From Classroom to Career: A Survey of North American Student Workers on Library and Information Science Career Preparedness

Abstract

This presentation reviews a recently completed research survey of library and archives student workers who are enrolled in MLIS programs and how they perceive that their student job(s) are preparing them for a professional career in libraries or archives. It invited them to answer questions about their knowledge, skills, interests, and job qualifications as well as expound upon their recent job search experience for post-graduation jobs. The survey and received 221 usable responses from MLIS student workers across the United States and Canada.

The results show that 78% of respondents perceive that their student jobs are preparing them for a professional library or archives job. However, many respondents expressed that they need more years of experience in order to find a post-graduation job. Over half of the respondents reported that their student jobs increased their ability in reference services and many respondents reported increased abilities in information retrieval and access services / circulation. Over half of the respondents reported that they need to obtain or improve skills in cataloging and/or metadata, collection development, and/or collection management in order to secure a professional job that interests them. Many respondents commented that their student jobs are more valuable to them than their MLIS coursework when it comes to gaining skills for future employment.

This presentation discusses our survey results and implications for student worker training, practical training within MLIS programs, and the job market for new MLIS graduates.