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  School of Communication and Information 2013–2015 Master of Library and Information Science Program Careers in Library and Information Professions  

Careers in Library and Information Professions

Students preparing for careers in the library and information professions have many possibilities before them; these vary widely across settings, communities, and forms of professional service. Some professionals address information at its most fundamental levels, acting to design, organize, produce, and retrieve information in systems. The exponential growth of knowledge in the 21st century means that this role has become increasingly critical to our society and economy, and vital to the personal lives of citizens. The basic organizing function principally occurs in the information industry, including the production of indexes and abstracts, the design and construction of databases, the publication of print and electronic resources, and the development of libraries as organized information systems.

Information users are most diverse in public libraries, where specialists assist in meeting the recreational, economic, occupational, and educational information needs of entire communities. Those who prepare for public library service may choose to center on the information needs of individuals across the life span or on the needs of specific groups by age (such as children, young adults, adults), circumstances (such as illiteracy, special needs), or subject interest (such as business, local history, and government information).

School and academic libraries offer situations where information services support and enhance diverse curricula and scholarly research. Educational media specialists in elementary and secondary schools create collections, provide information on literacy education, and collaborate with teachers to provide a wide range of learning opportunities for students. Librarians and information specialists in academic and research libraries focus on the curricular and research information needs of students and faculty at the college and university level. Instruction in the use of bibliographic and electronic tools has become a critical part of academic librarianship at all levels.

Every information organization requires skilled managers and contemporary applications of information technologies. Students who specialize in management pay particular attention to the theory and practice of administration; issues relating to human resource management; legal, political, professional, social, and community contexts of information organizations; the applications and evaluation of technology; and the components of responsible financial management. The School of Communication and Information faculty believes that each student holds the potential for professional leadership; experience suggests that administrative responsibilities are typically an important part of every professional career.

Students engaged in the study of technical and automated services are prepared to provide essential support for information users in the forms of catalogs and indexes; to master an array of electronic data retrieval systems; to maintain automated acquisitions and ordering processes; to capture information in multiple formats; and to explore the expanding presence of information through the internet and its worldwide extensions. In the contemporary world, these aspects of library and information science are expanding both technically and conceptually, with significant implications for information users in libraries, homes, and workplaces.

Information science also offers opportunities for careers outside traditional institutions. Information brokers, entrepreneurs, library planning and technology consultants, researchers, and evaluators are all well served by programs in this discipline. Such professionals use their skills in service to libraries and other institutions, organizations and corporations, government, and specialized nonprofit entities. These situations require information skills in areas such as business information, marketing, finance, and administration. They also require services such as information retrieval and analysis, database development, the analysis of archival collections, and advice on information and documentation formats.

In all applied areas of library and information science, it is essential to emphasize the central importance of information technology in all of its forms. The contemporary student of information should anticipate early and continuous engagements with information in new formats and must be prepared to understand and evaluate forms of information that have not yet appeared. The value of these technologies varies with academic disciplines and the situations of users, but the use of electronic tools and services is relevant to all users of information. The world of the Department of Library and Information Science remains a stimulating and exciting world of books and journals; with equal assurance it is also a promising and engaging world of computers, electronic information retrieval, telecommunications, digital images, multimedia, the internet, the World Wide Web, and whatever expansive technology may be emerging in the future.

By anticipating a career and making appropriate choices, students experience and interpret library and information studies in different ways. Whatever their concentrations or aims may be, their professional lives will demand careful inquiry and critical thinking about information and the changing lives and needs of information users. In all of its variations, this is the core that informs the master of library and information science degree. We welcome students to discover their own futures and the future of library and information science in the Department of Library and Information Science.

 
For additional information, contact RU-info at 732-445-info (4636) or colonel.henry@rutgers.edu.
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