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What Can I Do With an MLIS Degree if I'm Not a Librarian?

Although becoming a librarian is the usual career many graduates with a master’s degree of library and information science degree pursue, many recent graduates use their academic and practical experience to seek other jobs that require their expertise. The series of courses required to complete a master’s degree of library and information science prepares graduates for a variety of careers.

Skills

Students pursuing an MLIS degree acquire the skills to access and retrieve information, and be able to select and organize archives of documents. These students learn to gather and evaluate resources pertinent to specific topics. This degree program prepares future MLIS graduates to be able to manage library collections and perform searches that produce appropriate results. Graduates of the program also learn cataloging and classification of library materials.

General Categories

There are many job opportunities for MLIS degree holders. Some of the general categories of jobs that these graduates can pursue in addition to librarian jobs relate to office administrative and executive assistant positions; computer-related jobs that require applicants to have technical computer skills; and research and analyst jobs that require applicants to possess organizational and research skills.

Data Processing Clerk

Data processing clerks organize a series of compiled items, and input these items into electronic databases. Data processing clerks maintain and update files on a daily basis as well as proofread and place documents into appropriate files. Most of the job opportunities for data processing clerks only require applicants to have a bachelor’s degree coupled with computer and data processing skills. Some employers may set the minimum education requirements for entry level positions to a high school diploma in addition to data processing experience. Graduates with an MLIS degree can transfer their organizational knowledge and skills to obtain advanced-level data processing jobs rather than entering into entry-level data processing jobs that may only require applicants to hold a high school diploma.

Database Administrator

Some of the required courses for students in MLIS degree programs include courses in information systems, internet technologies, database designs and programming languages. Most database administrator jobs require applicants to have computer science skills and database management experience. After graduating from an MLIS degree program, MLIS graduates can use their technical skills regarding database management systems and pursue database administrator jobs as well as computer programming jobs.

Research Analyst

Research analysts gather and evaluate information from a variety of sources and organize the information to support research projects. Depending on the employer, the research may be used to gather facts about certain topics; assist with technological developments or analyze market trends. Some of the required courses for MLIS students enable students to learn analytical and research strategies.
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