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 I’m a college student who has found her calling, reference librarian, but I’m having trouble deciding on a major. (Something like art history, anthropology or sociology sound enticing to me, but I want to balance my interests with practicality and have a useful degree at the end of my four years!) I plan on attending University of Missouri - St. Louis for my undergraduate degree and then moving on to University of Missouri - Columbia for their graduate program. My eventual goal is to work in a public library or university, helping patrons locate and then understand the answers to their questions.
What undergraduate degree do most librarians have and how large a role does what you choose as an undergrad play in being a librarian? What is a useful undergraduate degree for librarians? Are computer science and database programming a part of the job of librarians? Would a minor in computer science be a benefit? Basically, I’m trying to figure out what educational background would lead to better employability in the field and more useful skills on the job.
Any insight you can give me on becoming and then working as a librarian would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much for your help!
-Kate Miller
Answer Kate:
If you think you may wish to go the path of academic librarianship, you should choose an undergraduate major that will prepare you for expertise in a certain subject area: history, English, business, science, fine arts, music, etc. This is because many university libraries have reference specialists rather than reference generalists. If you think you may wish to work in a public library, I suggest that you major in one of the social sciences, or business, or English. These undergraduate majors will provide you with a basis in public library reference. If you have any specific questions, please write back. I may be able to advise you about your undergraduate plans since I am not only a librarian, but I am also a college professor and academic advisor. So, please feel free to write back with followup questions.
