexibility to design a curriculum according to their interests and goals. Students do not need to follow a single pathway and are free to pick and choose across pathways. Not all courses are offered every semester; course offerings depend on faculty availability and student interest. Academic advising is always available to help with course selection.
| An administration and management focus prepares students for leadership and equips them with skills to address organizational challenges and changes. The pathway supports learning the nuts and bolts of management, such as managing budgets and staff and learning the communication and collaboration skills essential for effective leadership. | |
| Sample job titles: Library Director, Assistant Director, Unit Manager, Division Head | |
Foundational courses: Applied courses: You might also consider: | |
| In today’s digital and data-driven world, libraries, archives, and research centers play a central role in preserving, managing, and providing access to digital resources and research data. These organizations rely on professionals skilled in digital curation and data stewardship to support a wide range of activities, including planning, management, preservation, and sharing as well as providing related consultations to researchers and other stakeholders. Professionals in these roles bring expertise in areas such as digital curation, data curation, metadata standards, digital preservation as well as data ethics and governance. They also often benefit from exposure to the scholarly communications and research lifecycles as well as more technical aspects of data management and data science. | |
| Sample job titles: Data Services Librarian, Research Data Librarian, Metadata Librarian, Data Curator, Data Steward, Digital Repository Librarian, Digital Curator | |
Foundational courses: Applied courses: You might also consider: If you are interested in librarianship: | |
| Academic libraries support the research and education missions of higher education. Academic libraries support teaching and learning, the creation and dissemination of scholarship and the curation of the scholarly record. | |
| Sample job titles: Student Success Librarian, Scholarly Communications Librarian, Metadata Specialist, Copyright Specialist, Digital Humanities Librarian, Subject Specialist, Systems Librarian, Research Data Services, Open Education Librarian | |
Foundational courses: Applied courses: You might also consider: | |
| Research, reference, and instruction help to guide the research and information services pathway here at the iSchool. Exploring and assessing information needs and practices from the past to the present provides students with a strong foundation to be successful in the field. Coursework will provide opportunities to explore methods of research, strategies for instruction, and the intricacies of reference work. | |
| Sample job titles: Adult Services Librarian; Reference and Instruction Librarian; Electronic Resources Librarian; Law Librarian; Learning Resource Center Manager; Health Sciences Librarian; Business Librarian | |
Foundational courses: Applied courses: You might also consider: | |
| Public libraries offer a diverse and exciting range of career opportunities. These include building and managing collections that meet community needs, service as technology and research advisors, developing community programming and partnerships, and helping to meet the information needs of users of all ages. Public librarians develop and implement programs and services that foster positive relationships with diverse community groups, and support community literacy, well-being, and economic development through library services, programming, and collections. LIS degrees also prepare students for engagement with communities in other professional settings, such as nonprofits and government agencies. | |
| Sample job titles: Librarian, Reference Librarian, Children's Librarian, Young Adult Librarian, Outreach Librarian, Library Director | |
Foundational courses: Applied courses: You might also consider: | |
| Youth services and school librarianship involve the study of children's and young adult literature, storytelling, and folklore in the oral tradition; young reader/writer interactions in multiple literacies, and librarianship in public and school settings. MS LIS students who use this pathway as a guide will be excellent candidates for work as information professionals serving children and young adults in public libraries, school libraries, and nontraditional institutions through which young people seek or are provided with educational and entertainment resources. | |
| Sample job titles: Children's/Youth/Teen Librarian; Library/Media Specialist; Library Information Specialist | |
Foundational courses: Applied courses: You might also consider: | |
| MS students gain familiarity with the concepts and language used in appraisal, arrangement, description, preservation, conservation, and reference services (and how technology plays a role) in this area. The widespread digitization of texts and the availability of electronic media have made archives and special collections in libraries and other organizations more important than ever. | |
| Sample job titles: Curator; Special Collections Librarian; Archivist; Records Manager; Digital Archivist; Registrar: Preservation Librarian | |
Students can choose from a range of courses that cover topics as diverse as archives & records management, book history, and the preservation of cultural heritage. Programs will vary by specific areas of interest and should be determined in consultation with faculty and academic advisors. The courses listed here are examples of courses that support career development in this sector. Foundational courses: Applied courses: You might also consider: | |