MLIS Career Pathways

Overview

MLIS Career Pathways

The SJSU School of Information offers numerous career pathways for your consideration, and this is only a partial list of the diverse career directions you can follow with an MLIS degree.

The career pathways are presented as an introduction to various careers and topics and are intended to be used by MLIS students for career planning and course selection. Many students choose courses from more than one career pathway, building comprehensive skillsets that are transferable to a wide range of organizations and career opportunities.

No special designations appear on your transcript or diploma. All students earn an MLIS degree.

iSchool partner Skilltype has aggregated some of the main competencies and skills across all library positions: Skilltype Report Report is refreshed every six weeks.

The iSchool offers all students free LIS-specific career counseling through Kim Dority, which includes individual meetings, resume/CV reviews, and interview preparation. SJSU offers additional free general career counseling for all graduate students through the graduate school. 

The iSchool also commissions an annual MLIS Skills Report. You can download the 2023 report here.

Overview

Digital Services — MLIS Career Pathway

Library services are increasingly migrating to the digital environment in both the building of collections and in patron interactions. The significant differences existing between objects, printed material, and even buildings or landscapes in the material world blur in the digital environment.

Overview

Information Intermediation and Instruction — MLIS Career Pathway

This career pathway focuses on information services and instruction. Work in this area requires an understanding of how to help users define and articulate their information needs; excellent communication skills; mastery of a wide range of information tools and retrieval techniques for answering users’ questions; and proficiency in evaluating and selecting information sources and services.  It is also important to be highly adaptable.

Overview

Information Organization, Description, Analysis, and Retrieval — MLIS Career Pathway

Discovery depends on the organization and description of information resources. Work in this area requires understanding of existing and emerging shared standards, frameworks and principles for organization and description as well as systems such as library services platforms, discovery platforms, institutional repositories and digital library management systems.

Overview

Leadership and Management — MLIS Career Pathway

The Leadership and Management pathway benefits graduates regardless of the position they have in any organization or that they wish to pursue in the environment in which they work.  The skills taught in the pathway enable graduates to be flexible in response to the challenges facing today’s libraries and information organizations, including the coordination of effective collaborations, partnerships with both globalized and virtual work teams, and leading with an EDI lens (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion.)

Overview

Public Librarianship — MLIS Career Pathway

Public libraries are a partnership between librarians, clients, customers and stakeholders. Public librarians have evolved from gatekeeper to catalyst, designer, and partner. Librarians are fostering innovation and creativity for the community conversation to flourish in order to maintain the competitive advantage in what is being called the “knowledge economy.”

Overview

School Librarianship — MLIS Career Pathway

Students in this pathway are prepared to manage libraries in all levels of K – 12 schools. The jobs for these graduates are found across the spectrum of schools and at the district and state levels. While school librarians are often working solo in schools, they may also supervise technicians, assistants, and volunteers in the operation of K – 12 libraries.

Overview

Special Librarianship — MLIS Career Pathway

Special libraries, also called information centers, knowledge resource centers, or a variety of similar names, are information-focused units that support the strategic goals of the organization within which they’re based. A special library may itself be its own department with from one (a “solo librarian”) to dozens of librarians and other information professionals.

In addition, a special library may be:

Overview

Youth Services — MLIS Career Pathway

The Youth Services career pathway is designed to prepare students for positions as children’s and/or young adult (YA) librarians or coordinators in public libraries, youth specialists on a regional or state level, or as information professionals in organizations principally serving youth, as well as to offer library generalists appropriate coursework to prepare for serving a public that includes youth.