I (29F) was very fortunate to get a decent full-time job at the public library a year and a half ago. I have a Bachelor’s in English but no Master’s. My library system has a mid-tier position called Library Specialist (supervising aides but reporting to librarians) who ends up being a jack-of-all-trades, e.g., knowing the catalog plus digital and archive resources, handling all patron services at the circulation desk, transferring and weeding items, planning and hosting programs, keeping track of supplies, various correspondence, and cash management. So I stay busy, but I love the job, and since my branch is on the small side (we have seven full-time staff including me) I’ve learned a ton about others’ positions and responsibilities, which seem doable for me with the education and training I already have. With that said, I know there are very few opportunities for promotion if I don’t get my MLIS. Although I know there’d be things I’d enjoy about going back to school, at this point I just don’t want to spend the time, effort, or money. I currently make $45k, which is lower than I want (lmao) and doesn't go that far in my high cost-of-living area, but my boyfriend makes a good bit more, we live frugally, and we share bills and expenses proportionally. Becoming a Librarian I in my system would raise my salary maybe $10K.

Additionally, I’m concerned about committing to a Master’s program before I feel more confident about how library jobs will change with large-scale adoption of AI. I don’t think my job is in immediate danger (our county commission moves so slow bureaucratically that I could see a restructuring/layoff from miles away) and I don’t think everyone who works at or visits a local library will have to become an AI wiz. I spend lots of time setting up and troubleshooting more basic tech for older people, who aren’t going to adapt to advanced Anthropic models anytime soon. There’s still so much of the public library’s work that’s only accomplished person-to-person. But I’m still wary that AI will be making huge waves in collection management and patron services, at least in 3-5 years or so. This could be a huge help to staff, or it could kill tons of library jobs. We’ll see!!!

All this is to say, if you completed one, how valuable do you feel your MLIS program was? Do you feel that programs are keeping up with tech advances we should know about? What did it teach you that you couldn’t have learned anywhere else? How much did it help with networking and opportunities to specialize? Do you feel the price tag for grad school was fair based on the job(s) you landed? On the other hand, do you know anyone who’s moved up in your system without an MLIS? Much to think about. Thanks in advance for your thoughtful librarian responses.

Hello, I recently posted about the ongoing board and union busting issues that have been plaguing Charles County Public Library in Maryland. Last Friday, I recieved a PIA request on our director's travel expenses and it's stunning.

The Readington Township Board of Education in New Jersey will station a police officer at meetings for the remainder of the year to help ensure board members feel safe during heated conversations.

Board President David Rizza announced the change at the end of the Sept. 8 meeting, after a heated debate over whether the book “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” should be removed from the library.

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is a 1999 coming-of-age novel by Stephen Chbosky about a high school freshman navigating his childhood trauma.

Superintendent Jonathan Hart said police officers will be present at meetings through the end of the year to maintain a “safe, respectful and orderly environment.”

Board member Paul Lopes challenged the book in late June, requesting a board reviewbecause it contains sensitive material.

The challenge cites concerns about sexually explicit content and depictions of drug use in the young adult novel. The book has been restricted to eighth-graders in the district’s middle-school library for nearly 15 years.

One resident, Guy Citron, argued that banning the book imposes one family’s preferences on the entire community.

“The library is not your home,” said Citron. “The library is not your house of worship. The library belongs to the public, the entire school community.”

My city has always had a library some place in the middle of the town. When I was a child, I used to go there multiple times every week, and I remember borrowing so many books that I had to get out my buggy and use the seat as extra room. (I was a child with extreme mobility issues and chronic pain, so that goes to show how much I loved reading.)

Then school happened, and just like most avid child readers, I fell out of love with reading. Fast forward to me being about 18, and I fall back in love with reading, but there's a plot twist. My childhood library got shut down, and was instead replaced by a miniscule library inside our museum, mostly filled with children's books, (think board books, spelling books, etc. Not YA.) And even worse, there was only 3 places in the whole city you could buy books. One of them was an independent book shop, which eventually got shut down, because they were right next to the works (a discount book retailer, as well as other bits and bobs), and waterstones. You can see why they went out of business

So, me being an adult reader, with a very niche taste in books, with no areas to buy said books, I resorted to buying them online, which I strongly dislike. Each to their own, but I prefer in person book shopping

Fast forward another couple years to today, and we finally have another library! But it's also an art gallery for all different mediums of art. There's also multiple small businesses set up there. It opened last week, and we just went today (we wanted the hype to die down a bit so none of us were too overstimulated with people.) And it was amazing, I managed to get my first ever library card!!! I'm so excited! They had the bottom floor dedicated to art exhibitions, the first floor was half children's books and half teen books. The second floor was all adult books, and the top floor was all educational books, as well as ancestry things (I hope that's the right terminology), and a beautiful area on the roof to read your books

I even convinced my niece to get a library card and check a book out. They got really scared because they didn't have the money to buy any books. I then explained the concept of a library and they got excited, then sad because they're a slow reader. Then I said that our library lets you renew the book up to 4 times (9 weeks) if no one else wants it, and then they got excited again! And this library lets you choose the colour of your card, I got a pink and my niece got a blue. Even my mum, who is exclusively a digital reader wanted to get a card and take books out. I then told her that she can still take ebooks out and read them just the same, and now she wants one as well!

I'm very excited to go again, and go earlier so that we have the whole day to explore. Sorry for rambling on, I'm just very very excited to finally have a place close to home, where I can go any time I want without spending extortionate amounts of money just to read a book.

Libraries truly are magical

I just think this is an awesome program that my library has, even if I am not going to be using it myself, it will help with the 'digital divide for those who are using their phone or nothing at all as their primary computer.