# Why do librarians need college degrees?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 19, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949 "2002-06-19T20:35:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2002, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/1 "2002-06-19T20:35:26Z")
Honestly, I’m not trying to be snarky, but I’m trying to figure out what a degree in library science teaches you. I always thought that if you could figure out the filing system, you pretty much aced everything you needed to know about libraries, but then I found out that there were bachelor and masters degrees in library science. (I presume that you can also hold a Ph.D, but I don’t know about that).
So, what does it teach you?
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### Author:  [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/2 "2002-06-19T20:36:38Z")
Apologies for the **Surreal** nature of the post title.
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### Author:  [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2002, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/3 "2002-06-19T20:47:19Z")
I am bumping this OP as I, too, want to know. Hopefully, someone more intelligent than I will come along with an answer shortly.
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### Author:  [@Qwisp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwisp)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2002, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/4 "2002-06-19T20:54:10Z")
My sister has a Masters in Library Science, and _I don’t even know_ what it’s for. I’d call and ask her, but she just moved to Columbus Ohio and I don’t have her new phone yet. If no one answers this in the next couple days, I’ll see if I can find out.
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2002, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/5 "2002-06-19T20:56:19Z")
First off, you should understand that not everyone who works in a library has a degree. There are about 20 people in my relatively small branch library and only 6 of us are “professionals” (i.e., have a master’s degree). Of those, 3 are managers.
Next, and getting more toward answering your questions, an ALA-accredited Master’s in Library (sometimes _and Information_, like mine) Science (or _Studies_ as some, like mine, are) is the common entry-level degree for “professional” library positions. A doctorate is required if you’re going to teach in a library school, but that’s about it.
What do you learn in library school? How to run a library. A surprise to most people is that running a library doesn’t stop at checking books out, checking books in, and putting the books on the shelves in the right order. Middle school students can do that. I know, because that’s where my library career started. Classes in library school include classes on general reference, subject-specific reference, cataloging (deciding what number goes on the book in the first place), management (general), type-of-library-specific management (public, school media center, special, and academic are the four major types), and technologies in libraries. That’s the highlights. More specifics depend usually on your type of library specialization.
Anyway, I hope some of that helps. 🙂
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### Author:  [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2002, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/6 "2002-06-19T21:00:50Z")
Interestingly enough I know someone going for their masters in that. Yet I never did ask them even though I, too, have always wondered.
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### Author:  [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2002, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/7 "2002-06-19T21:07:38Z")
I will get this started…
Quite apart from managing a large building that hosts hundreds or thousands of visitors a day…
…librarians are essentially database administrators. Every item must be catalogued (tagged) so that it can be identified and located from a remote location. The rules for doing this are extremely complex, and take a lot of study to learn and understand. They must also know how to find reliable sources of information (it’s not [Google.com](http://Google.com)) quickly. Remember, many if not most librarians work not in public libraries but in academic settings. A Harvard professor doing research needs acurate citations, and www.bubbas ribs 'n [astrophysics.com](http://astrophysics.com) is not the kind of place she needs to be looking at. This is a learned skill as well. Although the rules of cataloguing are the same as in years past, it is now a completely digitized process, so the knowledge of technology needed is high. Most library school grds these days could make a living as web designers.
Finally, who would want to go to a library staffed by morons?
Sections:
Car Repair
Comics
Star Trek books
Thomas Kincaide coffee table books
Watch, some librarian will be along to give the real Dewey or LC numbers for each of those - off the top of their heads…
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### Author:  [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2002, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/8 "2002-06-19T21:14:48Z")
A side, but related, question.
I hear librarians make really, really crappy money. What does a freshly new minted, right out of school Librarian Science major lucky enough to get a job in a library usually make? How about if they are they 5 years later?
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2002, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/9 "2002-06-19T21:47:39Z")
It depends on where you work and what you do, \*\*BlinkingDuck \*\*, like any job. Here is info from the current [Occupational Outlook Handbook](http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm#earnings):
> [@](#):
>
> Salaries of librarians vary according to the individual’s qualifications and the type, size, and location of the library. Librarians with primarily administrative duties often have greater earnings. Median annual earnings of librarians in 2000 were $41,700. The middle 50 percent earned between $32,840 and $52,110. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $25,030, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $62,990. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of librarians in 2000 were as follows:
>
> Elementary and secondary schools $43,320
> Colleges and universities 43,050
> Local government, except education and hospitals 38,370
> The average annual salary for all librarians in the Federal Government in nonsupervisory, supervisory, and managerial positions was $63,651 in 2001.
When I first graduated (December 1997), I was interviewing for jobs that started at about $25,000/year. The job I accepted started higher than that because of the size of the library system and its relative affluence, and additional experience and skills I brought to the table allowed me to negotiate for even more than the base starting salary, so I’m not typical. I have been a professional librarian for just over 4 years now and I make … let’s just say I’m doing OK. 😉
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### Author:  [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2002, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/10 "2002-06-19T21:58:10Z")
Kneadtoknow, that’s nice to know, especially your personal experience.
If you had just quoted the Occupational Handbook I still would have been skeptical. Sometimes I think these sources pull the numbers out of their butts. When I was a teacher, I would continually hear statistics about what teachers made that was over twice what I was making.
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### Author:  [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2002, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/11 "2002-06-19T22:21:58Z")
The MLS degree serves as a _de facto_ credential for librarians. Unlike teachers, librarians don’t have formal credential programs or have to go and take continuing education classes or pass competency exams. (And I know a lot of them that I wish had been forced to do that.)
But the MLS is a professional degree, not unlike getting an MSW (Social Welfare or Social Work).
There is some theory taught, but a lot of it is practical management skills.
Auto repair books are usually in the 629.2 section of your local Dewey Decimal organized public library.
Comics are sometimes in the 700s if they are hardbound, but the softcovers usually just get tossed on a rack.
The Star Trek novels go in the Fiction section arranged by author’s name. Or in the Science Fiction section if the library separates its fiction by genre.
Thomas Kinkade coffee table books are usually vandalized by people who recopy the prints and then try to rebind them and sell bootleg copies.
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### Author:  [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2002, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/12 "2002-06-19T23:05:09Z")
Ah, **Duck**. but those are what teachers make _after 30 years of teaching and assuming that your salary isn’t put on hold and you’re not **giving back** 2% to the government every year_. At least, thats according to my mother, who works in Quebec.
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### Author:  [@Jane\_his\_wife](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jane_his_wife)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2002, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/13 "2002-06-19T23:35:40Z")
Nah, I see ads for librarians all the time that offer (what I consider to be) terrific starting salaries. So much so that I considered going back to school to get the degree, since I am something of a bookish sort.
But then I saw a news story about what pharmacy school grads are being offered right out of school…
> [@](#):
>
> **Earnings**
> Median annual earnings of pharmacists in 2000 were $70,950. The middle 50 percent earned between $61,860 and $81,690 a year. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $51,570, and the highest 10 percent, more than $89,010 a year. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of pharmacists in 2000 were as follows:
>
> Department stores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $73,730
> Grocery stores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72,440
> Drug stores and proprietary stores . . 72,110
> Hospitals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68,760
>
> According to a survey by Drug Topics magazine, published by Medical Economics Co., **average starting base salaries of full-time, salaried pharmacists were $67,824 in 2000**. Pharmacists working in chain drug stores had an average annual base salary of $71,486 while pharmacists working in independent drug stores averaged $62,040 and hospital pharmacists averaged $61,250. Many pharmacists also receive compensation in the form of bonuses, overtime, and profit-sharing.
>
> **Job Outlook**
> Very good employment opportunities are expected for pharmacists over the 2000-10 period because the number of degrees granted in pharmacy are not expected to be as numerous as the number of job openings created by employment growth and the need to replace pharmacists who retire or otherwise leave the occupation.
>
> Employment of pharmacists is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2010, due to the increased pharmaceutical needs of a larger and older population and greater use of medication. The growing numbers of middle-aged and elderly people—who, on average, use more prescription drugs than do younger people—will continue to spur demand for pharmacists in all practice settings.
So, how much does it cost to go to pharmacist school? Anyone?
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### Author:  [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2002, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/14 "2002-06-19T23:42:25Z")
As a practicing engineer for over 40 years, I discovered that the one thing I wished they had provided us in college was a 1 hour course in library science every semester in the junior and senior years. I don’t think there is anything that is much more valuable than knowing how to use a library and how to get the most help of those in the library who have degrees in library science.
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### Author:  [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2002, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/15 "2002-06-20T00:07:37Z")
Thanks everyone! You’ve truly eradicated a bit of ignorance today.
**Jane** , any idea how long it takes to get through pharmacy school? That’s a crazy amount of money! I mean, I thought computer programmers were well paid, but that’s over twice what an entry level programmer makes in this area.
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### Author:  [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2002, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/16 "2002-06-20T00:37:52Z")
You realize that in many places entrance to Pharmacy schools requires many of the same requisites as medicine schools? AND good grades and GPA too?
Pre-pharmacy required classes at UF:
General Chemistry
General Biology
Calculus I
Physics(but they can take an easier one than pre-meds, unless their major requires the harder one, which is usually the case)
Anatomy courses
Zoology courses
Organic Chemistry
And the Math and Sciences GPA should be 3.0.
Courses may vary among pharmacy schools, but I know a friend that is studying for pre-pharmacy at another university, and she has to do at least the General Chemistry and Biology and Calculus part.
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### Author:  [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2002, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/17 "2002-06-20T00:42:36Z")
Oh, and being a pharmacist it depends…I think some places may have pharmacy as a bachelor’s degree, while others have a combined BS/Doctor of Pharmacy degree that lasts 6 years, and regular pharmacy school is about 4 years.
I do have a question related to the topic, though…is it possible for a librarian to work with just a bachelor’s degree?
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### Author:  [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2002, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/18 "2002-06-20T05:28:37Z")
Some library systems are thinking of hiring librarians who just have BAs because of a shortage in librarians.
However, such proposals are strongly resisted by labor unions representing librarians (yes, most public librarians are unionized.) The unions feel that if the educational standards are lowered, so will the salaries.
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### Author:  [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2002, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-librarians-need-college-degrees/114949/19 "2002-06-20T06:40:25Z")
IANAL, but…
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Lamar Mundane \*
> Sections:
> Car Repair: **670-680 or so, I think**
> Comics: **741.59xx**
> Star Trek books: **AF (adult fiction), or young AF for the novels, 823 or so for the “reference” books**
> Thomas Kincaide coffee table books: No clue. Probably 760 or so, along with other interior design stuff.
I don’t know what else they know, but one of the librarians at the library I used to work commented that she (and other library science majors) can actually _stitch_ a book together, good as new, if the occasion called for it.