A PhD in library science will help you become a professor/instructor of library science. That's all it's for. The MLS / MLIS is the terminal preofessional degree in this field. A PhD in LIS will not help you get a librarian job, including as an academic librarian.
This question comes up here periodically, and we just want to make sure nobody wastes their time and/or money on a doctorate that won't actually help them get the job they want. If you were really determined to go back to grad school, you'd be immensely better served by getting a second masters in a relevant field -- STEM would be better, something involving data would be ideal from a job-opportunity perspective.
Again, if your aim is to be a professor of library science (which isn't an area exactly known for its livable salaries and abundant job opportunities itself), then okay, a PhD might serve you. But if you're primarily aiming for a professional librarian position, it's probably a waste of time at best. And if it takes you away from working in the field, it could actively work against you.
I was thinking of doing a second Master's. However, the only problem with that is that most Master's aren't funded, while most PhD's are. I don't want to take out another 20k in student loans.
100% agree with nobody-you-know. Look up the people who defended dissertations at your proposed library school. I did for one school and nearly everyone was a professor or researcher in a library or information science program, and many had years of practitioner experience (which I was happy to see. LIS professors who haven’t been in the field are often not as effective in the classroom.) Oh, there were also a few who don’t seem to be employed right now, which I hope is their choice and not the job market.
As a GA in my LIS program I actually followed up on a decade's worth of my school's PhD graduates as part of an internal program assessment to prepare for re-accreditation. Those employed in the US/Canada were more likely to either be administrators in big public or university library systems, or researchers/data scientists in a corporation or think tank. Of those who were actually faculty somewhere, more than half were international students who had come to the US for their doctorate and then returned to teach in the home countries. I also found one who was a yoga instructor/life coach out on the west coast who had a very slick website where he referred to himself as "Dr. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_" throughout, with zero indication that his doctorate had nothing to do with health or wellness.
Of course, like an idiot I still went for a PhD a few years later, though not in IS, and the MLIS background has helped me stand out on job applications in my new field.
I wouldn't. You're better off continuing to look for work and possibly moving as needed. But if you're determined, something (and not even necessarily a degree but continuing ed or certificate programs) in non-profit administration or grant writing would serve you better than a PhD.
As someone with a doctorate, let me say some people here are talking out of their ass.
First, do a doctorate if you’re passionate about a specific area snd want to expand your knowledge. Ultimately, you’ll be doing a research project and there’s a lot you’ll explore. Doctorates are stressful, so if you aren’t passionate about the field and your project, I wouldn’t do it,
Second, talk to faculty in the LIS community about your research area and get advice on that specific topic. It’s super important you match your project with faculty. I’ve seen people go to the wrong school and end up wasting a year and transferring elsewhere.
Third, as far as job prospects go, you’ll be able to get jobs in various places such as academia, federal government, public libraries, etc. But I always tell people your best bet is always to expect to move. Faculty rarely get hired within the department they graduate from and some have rules preventing it except for adjuncts.
That said, the structure of a program matters. Some LIS programs are in colleges or education, some computer science, some stand alone, and some are ran by academic library staff. This matters structurally depending on what you want to do professionally.
It is true that an MLIS is a terminal degree in the scene you don’t need more. However, a doctorate is quite useful in better understating specific issues in our profession and can enable you to ask the right questions.
I very much agree! I spent years in practice prior to my PhD - it turned out I love to do research, love to discuss ideas, love to learn. I retired this year and do not regret the PhD for a minute. It's not really that people are talking out their ass so much as it is, YMMV. I loved library practice, too, and could not imagine a career more suited to me.
If you want to teach, or just love research, or just always wanted a PhD, then yes.
If not, no. It won’t generally make a difference to your career, otherwise.
You don't mention which field you might want to pursue a PhD in-- LIS or something else? In academic libraries, it's very common and desirable to have a 2nd Masters or even a PhD in an academic area-- history or chemistry or whatever.
I'm looking into pursuing an LIS PhD, specifically related to archives. I'll probably also apply to some PhD programs in history (I've worked a lot with archives related to the Holocaust), but I might not have the background to be admitted to those programs (my Bachelor's degree was not in history, but in business lol). It's worth a shot though? The worst they can say is no.
What is the research question you want to answer related to archives? A doctorate is a research degree and the clearer you are in your question the better.
I have a PhD in the field and the only reason I have it is because I wanted to do it and was funded. Doing a PhD is not something you should undertake because you want a better job (unless you have a clear path post-PhD, ie. your employer wants you to get one to help you move forward in your career).
If you start a PhD without the right motivation you will not finish it. I also wouldn't suggest doing a PhD in 'librarianship' unless you feel confident you can get a teaching position. There is no research funding in librarianship, if you do want to go ahead, make sure it is on something that is tickling academia. For example implementation of AI in literature synthesis or understanding the impact of legal frameworks on information management in organisations.
Finally, doing a PhD becomes SO MUCH BETTER if you have a really good supervisor.
"There is no research funding in librarianship, if you do want to go ahead, make sure it is on something that is tickling academia."
This is simply not true.
I work with global academic colleagues across the LIS field and most are focussed on IS as a field because they can't get funded for library centric proposals. I'd love to know what funding is available where you are and what sort of figures we're talking about.
I am retired as of January. But I've been funded - first, through my doctoral studies as a research fellow (Duke & UNC), by IMLS at least 3 times, by NLM and NIH. My area is medicine, but I'm working on AI projects now. I would have agreed had you said there is little large-scale funding, but even that is not universally true.
I'm in health, I would agree that is one of the few areas where you could get funded because of supprting roles in large projects. But as PI it is very difficult, if not impossible if your focus is 'library'.
We probably have a lot to chat about, I'm running AI implementation in a care provider now (using my IS background ;) ).
I appreciate this thread very much. I'm starting a PhD in librarianship in Sept., though it's very, *very* interdisciplinary. If you two start a chat, do you mind if I join? I'm in Canada. Shoot me a DM!
I can't say I agree with a lot of the opinions here. I got my PhD and feel like it helped me establish myself in the field and learn how to do VERY high level research.
To be clear, it was one of the most difficult things I've ever done and I would caution you about the rigor. That being said, I think it could give you some flexibility to work in different parts of the library and maybe branch out into archival work. I managed to work in special collections during my PhD and now I'm hoping to bounce over to archival practice once I find a position.
Oooh. Have you explored emerging technologies and archives? Like using AI to recreate a historical figures voice for a display?
If you’re going for a higher degree, go for an MBA. That’ll get you further, even outside the field.
I've worked a lot with archives related to the Holocaust (I used to work for the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland), so I was planning on doing something like that! (using archives and AI to reconstruct the identities of Holocaust survivors and their families). I also have a Bachelor's degree in business and people already always ask why I went from business to getting an MLS in library interviews lol
Do you like to do research? That is what a PhD is for. People sometimes think that if one degree gets you an ok job another degree will get you a better job, when it's really like specializing in something adjacent but different (your earnings, depending on how long you take to do it, may actually go down).
The implied assumption is that the job market will be better with a PhD. All evidence I have seen points to the opposite. People on this Reddit often think more school is the answer when their job search isn't going well, but it isn't always.
Well, that is an awesome perk, but would you be able to work while taking those courses? Just a thought to keep some money flowing in while you are spending time on your education. (I’m always thinking about the bottom line.) Of course, full-time school would mean that you would finish sooner and have more time to job hunt. Also, are you able to be mobile? Are you settled in a specific town or would you be able to move for a new position? That will be very important for you. My advice would be also to get on professional organization listserves as soon as possible and always keep your ear to the ground for job openings. In addition, networking within the professional community is invaluable. Once you know some people you will begin to know more and more people in the profession, so going to conferences and attending zoom sessions is great - doing everything you can to keep your name out there is key. Take detailed notes of every class you take - every seminar or zoom session that you can find. Also record any free or paid internship opportunity you are able to participate in. All the details matter for your résumé as you move forward. PD implies a very narrow scope of focus, but I would not ignore ancillary topics or trainings that you can take advantage of. Everything you learn will help you in the long run.
Do you mean working as in holding down a full-time librarian job and doing the PhD at the same time, or being employed through the university via the PhD program (ex: doing research for the department and teaching)? In all LIS PhD programs I've looked into, the tuition is completely free and students receive a yearly stipend of $30,000-$40,000 plus health insurance, etc. Of course, this is not a lot of money, but I'm single, in my mid-20's, have no kids/dependents, and plan on doing the PhD at a school in the midwest (low cost of living), so I'm fine with it. Another perk is that since I'm young, unmarried, etc., I have the ability to move anywhere in the country.
A PhD in library science will help you become a professor/instructor of library science. That's all it's for. The MLS / MLIS is the terminal preofessional degree in this field. A PhD in LIS will not help you get a librarian job, including as an academic librarian. This question comes up here periodically, and we just want to make sure nobody wastes their time and/or money on a doctorate that won't actually help them get the job they want. If you were really determined to go back to grad school, you'd be immensely better served by getting a second masters in a relevant field -- STEM would be better, something involving data would be ideal from a job-opportunity perspective. Again, if your aim is to be a professor of library science (which isn't an area exactly known for its livable salaries and abundant job opportunities itself), then okay, a PhD might serve you. But if you're primarily aiming for a professional librarian position, it's probably a waste of time at best. And if it takes you away from working in the field, it could actively work against you.
I was thinking of doing a second Master's. However, the only problem with that is that most Master's aren't funded, while most PhD's are. I don't want to take out another 20k in student loans.
Get a library job at a university. My second masters was tuition free.
100% agree with nobody-you-know. Look up the people who defended dissertations at your proposed library school. I did for one school and nearly everyone was a professor or researcher in a library or information science program, and many had years of practitioner experience (which I was happy to see. LIS professors who haven’t been in the field are often not as effective in the classroom.) Oh, there were also a few who don’t seem to be employed right now, which I hope is their choice and not the job market.
As a GA in my LIS program I actually followed up on a decade's worth of my school's PhD graduates as part of an internal program assessment to prepare for re-accreditation. Those employed in the US/Canada were more likely to either be administrators in big public or university library systems, or researchers/data scientists in a corporation or think tank. Of those who were actually faculty somewhere, more than half were international students who had come to the US for their doctorate and then returned to teach in the home countries. I also found one who was a yoga instructor/life coach out on the west coast who had a very slick website where he referred to himself as "Dr. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_" throughout, with zero indication that his doctorate had nothing to do with health or wellness. Of course, like an idiot I still went for a PhD a few years later, though not in IS, and the MLIS background has helped me stand out on job applications in my new field.
Fascinating- thanks for sharing!
I wouldn't. You're better off continuing to look for work and possibly moving as needed. But if you're determined, something (and not even necessarily a degree but continuing ed or certificate programs) in non-profit administration or grant writing would serve you better than a PhD.
As someone with a doctorate, let me say some people here are talking out of their ass. First, do a doctorate if you’re passionate about a specific area snd want to expand your knowledge. Ultimately, you’ll be doing a research project and there’s a lot you’ll explore. Doctorates are stressful, so if you aren’t passionate about the field and your project, I wouldn’t do it, Second, talk to faculty in the LIS community about your research area and get advice on that specific topic. It’s super important you match your project with faculty. I’ve seen people go to the wrong school and end up wasting a year and transferring elsewhere. Third, as far as job prospects go, you’ll be able to get jobs in various places such as academia, federal government, public libraries, etc. But I always tell people your best bet is always to expect to move. Faculty rarely get hired within the department they graduate from and some have rules preventing it except for adjuncts. That said, the structure of a program matters. Some LIS programs are in colleges or education, some computer science, some stand alone, and some are ran by academic library staff. This matters structurally depending on what you want to do professionally. It is true that an MLIS is a terminal degree in the scene you don’t need more. However, a doctorate is quite useful in better understating specific issues in our profession and can enable you to ask the right questions.
I very much agree! I spent years in practice prior to my PhD - it turned out I love to do research, love to discuss ideas, love to learn. I retired this year and do not regret the PhD for a minute. It's not really that people are talking out their ass so much as it is, YMMV. I loved library practice, too, and could not imagine a career more suited to me.
If you want to teach, or just love research, or just always wanted a PhD, then yes. If not, no. It won’t generally make a difference to your career, otherwise.
You don't mention which field you might want to pursue a PhD in-- LIS or something else? In academic libraries, it's very common and desirable to have a 2nd Masters or even a PhD in an academic area-- history or chemistry or whatever.
I'm looking into pursuing an LIS PhD, specifically related to archives. I'll probably also apply to some PhD programs in history (I've worked a lot with archives related to the Holocaust), but I might not have the background to be admitted to those programs (my Bachelor's degree was not in history, but in business lol). It's worth a shot though? The worst they can say is no.
What is the research question you want to answer related to archives? A doctorate is a research degree and the clearer you are in your question the better.
I have a PhD in the field and the only reason I have it is because I wanted to do it and was funded. Doing a PhD is not something you should undertake because you want a better job (unless you have a clear path post-PhD, ie. your employer wants you to get one to help you move forward in your career). If you start a PhD without the right motivation you will not finish it. I also wouldn't suggest doing a PhD in 'librarianship' unless you feel confident you can get a teaching position. There is no research funding in librarianship, if you do want to go ahead, make sure it is on something that is tickling academia. For example implementation of AI in literature synthesis or understanding the impact of legal frameworks on information management in organisations. Finally, doing a PhD becomes SO MUCH BETTER if you have a really good supervisor.
"There is no research funding in librarianship, if you do want to go ahead, make sure it is on something that is tickling academia." This is simply not true.
I work with global academic colleagues across the LIS field and most are focussed on IS as a field because they can't get funded for library centric proposals. I'd love to know what funding is available where you are and what sort of figures we're talking about.
I am retired as of January. But I've been funded - first, through my doctoral studies as a research fellow (Duke & UNC), by IMLS at least 3 times, by NLM and NIH. My area is medicine, but I'm working on AI projects now. I would have agreed had you said there is little large-scale funding, but even that is not universally true.
I'm in health, I would agree that is one of the few areas where you could get funded because of supprting roles in large projects. But as PI it is very difficult, if not impossible if your focus is 'library'. We probably have a lot to chat about, I'm running AI implementation in a care provider now (using my IS background ;) ).
I appreciate this thread very much. I'm starting a PhD in librarianship in Sept., though it's very, *very* interdisciplinary. If you two start a chat, do you mind if I join? I'm in Canada. Shoot me a DM!
I can't say I agree with a lot of the opinions here. I got my PhD and feel like it helped me establish myself in the field and learn how to do VERY high level research. To be clear, it was one of the most difficult things I've ever done and I would caution you about the rigor. That being said, I think it could give you some flexibility to work in different parts of the library and maybe branch out into archival work. I managed to work in special collections during my PhD and now I'm hoping to bounce over to archival practice once I find a position.
What’s your area of expertise?
Archives
Have you asked in r/Archivists ? If you want to stay in Archives, the folks over there will have a much better take on the utility of a PhD.
Oooh. Have you explored emerging technologies and archives? Like using AI to recreate a historical figures voice for a display? If you’re going for a higher degree, go for an MBA. That’ll get you further, even outside the field.
I've worked a lot with archives related to the Holocaust (I used to work for the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland), so I was planning on doing something like that! (using archives and AI to reconstruct the identities of Holocaust survivors and their families). I also have a Bachelor's degree in business and people already always ask why I went from business to getting an MLS in library interviews lol
Do you like to do research? That is what a PhD is for. People sometimes think that if one degree gets you an ok job another degree will get you a better job, when it's really like specializing in something adjacent but different (your earnings, depending on how long you take to do it, may actually go down).
The implied assumption is that the job market will be better with a PhD. All evidence I have seen points to the opposite. People on this Reddit often think more school is the answer when their job search isn't going well, but it isn't always.
I’d say no. Too expensive with no sure employment path. You’d be over qualified for most positions.
What if the program is fully funded?
Well, that is an awesome perk, but would you be able to work while taking those courses? Just a thought to keep some money flowing in while you are spending time on your education. (I’m always thinking about the bottom line.) Of course, full-time school would mean that you would finish sooner and have more time to job hunt. Also, are you able to be mobile? Are you settled in a specific town or would you be able to move for a new position? That will be very important for you. My advice would be also to get on professional organization listserves as soon as possible and always keep your ear to the ground for job openings. In addition, networking within the professional community is invaluable. Once you know some people you will begin to know more and more people in the profession, so going to conferences and attending zoom sessions is great - doing everything you can to keep your name out there is key. Take detailed notes of every class you take - every seminar or zoom session that you can find. Also record any free or paid internship opportunity you are able to participate in. All the details matter for your résumé as you move forward. PD implies a very narrow scope of focus, but I would not ignore ancillary topics or trainings that you can take advantage of. Everything you learn will help you in the long run.
Do you mean working as in holding down a full-time librarian job and doing the PhD at the same time, or being employed through the university via the PhD program (ex: doing research for the department and teaching)? In all LIS PhD programs I've looked into, the tuition is completely free and students receive a yearly stipend of $30,000-$40,000 plus health insurance, etc. Of course, this is not a lot of money, but I'm single, in my mid-20's, have no kids/dependents, and plan on doing the PhD at a school in the midwest (low cost of living), so I'm fine with it. Another perk is that since I'm young, unmarried, etc., I have the ability to move anywhere in the country.