AboutRobert H. Kieserman, MBA, MLIS Expertise I am a consultant to public and special libraries and I specialize in library management and administration. I am able to answer questions about library science as a career as well as about the general topic of library science and how libraries work and the services they provide.
Experience I have an MBA, an MLIS degree, I am a business professor, I have written four books on entrepreneurship, and have been a expert in another management area (healthcare) for AllExperts with a consistently high rating for over two years.
Organizations the American Library Association, the Library Administration and Management Association, the Public Library Association, and the Medical Library Association
Publications I have written for numerous national publications on the issues of marketing, human resources management, and strategic management.
Education/Credentials MBA in Accounting and a MLIS
Awards and Honors honored for my teaching by Sigma Beta Delta
Question Hello,
I am looking for advice on how to get into private-sector library-type jobs with only an MBA. I may be interested in getting an MLIS down the road. Right now I am a few classes away from completing a part-time MBA at a highly-regarded East Coast university. I also work full-time at that university in a "research" center, but in a primarily corporate relations role. My 11-year professional background is in fundraising and administration at nonprofit organizations. I would like to find out about private-sector opportunities that would bridge business and information science, and that would be open to applicants without an MLIS. Thank you for the help!
Answer My only suggestion is to consider working in either corporate research with a law firm or pharmaceutical firm, or library administration with one of the larger consulting firms. Many law firms have corporate research divisions where some of the staff are librarians, while others are MBA's. The function of these folks is to do research for the attorneys primarily in the area of mergers and acquisitions and competitive analysis. Phamaceutical companies also have business research divisions devoted to doing competitive analysis. The larger library management consulting firms like Library Associates often hire non-librarians to work with libraries on management issues. I happen to have an MBA and an MLIS. My main focus is library consulting, and I work with public libraries and also head the Library Management Institute at Arcadia University (www.arcadia.edu/gsbi). Write back if you have any other questions.
