4 Reasons Why a Master’s in Library Science Might Be Right for You

Libraries are an important commodity of any community. They go beyond books, offering a place for people to gather, interact, and imagine together. They are a cultural hub, a center for the arts, a gathering place for youth. If you are a lover of books, learning, community, and organization, a degree in library sciences might be right for you.

Among other things, you will learn to become tech savvy. You will become an excellent researcher skilled at finding, organizing, and preserving information. Such a degree prepares you not only to engage with your community through a knowledge based facility, it also prepares you to work in other information preservation facilities such as museums. You can even earn your degree from home since like USC offers a library science degree online.

Lover of Books

Many people pursue library sciences because they love books. They grew up at their local libraries roaming the aisles of fantasy and exploration. By sliding a book from the shelf, they could slip away into another world. Librarians get to work with these wonderful vessels to faraway places on a regular basis. You get to introduce the world of reading to patrons. You also help people understand how to use the vast resources found within the walls of a library.

Lover of Organization

The Library of Congress has over 16 million books alone. That is a lot of information to organize and that is only one library. By working as a librarian you get to be a small part of organizing vast arrays of information. Engaging people through a well-organized library is an art. You have to make people want to pull a book off of the shelf, but first, you have to make it findable. As a student of library science, you learn many techniques for systematizing, classifying, categorizing, and arranging books and other materials.

Lover of Learning

Libraries are a center for learning. Scholars of all ages congregate at libraries to discover new information. As a librarian, you get to share your love of learning with others. Libraries are especially great for children. Many centers have tutoring programs, story times, programs to promote literacy, and other ways to engage young people and keep them excited about learning. Libraries are centers of culture and art as well. They provide access to non-mainstream points of view. They may even provide free classes that encourage participation with and appreciation of art.

Lover of Community

Most of all libraries promote community. Patrons visit libraries for many different and varied reasons. They may need access to a computer or help finding a job. It can be a place where local artists display their work, where yoga teachers offer free introductory classes, or where entrepreneurs advertise their services. Special collections may grow out of specific community needs. A library becomes something that belongs to the community in a way many public entities don’t. By earning a Master’s of library science and becoming a librarian, you get to be a part of that.

There are many schools that offer degrees in library sciences from a Bachelor’s degree to a Master’s degree. If sharing your love of books with your community, strengthening the collective knowledge of your area, and providing a center for arts, culture, and gathering appeals to you, consider pursing a Master’s in library science.