Maybe interested in getting a Master's Degree in Library Information Services

Ask specific questions about your target languages. Beginner questions welcome!
User avatar
atcprunner
White Belt
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2016 3:04 pm
Location: Beijing
Languages: English (N), Mandarin (C1), French (B2), Spanish (B2), Russian (B1), German (B2), Old English, Latin
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=4381
x 19

Maybe interested in getting a Master's Degree in Library Information Services

Postby atcprunner » Thu Oct 11, 2018 1:22 am

A bit of background on myself:
I've been teaching English (my native language) for a while now and I've gotten a few practical qualifications, such as the CELTA and Trinity Diploma in TESOL. I also work as a CELTA tutor (a specific niche of teacher training).

I'm interested in getting a Master's Degree in something that can open the doors to being able to work with many languages. Besides teaching and translation, I've been thinking of how it might be to work in a library handling archives in different languages.

Does anyone have any experience with this or know anyone who works with meta data and information retrieval systems?

I'm wondering if it would be a useful track for me.
1 x
SC French Books Full: 29 / 100
SC Spanish Books Full: 13 / 100
SC German Books Full: 36 / 100
SC Russian Books Full: 0 / 100
SC Mandarin Books Full: 0 / 100

User avatar
Xenops
Brown Belt
Posts: 1444
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 10:33 pm
Location: Boston
Languages: English (N), Danish (A2), Japanese (rusty), Nansha (constructing)
On break: Japanese (approx. N4), Norwegian (A2)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=16797
x 3559
Contact:

Re: Library Information Services and Languages

Postby Xenops » Thu Oct 11, 2018 5:55 pm

atcprunner wrote:A bit of background on myself:
I've been teaching English (my native language) for a while now and I've gotten a few practical qualifications, such as the CELTA and Trinity Diploma in TESOL. I also work as a CELTA tutor (a specific niche of teacher training).

I'm interested in getting a Master's Degree in something that can open the doors to being able to work with many languages. Besides teaching and translation, I've been thinking of how it might be to work in a library handling archives in different languages.

Does anyone have any experience with this or know anyone who works with meta data and information retrieval systems?

I'm wondering if it would be a useful track for me.


I confess I do not know much about library degrees, so take my perspective as you will. It sounds like this area of library sciences would be a very niche occupation, and I can't imagine anywhere but large, multicultural cities could offer jobs in this specialization. I hesitate to suggest to anyone to study for something that isn't in high demand everywhere. So if you got stuck with a library sciences degree, can you see yourself working in a library with a small language collection and still enjoy it?

I think a master's in education or ESL would be far more useful: then you could teach just about anywhere in the world, and it opens more opportunities.
1 x
Check out my comic at: https://atannan.com/

Ccaesar
Orange Belt
Posts: 216
Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2018 2:47 pm
Languages: Danish (N) English (B2-C1) German (B1-B2) Italian(B1), Japanese (beginner)
x 264

Re: Maybe interested in getting a Master's Degree in Library Information Services

Postby Ccaesar » Thu Oct 11, 2018 6:11 pm

I can answer that.
Often they hire people who know more of the languages (if the budgets are not being cut constantly), and working in such an envinroment I have met people with various degrees one who had literature and Russian for instance and another one who majored in Shakespear.

We have something here called "informationsvidenskab", which I think is the must direct path to such a career. Also being systematic is a good thing ;)
4 x
Hiragana practiced in hand : 48 / 48
Katakana practiced in hand : 48 / 48
Kanji : 50 / 2000
Assimil Japanese with Ease : 27 / 100

User avatar
atcprunner
White Belt
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2016 3:04 pm
Location: Beijing
Languages: English (N), Mandarin (C1), French (B2), Spanish (B2), Russian (B1), German (B2), Old English, Latin
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=4381
x 19

Re: Maybe interested in getting a Master's Degree in Library Information Services

Postby atcprunner » Fri Oct 12, 2018 8:10 am

Thanks for the replies. Those were helpful.
0 x
SC French Books Full: 29 / 100
SC Spanish Books Full: 13 / 100
SC German Books Full: 36 / 100
SC Russian Books Full: 0 / 100
SC Mandarin Books Full: 0 / 100

Online
Cavesa
Black Belt - 4th Dan
Posts: 4960
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 9:46 am
Languages: Czech (N), French (C2) English (C1), Italian (C1), Spanish, German (C1)
x 17566

Re: Maybe interested in getting a Master's Degree in Library Information Services

Postby Cavesa » Fri Oct 12, 2018 9:54 am

I know two people with such a degree (here, it is library information services and IT). One still lives in the Czech Republic and the other one has moved to the USA. Neither is particularily skilled in languages (just English) and it is in general not considered such a useful skill. Neither works in a library or research institution in the end. The problem is the limited amount of such jobs, with lots of suitable applicants with this or another related degree.

So yes, you could fill a wonderful niche, as there are few people with your language skills and the qualification. But it may be difficult to find it. It depends on where do you want to work, some regions will definitely offer more such jobs than others.
2 x


Return to “Practical Questions and Advice”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests