tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post7020805686947827117..comments2024-03-27T05:00:00.090-04:00Comments on Letters to a Young Librarian: I Got Accepted to an MLIS Program. Now What? (Or, Advice on Picking Classes in Your Library Science Program.)Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-69319140721500024162011-12-02T13:38:01.919-05:002011-12-02T13:38:01.919-05:00I just registered for my first classes and I'm...I just registered for my first classes and I'm definitely looking forward to some that are more "me" oriented. I'm headed down the academic library track, but I will try to keep an open mind given the above comments. <br /><br />Thanks!CBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15177173307038575591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-35607771924066356662011-11-30T13:08:10.446-05:002011-11-30T13:08:10.446-05:00Oh-- I also took a YA class because it was one of ...Oh-- I also took a YA class because it was one of the choices for a breadth requirement. I thought I would do academic libraries or archives as a career, and most of my coursework was in digital archives. I'm really glad I took that YA course, though, because now I'm a high school librarian. You never know where you'll end up!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-1819651602668294192011-11-30T13:06:36.624-05:002011-11-30T13:06:36.624-05:00I think everyone should take a cataloging and a ma...I think everyone should take a cataloging and a management course. These were two of the requirements of my program, so I had to take them. The cataloging course was actually pretty useless, but when I say one ought to take a cataloging course, that means "the cataloging course ought to be useful and then you ought to take it."<br /><br />My favorite class was Indexing. It was kind of like cataloging, in that indexing is part and parcel of cataloging, but it was also wider-ranging (preparing a thesaurus, indexing books, etc.) For anyone who's going to SUNY Buffalo for their MLS, I'd highly recommend this class and any others taught by Dr. Nesset. Since these courses aren't required, they will be of the "just for you" variety, but they are both more challenging and more rewarding than most of the other classes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-34854666748971839982011-11-30T09:43:11.026-05:002011-11-30T09:43:11.026-05:00If I had it to do again, I would have taken a wide...If I had it to do again, I would have taken a wider variety of classes. <br /><br />I knew that I wanted to work in a subject department in a big city library. I had no desire to go into management, and the chances of me ever being a children's librarian seemed about nil - so I didn't take any classes in those areas. At present, I'm six years out of grad school - the past three of which I've been a children's librarian.<br /><br />I'm still not interested in becoming a manager, but if I had it to do again, I'd take one class relating to management - I know that there are plenty of times when that knowledge would help. Likewise, I'd take one class in the area of children's services.Christopher Busta-Peckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15428701548572867797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-43190247535453196882011-11-30T08:58:16.079-05:002011-11-30T08:58:16.079-05:00I was definitely on the track for school media, mo...I was definitely on the track for school media, more for the outside influences of the fact that I had kids in school (same schedule!) and I enjoyed YA. However, my last year of studies really threw that on its head between the personal experiences I heard in my school media class, my own personal life changes, and then I took a cataloging class. I already knew I was a numbers geek, and this just fit perfectly! <br /><br />Of course, now I handle web services, which was definitely not where I thought I would end up.Kristihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00209813611833340226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-69544696826169969372011-11-30T08:47:46.268-05:002011-11-30T08:47:46.268-05:00I can remember my advisor challenging me to take c...I can remember my advisor challenging me to take classes that were out of my comfort range, but I'm not sure that I ever did. I did take collection development on a whim, for which I am EXTREMELY grateful at this point in my career. I was somewhat restricted in what I could take because I was commuting and I needed them to be all on the same day, and I kind of stumbled in to being a reference librarian at a public library before I was halfway through my degree. I got the job and I knew it was what I wanted to be doing, so I tailored my classes from there. The first class I ever took was on underserved populations, and that definitely had a huge effect on my career and my experience in all subsequent classes.Anna Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06542744978194806986noreply@blogger.com