MLIS - Librarian

eclectichoney

Hey guys
I'm thinking of doing the masters in library/info studies and was wondering if anyone had any feedback on the course - how difficult it is to get a place/difficulty of the course/background reading etc.?
Thanks a mill

Unshelved

I did the course quite a number of years ago so things may have changed since then. It's the only recognised Librarianship qualification given in Ireland (north and south) so they had a nice little niche market there. It was very hard work and very boring - and the standard of lecturing (with a couple of notable exceptions) at the time was abysmal. We didn't get a chance to complain because we were just trying to keep our heads above water with all the assignments that were lumped on us. It was like an endurance test and we just had to knuckle down for the year and get it over with.

There are a number of correspondance courses available now, which weren't there at the time, and which are recognised by the LAI and by CILIP - notably those in Aberystwyth, Strathclyde, Aberdeen and Sheffield. As an alternative, it may be worth your while looking into them.

Try not to let the course discourage you too much - once you qualify, working in a Library is a great career (although you'll never make your fortune!).

flodis79

I have just finished the BSocSc degree on the Librarianship Pathway, and after 3 months of work in a library or other "information rich environment", you get the Librarianship qualification from LAI, so MLIS student do not have monopoly on this qualification anymore.

I am now going for an MA in Information Studies this coming September.

rain on

I work in a library and my boss's professional qualification is a H.Dip in something library-related from UCD, so there's that too. He only did that quite recently and he said he enjoyed it a lot.

eclectichoney

thanks a lot for the feedback guys - now all i have to do is find me some work experience in a library

Unshelved

I have just finished the BSocSc degree on the Librarianship Pathway, and after 3 months of work in a library or other "information rich environment", you get the Librarianship qualification from LAI, so MLIS student do not have monopoly on this qualification anymore.

I assume that your talking about the LAI Fellowship - it's a bit more work than just 3 months work experience. It's not always recognised by academic libraries so if that's where your career path lies then you'll have to do the Dip.LIS or MLIS or the equivalent from another university.

Pythia

rain on wrote:

I work in a library and my boss's professional qualification is a H.Dip in something library-related from UCD, so there's that too. He only did that quite recently and he said he enjoyed it a lot.

H Dip Library and Info Studies maybe?

rain on

that's the one.

Chinafoot

OP you should see about getting into the libraries department of a Local Authority. I started last November and every year they send 2 people to UCD to do the course. 3 years if you don't already have a degree and one year H.Dip if you do.

All your fees are paid and you still get your wages. It takes a lot more time as you need to be in the job 2 years but you should remember that if you plan to go to work in a Local Authority library, even if you have the qualification, you won't be a librarian and will have to wait until you reach the grade 5 level before it happens.

Could be totally different for college libraries though, but it's an alternative road I guess.

Gaijin

Hey there,

I'm actually finishing up the MLIS course at the moment. Putting together my master piece of a thesis!!

Just thought I'd add my voice as the most recent library school student.

I think Unshelved pretty much laid out the bones of it. Its a hard year. Not rocket science by any means but there's a heavy assignment load. There are also some "interesting" lecturing styles shall we say!

Don't want to put you off,just don't go in expecting to coast through.

Theres three programmes of entry:
MLIS -classess from sep - may, minor thesis over the summer.
Graduate Diploma- classess from sep- may, no thesis in summer
Undergrad- info studies + social science for 3 years

The masters and graduate diploma courses are pretty much the same (there are some modules that grad-dip can't do). Other than that you are all together.

The only benefit the masters has is that it is recognised abroad (at least in the UK!)

I have to say that I had a really great year and at the same time a really hard year. I met the most interesting, insane and lovely people through the course. Sure it was hard work but now I can look forward to a career that won't make me rich but hey I'll be interested and happy.

You should look into te correspondence course aswell. I've heard good things about aberystwyth. I think they may take a little longer and I dont know about cost.

One thing about a local authority sending you back is that there is intense competition to get a place.So be prepared that you may have to wait a while.

Feel free to ask me more questions if you want.

Good luck.

flodis79

Unshelved wrote:

I assume that your talking about the LAI Fellowship - it's a bit more work than just 3 months work experience. It's not always recognised by academic libraries so if that's where your career path lies then you'll have to do the Dip.LIS or MLIS or the equivalent from another university.

From http://www.ucd.ie/sils/undergraduate.htm:

Information and Library Studies may be taken as a subject within the following undergraduate programmes:

* Bachelor of Arts - BA
* Bachelor of Social Science - BSocSc

Information and Library Studies can only be taken as a major (30 credits) in combination with a minor (20 credits) in another subject, and is intended for students who wish to obtain a professionally accredited qualification in Librarianship.

Students must satisfactorily complete certain academic requirements as outlined by UCD School of Information and Library Studies and six weeks of full time work experience in a library or other information environment to obtain accreditation by the Library Association of Ireland (LAI).

The staff at the SILS dept at UCD found this claim about only achieving an LAI Fellowship qualification after the BSocSc Librarianship pathway. Where did you hear this?

MetalDawg

I am starting this course (MLIS) this September, looking forward to it.Anyone else here going in?

MetalDawg

MetalDawg wrote: »

I am starting this course (MLIS) this September, looking forward to it.Anyone else here going in?

Yup, I'm starting the MLIS too. Also looking forward to it (albeit a little tentatively now that I've read how much work goes into it...).

tishie yunk

Hi,

I'm starting MLIS in September too, doing it part time over 2 years, sounds like a lot of work but looking forward to it nonetheless. I'm liking the idea of student life minus essays and deadlines etc.

wanderer 22

hey
starting the MLIS this year too-see you all bright and early on 7th September:)

tishie yunk

Hi Colm,

Good to hear from ye, will see you on Monday, (its the day after the electric picnic, so probably won't be too bright, but will be early). Have to make the most of the last remaining guilt free weekends for a while, when there is no assignments to be worrying about etc.

Cheers,
Patricia

sade

Does anyone know approximately how many hours per week (lectures/tutorials) are spent on the course? ie is it possible to hold down a part-time day job at the same time or would a distance learning course be more realistic in that case?

Reilly79

Hi, does anyone know if there is an Orientation for MLIS postgraduate students? Im starting next week and am very confused about classrooms and where im going etc

Alanpartridge

Hi guys, im starting the MLIS next monday too....im doing it fulltime. After reading a few of the comments there, im starting to get a little uneasy...it seems like its gonna be a very tough year.....

Ive been going through the time table there, trying to choose which modules to do...is it just me or it it very hard to understand the layout of the timetable?!!

I asked Claire Nolan about orientation, she emailed me back to say that there will be none, there was one planned but they had to cancel it. So are we supposed to just get stuck in right away without any introduction to the course?

Do we just follow the timetable according to the modules we have chosen in registration or is everybody gonna turn up to the 9am lecture on Monday regardless of whether they have chosen it or not?

Sorry, a lot of questions there, but its very hard to get straight info from the school....

Dave

Alanpartridge

Alanpartridge wrote: »

Hi guys, im starting the MLIS next monday too....im doing it fulltime. After reading a few of the comments there, im starting to get a little uneasy...it seems like its gonna be a very tough year.....

Ive been going through the time table there, trying to choose which modules to do...is it just me or it it very hard to understand the layout of the timetable?!!

I asked Claire Nolan about orientation, she emailed me back to say that there will be none, there was one planned but they had to cancel it. So are we supposed to just get stuck in right away without any introduction to the course?

Do we just follow the timetable according to the modules we have chosen in registration or is everybody gonna turn up to the 9am lecture on Monday regardless of whether they have chosen it or not?

Sorry, a lot of questions there, but its very hard to get straight info from the school....

Dave

Hiya Dave,

Don't worry about the difficulty level of the course: if you've gotten in, you should be well able for it. I imagine it's mainly a matter of applying oneself.

We haven't registered yet which means that we haven't got our choice of modules set. (The modules that we'll be doing don't have to be finalised untill November, at any rate.) So that's why we don't have our own personalised timetables yet.

I don't understand the timetable either, particularly since I don't know what's done in each module. I gave up on trying to interpret it fairly quickly, and my plan of action now is to get as much information as possible once I actually get to uni. Therefore, I'd say turn up on Monday. Claire sent out an email saying students don't need to present themselves at the school on that date, but I imagine it would be prudent to do so.

My main and underlying advice to you is don't panic. It would be easy enough for me to start panicking myself but, at some stage, you just have to let it go. There'll be more than enough time to get things sorted out in the first few weeks before the first assignments are given out to us.

Siobhán.

Reilly79

Reilly79 wrote: »

Hi, does anyone know if there is an Orientation for MLIS postgraduate students? Im starting next week and am very confused about classrooms and where im going etc

Try the orientation guide: http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/orientation_guide.pdf

What I'll be doing is turning up on Monday and finding out as much as possible. Claire Nolan said it's not necessary to turn up on Monday, but I think it would be best to do so. Walk around the buildings, see if you can get further information from the Student Office, and so on.

sade

sade wrote: »

Does anyone know approximately how many hours per week (lectures/tutorials) are spent on the course? ie is it possible to hold down a part-time day job at the same time or would a distance learning course be more realistic in that case?

Hi Sade,

Have you gotten in touch with Claire Nolan? I don't know the hours either, but I imagine that if it's a day job it might be tricky.

You might find out at the orientation events:
http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/orientation_guide.pdf

Siobhán.

parker kent

Hey I was in the class last year (still writing my thesis!) and you will have about 12-15 hours a week in lectures. Loads of us had part time jobs. There will be a lot of assignments so be prepared for them. None of them will be hard, it is a just a matter of getting through them. It is more of a stamina test than an intellectual test! But nothing to worry about at all really. Some lecturers have "unusual" styles to say the least but it is just a matter of getting everything in, getting your qualification and do try to have a good time! We had loads of nights out last year so that made it a blast

Edit: Oh and 90% of classes were in SILS 107. Some of the classes shared with undergrads will be in the Arts block and you will have the odd computer lab.

Alanpartridge

Deleted User wrote: »

Hiya Dave,

Don't worry about the difficulty level of the course: if you've gotten in, you should be well able for it. I imagine it's mainly a matter of applying oneself.

We haven't registered yet which means that we haven't got our choice of modules set. (The modules that we'll be doing don't have to be finalised untill November, at any rate.) So that's why we don't have our own personalised timetables yet.

I don't understand the timetable either, particularly since I don't know what's done in each module. I gave up on trying to interpret it fairly quickly, and my plan of action now is to get as much information as possible once I actually get to uni. Therefore, I'd say turn up on Monday. Claire sent out an email saying students don't need to present themselves at the school on that date, but I imagine it would be prudent to do so.

My main and underlying advice to you is don't panic. It would be easy enough for me to start panicking myself but, at some stage, you just have to let it go. There'll be more than enough time to get things sorted out in the first few weeks before the first assignments are given out to us.

Siobhán.

Thats good advice Siobhan, its just the usual nerves ya get before starting something new I guess! ill probably turn up on Monday and suss out whats going on...everythings a bit up in the air at the minute!!

Alanpartridge

Alanpartridge wrote: »

Thats good advice Siobhan, its just the usual nerves ya get before starting something new I guess! ill probably turn up on Monday and suss out whats going on...everythings a bit up in the air at the minute!!

No probs; to be honest, I'm nervous as well, but I just distract myself to fool my mind that everything's really okay. Guillible brain...

parker kent

parker kent wrote: »

Hey I was in the class last year (still writing my thesis!) and you will have about 12-15 hours a week in lectures. Loads of us had part time jobs. There will be a lot of assignments so be prepared for them. None of them will be hard, it is a just a matter of getting through them. It is more of a stamina test than an intellectual test! But nothing to worry about at all really. Some lecturers have "unusual" styles to say the least but it is just a matter of getting everything in, getting your qualification and do try to have a good time! We had loads of nights out last year so that made it a blast

Edit: Oh and 90% of classes were in SILS 107. Some of the classes shared with undergrads will be in the Arts block and you will have the odd computer lab.

Thanks for all the information, PD: it's reassured me, anyway!

Alanpartridge

Email sent out from Claire earlier today:


Dear Students

Several students have asked about any Orientation that the School has planned. Unfortunately it is not possible to have one this year, due to works going on in the School. However, I will attempt to answer any and all questions, so please do feel free to contact me with any problems you may have.

Secondly, a few people have pointed out that they find the timetable quite difficult to interpret. Please note that you can also generate your own timetable online once you have registered for the programme. If you log on to UCD Connect, then select SISWeb, this will allow you to select your programme timetable, though once again we will be happy to go through any timetable issues you may have.

Please do ask questions if any problems occur and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Kind regards,

Ms Claire Nolan
Administrator
School of Information & Library Studies
Tel: 01 716 7055

wanderer 22

Hi all-does anyone know if we have tutorials as well the computer labs mentioned above?

it would definitely have been useful to have an orientation but as it is I think the best thing is just to turn up to the first lecture on Monday and find out more from then on

parker kent

colm18 wrote: »

Hi all-does anyone know if we have tutorials as well the computer labs mentioned above?

it would definitely have been useful to have an orientation but as it is I think the best thing is just to turn up to the first lecture on Monday and find out more from then on

Final years and postgrads don't really have tutorials in UCD. We didn't have any last year. A few departments within the college looked to keep tutorials but in general they are for earlier years.

If they are not having orientation, I'm not sure how useful the class on Monday would be to people not registered in it. I guess if you are unsure what the class actually is then it would be useful in that way, but they probably wont give general information about the course. If it is the same timetable as last year, it would be Archives at 9 on a Monday and that lecturer is not from within SILS.

Alanpartridge

Anybody having trouble registering for the remainder of their electives online? there doesnt appear to be an option to enroll in the list at the bottom of the page under the 'action' tab....ive had no problem choosing the electives further up the page but the final part isnt happening for me!! any body else having the same trouble?

Alanpartridge

Alanpartridge wrote: »

Anybody having trouble registering for the remainder of their electives online? there doesnt appear to be an option to enroll in the list at the bottom of the page under the 'action' tab....ive had no problem choosing the electives further up the page but the final part isnt happening for me!! any body else having the same trouble?

Yup, exactly the same problem for me. I'd say go over to the library building in UCD as soon as you can and ask for advice. That's what I'm doing tomorrow.