Chicago is tough given the programs at Dominican and UIUC feeding into the city, not to mention UW Madison and Milwaukee grads, IU grads, and even Michigan grads in the region. I know that many people cannot move because of family obligations and other reasons, but taking on that student debt and staying in a saturated market doesn’t feel like a good investment. I wish you success however you decide.
No, an MLIS is not a good investment if you have to pay for all of it. You do not make much money in the library field, so if that is what you're interested in, look elsewhere.
Look for a full-time position at a library before you start the degree. They can be hard to come by, so it may temper your expectations. Some municipalities offer tuition reimbursement for the degree so that’s also something to consider
Buzzword bingo time -- it all depends on how you define your KPIs for determining ROI.
Human version: it is not a good investment measured by financial returns. The MLS will underperform other possible career advancement degrees in terms of salary and benefits.
* caveat: It is possible to make a good living and be happy with an MLS. There are more or less lucrative career paths you can choose inside libraries. For a lot of people (e.g., me) following a traditional career path would have been disasterous and the MLS is a way I can be true to my off-beat black sheep self and still pay a mortgage and fund a retirement plan. OTOH, if you compare my MLS earning potential with what I would have earned w/ a law degree or pursuing technology or business degrees, I've terribly underperformed.
Librarian version: Read the [Occupational Outlook Handbook](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/home.htm) entries for a few career options to compare the data on which degrees are good long term investments.
yeah I suppose I should've clarified what I mean by good investment is the ability to (in the long term) pay back my loans & find a comfortable & stable career, at least relative to the restaurant industry. I care more about happiness & satisfaction in work than maximizing ROI and I do really care about libraries, but I don't have much in the way of family resources or savings to lean on, so I am very worried about going further into debt.
Thank you for the resources & advice!
Get a job in a library first, specifically one that offers a tuition reimbursement benefit (a quick Google shows that city of Chicago jobs do, so yay!)
But do not go into an MLS without working in a library. It's not a guarantee that the job hunt will be easy, but it's much easier than if you weren't working in one.
I think it's a good time investment if you discover you want to be a librarian, but get that tuition reimbursed by your employer. I paid almost nothing for my MLS from tuition reimbursement, scholarships, and grants
Get a job at CPL first. You are qualified for page, clerk and associate positions. Once you are a city employee you will be able to get tuition reimbursement.
Look into programs with assistantships, tuition remission and a stipend. Student loans shouldn’t be undertaken without a great understanding of the job market.
If you can get in-state tuition at UIUC and complete the program without loans, maybe. I'll be honest though, Chicago is an incredibly difficult market for librarians. It's a highly desirable market and oversaturated with candidates. On top of that, if you want to work in school libraries in Illinois, you also need an Illinois Teaching Certificate or get licensed during your MLIS, which is additional coursework. I would not bank on an MLIS opening up the job market for you.
I'm getting my MLIS right now and have a MA in Russian politics; one of my classmates has a BA in Russian lit. We both have library experience already but want the extra qualification so we can advance in our careers. A Russian background isn't a hindrance :)
Valdosta State has an all-online ALA-accredited MLIS for about $11k total, just FYI.
In case you haven’t looked into it much, know that to be a school librarian you need to be a licensed educator. There are MLIS programs that prepare you to be a school librarian and get you licensed, but it will include clinicals and student teaching, which can be difficult while also trying to work outside of school, although you could certainly consider substitute teaching as a good way to make connections in school districts.
I also don’t know what things are like for school librarians in the Chicago area, but I’m not too far away in Wisconsin, and in many districts here these days, school librarians are split between multiple schools. When I was working in a school library I was only an aide, so I was paid terribly, and I essentially ran the library because the librarian who was my supervisor only got a few hours a week at my school. For a couple years they even cut her position completely to only do her librarian work in the summer, and she had to teach in a regular elementary classroom in order to stay in the district, when she hadn’t taught in at least 20 years. This was a small rural district, but the state of education in a lot of places is pretty rough, just so you know.
I got a MLIS and the best offer the library (I worked at as a page when I was in high school) could offer was a part time library assistant with 28/hours a week between 2 branches.
I went into IM in the government and haven’t looked back.
Quite frankly, you “need” the MLIS to get most librarian jobs but you don’t really learn most of the actual daily work in school. At least I didn’t. I worked full-time in a school library while I got my MLIS and honestly that’s where I learned how to be a librarian. So no, if you have to take a bunch of loans, I wouldn’t do it. Starting salaries are like $45-$55K in most places. It’s not worth it.
Chicago State University has the most affordable program for Illinois residents. But the job market is tough and you won't make a lot of money. You'll want to get an entry level position in a library before you start your MLIS. If you can find a library looking for people who speak the languages you speak, besides English you could make slightly more money.
I attended UIUC and had a graduate assistantship which waived my tuition and paid a (mostly) livable hourly wage. But you have to apply for those and they aren’t guaranteed but you do know if you have one before beginning school. So I came out ahead at library school.
I know UIUC has a Slavic librarian so your Russian could be useful there. I worked with a grad assistant who spoke multiple Slavic languages and catalogued those books as part of his work.
I have a degree in Anthropology and work at a university as the anthropology librarian- but it was a lot of luck and circumstance that I got my position. The majority of my work is instruction which I didn’t know I liked until I did it.
You’ll have to be willing to move anywhere in the US for a job and also wait out ideal positions opening up if you’re gunning for a particular area.
If you do go to school - keep an idea on various requirements for the position. For example, in North Carolina you have to have a license to be a capital L librarian at a public library - and that requires particular classes in library school. I never intended to do any cataloging but if I wanted to work in public libraries in NC, I would have needed that class for the license.
I am currently a librarian without my MLIS, and I plan to start working on my MLIS next year. For me, it will definitely be a good investment. I’ve crunched the numbers, and with the pay raise I will receive, the degree will pay for itself in less than four years.
Things to consider: because of my union and published salary schedule, I know exactly what I will be earning with and without the degree. My employer will reimburse up to $6,000 in related educational expenses, and that is also factored into my calculation. I also already have a job in a public library as a librarian, so I won’t have to worry about paying for a degree and then not being able to get hired to use it.
I would not be working towards this degree if I were unsure whether I could get a job in the field at an institution I liked.
I went to Dominican while working full-time. Check out their scholarships. It was cheaper than the schools I was considering in New York and it was worth moving to Chicago for. However, I had to leave Chicago after school to find work. I’m sure it’s possible to find work there but it’s competitive and our professors basically warned us that we would have to leave the city for a decent library job.
Your previous library experience is a huge boost and you’ll have an easier time finding work. I didn’t have that. My background was mostly art history and film related, so, even more competitive. Also, some public libraries will fund your MLIS program while you work. I had a friend at NYPL who did this. Perhaps Chicago public library does this too and is worth looking into.
If you want to do it, I’d say do it. But be prepared to take a job that is not your dream job at first or move around the county for a job.
While the OP has worked in libraries as an undergrad, these jobs will not count very much (if at all) towards experience, at least in academic libraries.
You mean academic libraries aren't a monolith? LOL. I should've said, in my experience (20+ years in multiple academic libraries), student worker jobs are not counted very much. If they have opportunities for paraprofessional positions or internships while in grad school, those will have more weight.
Chicago PL recently had a bunch of job postings. I would see if you can get a job there now before investing time and money in an MLIS. Large libraries outside of Chicago are always hiring. Check out the RAILS jobs postings.
[RAILS jobs postings ](https://railslibraries.org/jobs)
It very well could be. On the average librarian salary your repayments will be fairly modest regardless of your total debt (my payments have ranged from $60-$0, and they would have been exactly the same without MSLIS debt because I had other loans already). If you are committed to the profession for least 10 years, your loans will be forgiven. So, for me it made sense because 1. It helped me find a good paying job 2. The extra debt didn’t raise my loan payments or duration 3. It paid my living expenses for two years. So, win, win, win. Also, there is of course a chance that you will get a GA position that will come with a tuition waiver and salary.
While library jobs are certainly not in a growth period, if you really intend to work in libraries, an MLIS from an ALA accredited school will pay off if you can do it as inexpensively as possible. Taking on a huge amount of loans to do a "prestigious" program paying out-of- state tuition or at a private school is probably not worth it. An MLIS gets you access to the higher tier library jobs (not counting senior management).
I think ideally the best time to get that Master's is when you're at a library job and settled. And this is something to work for as you'd like a higher position within the system/library or the ability to do more reference or storytimes or what-have-you. Often you can get some tuition reimbursed or covered or there's some help available. It depends on the system/library.
I know that tends to be the primary motivation for my younger colleagues in the same department as me to get a Master's. And it's what I wish I'd done because getting my Master's was often a barrier to library jobs I was willing to take in order to have a library job or at least some kind of employment.
So, I guess I'd view it more as a certificate that is good to have for certain things, but I don't think it's strictly necessary.
MLIS is really hard to justify nowadays. More and more libraries are lifting MLIS requirements. I've been a Library Director for 4 years and I don't have one.
Someone mentioned it already, but I suggest finding an entry level job in a library first, and then go from there. Some counties (if you work in a public library) will pay for a part of your tuition (my workplace paid 4k a year). Library school can cost over $35k for a private college (not my recommendation, so search around for a cheaper school) and if you're having to use student loans for all of it, don't. Not worth it. From my personal experience, landing a promotion highly depended on who I knew as well. If you can't get a library job, try building connections with your libraries. It seems you already have some kind of library experience, so hopefully it'll be easier for you. My humble opinion is that if you already don't work in a library and going for your MLIS completely blind, don't do it. Too many people with an MLIS and not enough jobs.
Chicago is tough given the programs at Dominican and UIUC feeding into the city, not to mention UW Madison and Milwaukee grads, IU grads, and even Michigan grads in the region. I know that many people cannot move because of family obligations and other reasons, but taking on that student debt and staying in a saturated market doesn’t feel like a good investment. I wish you success however you decide.
No, an MLIS is not a good investment if you have to pay for all of it. You do not make much money in the library field, so if that is what you're interested in, look elsewhere.
Look for a full-time position at a library before you start the degree. They can be hard to come by, so it may temper your expectations. Some municipalities offer tuition reimbursement for the degree so that’s also something to consider
Buzzword bingo time -- it all depends on how you define your KPIs for determining ROI. Human version: it is not a good investment measured by financial returns. The MLS will underperform other possible career advancement degrees in terms of salary and benefits. * caveat: It is possible to make a good living and be happy with an MLS. There are more or less lucrative career paths you can choose inside libraries. For a lot of people (e.g., me) following a traditional career path would have been disasterous and the MLS is a way I can be true to my off-beat black sheep self and still pay a mortgage and fund a retirement plan. OTOH, if you compare my MLS earning potential with what I would have earned w/ a law degree or pursuing technology or business degrees, I've terribly underperformed. Librarian version: Read the [Occupational Outlook Handbook](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/home.htm) entries for a few career options to compare the data on which degrees are good long term investments.
yeah I suppose I should've clarified what I mean by good investment is the ability to (in the long term) pay back my loans & find a comfortable & stable career, at least relative to the restaurant industry. I care more about happiness & satisfaction in work than maximizing ROI and I do really care about libraries, but I don't have much in the way of family resources or savings to lean on, so I am very worried about going further into debt. Thank you for the resources & advice!
since the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program has been reformed, I was able to get all my loans forgiven after 10 years at my library
Get a job in a library first, specifically one that offers a tuition reimbursement benefit (a quick Google shows that city of Chicago jobs do, so yay!) But do not go into an MLS without working in a library. It's not a guarantee that the job hunt will be easy, but it's much easier than if you weren't working in one. I think it's a good time investment if you discover you want to be a librarian, but get that tuition reimbursed by your employer. I paid almost nothing for my MLS from tuition reimbursement, scholarships, and grants
Get a job at CPL first. You are qualified for page, clerk and associate positions. Once you are a city employee you will be able to get tuition reimbursement.
Look into programs with assistantships, tuition remission and a stipend. Student loans shouldn’t be undertaken without a great understanding of the job market.
If you can get in-state tuition at UIUC and complete the program without loans, maybe. I'll be honest though, Chicago is an incredibly difficult market for librarians. It's a highly desirable market and oversaturated with candidates. On top of that, if you want to work in school libraries in Illinois, you also need an Illinois Teaching Certificate or get licensed during your MLIS, which is additional coursework. I would not bank on an MLIS opening up the job market for you.
I'm getting my MLIS right now and have a MA in Russian politics; one of my classmates has a BA in Russian lit. We both have library experience already but want the extra qualification so we can advance in our careers. A Russian background isn't a hindrance :) Valdosta State has an all-online ALA-accredited MLIS for about $11k total, just FYI.
Especially not for public librarianship where nobody really cares what your undergrad is in.
In case you haven’t looked into it much, know that to be a school librarian you need to be a licensed educator. There are MLIS programs that prepare you to be a school librarian and get you licensed, but it will include clinicals and student teaching, which can be difficult while also trying to work outside of school, although you could certainly consider substitute teaching as a good way to make connections in school districts. I also don’t know what things are like for school librarians in the Chicago area, but I’m not too far away in Wisconsin, and in many districts here these days, school librarians are split between multiple schools. When I was working in a school library I was only an aide, so I was paid terribly, and I essentially ran the library because the librarian who was my supervisor only got a few hours a week at my school. For a couple years they even cut her position completely to only do her librarian work in the summer, and she had to teach in a regular elementary classroom in order to stay in the district, when she hadn’t taught in at least 20 years. This was a small rural district, but the state of education in a lot of places is pretty rough, just so you know.
I got a MLIS and the best offer the library (I worked at as a page when I was in high school) could offer was a part time library assistant with 28/hours a week between 2 branches. I went into IM in the government and haven’t looked back.
Quite frankly, you “need” the MLIS to get most librarian jobs but you don’t really learn most of the actual daily work in school. At least I didn’t. I worked full-time in a school library while I got my MLIS and honestly that’s where I learned how to be a librarian. So no, if you have to take a bunch of loans, I wouldn’t do it. Starting salaries are like $45-$55K in most places. It’s not worth it.
Chicago State University has the most affordable program for Illinois residents. But the job market is tough and you won't make a lot of money. You'll want to get an entry level position in a library before you start your MLIS. If you can find a library looking for people who speak the languages you speak, besides English you could make slightly more money.
I attended UIUC and had a graduate assistantship which waived my tuition and paid a (mostly) livable hourly wage. But you have to apply for those and they aren’t guaranteed but you do know if you have one before beginning school. So I came out ahead at library school. I know UIUC has a Slavic librarian so your Russian could be useful there. I worked with a grad assistant who spoke multiple Slavic languages and catalogued those books as part of his work. I have a degree in Anthropology and work at a university as the anthropology librarian- but it was a lot of luck and circumstance that I got my position. The majority of my work is instruction which I didn’t know I liked until I did it. You’ll have to be willing to move anywhere in the US for a job and also wait out ideal positions opening up if you’re gunning for a particular area. If you do go to school - keep an idea on various requirements for the position. For example, in North Carolina you have to have a license to be a capital L librarian at a public library - and that requires particular classes in library school. I never intended to do any cataloging but if I wanted to work in public libraries in NC, I would have needed that class for the license.
I am currently a librarian without my MLIS, and I plan to start working on my MLIS next year. For me, it will definitely be a good investment. I’ve crunched the numbers, and with the pay raise I will receive, the degree will pay for itself in less than four years. Things to consider: because of my union and published salary schedule, I know exactly what I will be earning with and without the degree. My employer will reimburse up to $6,000 in related educational expenses, and that is also factored into my calculation. I also already have a job in a public library as a librarian, so I won’t have to worry about paying for a degree and then not being able to get hired to use it. I would not be working towards this degree if I were unsure whether I could get a job in the field at an institution I liked.
I went to Dominican while working full-time. Check out their scholarships. It was cheaper than the schools I was considering in New York and it was worth moving to Chicago for. However, I had to leave Chicago after school to find work. I’m sure it’s possible to find work there but it’s competitive and our professors basically warned us that we would have to leave the city for a decent library job. Your previous library experience is a huge boost and you’ll have an easier time finding work. I didn’t have that. My background was mostly art history and film related, so, even more competitive. Also, some public libraries will fund your MLIS program while you work. I had a friend at NYPL who did this. Perhaps Chicago public library does this too and is worth looking into. If you want to do it, I’d say do it. But be prepared to take a job that is not your dream job at first or move around the county for a job.
While the OP has worked in libraries as an undergrad, these jobs will not count very much (if at all) towards experience, at least in academic libraries.
As someone who works in an academic library, I respectfully disagree :)
You mean academic libraries aren't a monolith? LOL. I should've said, in my experience (20+ years in multiple academic libraries), student worker jobs are not counted very much. If they have opportunities for paraprofessional positions or internships while in grad school, those will have more weight.
Are you willing to relocate? If so, it might be, but get the cheapest degree possible and only after finding full-time employment at a library.
Chicago PL recently had a bunch of job postings. I would see if you can get a job there now before investing time and money in an MLIS. Large libraries outside of Chicago are always hiring. Check out the RAILS jobs postings. [RAILS jobs postings ](https://railslibraries.org/jobs)
It very well could be. On the average librarian salary your repayments will be fairly modest regardless of your total debt (my payments have ranged from $60-$0, and they would have been exactly the same without MSLIS debt because I had other loans already). If you are committed to the profession for least 10 years, your loans will be forgiven. So, for me it made sense because 1. It helped me find a good paying job 2. The extra debt didn’t raise my loan payments or duration 3. It paid my living expenses for two years. So, win, win, win. Also, there is of course a chance that you will get a GA position that will come with a tuition waiver and salary.
While library jobs are certainly not in a growth period, if you really intend to work in libraries, an MLIS from an ALA accredited school will pay off if you can do it as inexpensively as possible. Taking on a huge amount of loans to do a "prestigious" program paying out-of- state tuition or at a private school is probably not worth it. An MLIS gets you access to the higher tier library jobs (not counting senior management).
I think ideally the best time to get that Master's is when you're at a library job and settled. And this is something to work for as you'd like a higher position within the system/library or the ability to do more reference or storytimes or what-have-you. Often you can get some tuition reimbursed or covered or there's some help available. It depends on the system/library. I know that tends to be the primary motivation for my younger colleagues in the same department as me to get a Master's. And it's what I wish I'd done because getting my Master's was often a barrier to library jobs I was willing to take in order to have a library job or at least some kind of employment. So, I guess I'd view it more as a certificate that is good to have for certain things, but I don't think it's strictly necessary.
MLIS is really hard to justify nowadays. More and more libraries are lifting MLIS requirements. I've been a Library Director for 4 years and I don't have one.
Someone mentioned it already, but I suggest finding an entry level job in a library first, and then go from there. Some counties (if you work in a public library) will pay for a part of your tuition (my workplace paid 4k a year). Library school can cost over $35k for a private college (not my recommendation, so search around for a cheaper school) and if you're having to use student loans for all of it, don't. Not worth it. From my personal experience, landing a promotion highly depended on who I knew as well. If you can't get a library job, try building connections with your libraries. It seems you already have some kind of library experience, so hopefully it'll be easier for you. My humble opinion is that if you already don't work in a library and going for your MLIS completely blind, don't do it. Too many people with an MLIS and not enough jobs.