Librarian Degree: Requirements to Enroll in and Complete a Librarian Degree Program

Published Aug 31, 2009

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Librarians must be able to locate information by navigating complicated organizational systems of physical and electronic resources. They often specialize in a particular area of library science, like archival preservation, digital information, law librarianship or information management systems. Librarians are usually required to hold a master's degree in library science to qualify for a job. This article explains what students must do to enroll in and complete a Librarian degree program.

Enrolling in a Librarian Degree Program

Most Librarian degree programs are only available at the graduate level, and applicants to graduate Librarian degree programs need to hold a 4-year bachelor's degree. Generally, students' undergraduate major doesn't affect their chances of admission into a library science master's degree program. On the other hand, Collegeboard.com reports that some Librarians do choose to earn their undergraduate degree in a subject related to their desired library information specialty. For example, people seeking careers as law Librarians might earn a bachelor's degree in pre-law.

Completing a Librarian Degree Program

Since Librarians need to be able to find a wealth of diverse information quickly, they need to be highly organized and efficient. Some required classes in library science degree programs cover topics like information systems, organization efficiency and information retrieval.

Classes on information systems teach Librarians how different informational formats can best be categorized. Students learn to design and implement systems that allow users to efficiently find the information they seek.

Students who take courses on organizational efficiency learn to use modern technology to organize information. Many classes focus on developing students' teamwork and collaborative skills so that they can work with others to organize large amounts of data.

Information retrieval courses discuss how and why people seek information. Students learn about research methods and how people evaluate the quality of information they find. These courses include concepts that deal with electronic information retrieval methods used in library settings.

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