On Being a Newb

I’ve started grad school!  Having decided to triple up with three courses a semester, rather than the suggested two, I’m planning to bang through this thing by May of 2013.  MS in LIS from Florida State University, here I come!

Attending college entirely via the interwebs (100% distance learning program) is…  interesting.  Here are my observations after a week:

1. There’s a whole language involved here – and nobody to really clue you in.  Sink or swim!  There’s Db’s and Bb and DL and asynchronous versus synchronous class meetings.  There’s Elluminate, MSDNAA, and a zillion different tools with funny e-names.  Not to mention all the library lingo I’m seeing tossed around (of course, a lot of that is thankfully quite familiar after a couple years on the scene).
2. If you fall asleep during a voice chat class meeting, there is no one to politely cough, kick your seat, shoot you a dirty look, etc.  I don’t know whether to say “uh oh” or “whew!”.
3. Group work online is the stuff of teeth-gnashing and hairpulling.  Can’t say I ever felt group work was beneficial in the past, but this is definitely even less productive given the limits of technology.
4. Advisement is a bit hard to come by.  Thankfully, the school posts a lot of info online you might get in a face-to-face advisor meeting.  It seems like if you know exactly where you are headed, you will probably do just fine with the resources provided.  Those who are uncertain about their path and desired future job description might find themselves a bit lost.  I’d say this is probably the case in general when it comes to online grad school.  You have to be motivated and confident to navigate this terrain.
5. My professors are pros at distance-teaching.  I’m impressed by the quality and clarity of what has been presented so far and how the courses have been laid out.  I think as long as I skip the obvious duds (as judged by overwhelming majority on Rate My Professor, of course!), I will have a challenging but enjoyable experience!

Overall, I feel very happy with my decision to pursue this degree at FSU, despite my reservations in the past about library school.  I’m proud to be an FSU student – seems to me it’s one of the most practical Library Science programs out there which is precisely why I selected it.  I’m relieved to report the experience so far matches the glossy descriptions.  More than half of my classmates are already library professionals – many heading up branch libraries or working as paraprofessionals.  It’s nice to find myself among peers I can really relate to.

Of course, it’s more than my classmates I can relate to and/or commiserate with at this time of year!  Today in my library, my youngest patrons were characterized by a certain brand of nervous energy or worn-out apathy when they visited after the 3 o’clock hour.  “First day of school?” I asked.  There were nods all around, a few smiles, and some consternation concerning first-day homework assignments.  Today I felt a kinship with these industrious young students, entering a whole new year and way of being with only teetering stacks of books and the requisite sharpened number 2 pencils to bolster them up.  It didn’t feel at all condescending to roll my eyes or tut tut in sympathy and say “oh, I know it!”  I’m there too I guess – at the start of the thing, feeling the nervous energy of the first semester of “big-girl” school!  It’s pretty exciting!

Reconsidering the MSIS

Many times in the past, it has occurred to me that a graduate degree in Library Science or Information Systems might be a positive career move, but I’ve always groaned when I read some of the course requirements.  I mean, we are talking dry stuff here, at least from my perspective.  I know from experience that working in a library is not dry – it’s quite challenging and interesting, actually, so what’s with these achingly dull curricula I keep running into?

My “ah-ha” moment here was when I finally realized I was looking at the wrong kinds of programs!  What I need is a MSLIS or MLS program with a focus in administration or leadership.  Taking a more typical course of study in reference librarianship may help me land a reference job, but that’s not what I’m doing now or looking to do in the future, so of course the curriculum seems out of sync with my interests!

Luckily, with a little bit of hunting, I’ve been able to turn up a few fully-online MSIS programs with that area of specialization.  Cool!  I’ll get a background in reference and other important library concepts, but I’ll also be studying finances, management, human resources, project management, etc.  This type of coursework will directly and positively impact my performance in my current job, so that’s pretty exciting.  An MSIS wouldn’t hurt my resume as a web-designer either.

Now, to get cracking on studying for the dreaded and unfortunately required GRE test (ugh).