What type of credentials do you need to become a librarian?

Answer 1

Know how to read.

Answer 2

You can get a foot in the door by becoming a volunteer in many libraries as young as your early teens. Do a great job and be reliable and then apply for something like a shelver or circulation clerk. If you get in with a library system, many of them will pay a portion for you to go to library school (if you already have a Bachelor's degree). Even if your library system does not require an MLS or MLIS (Master of Library and Information Systems), the more you are promoted, the more this becomes an expectation/necessity.

Now is an exciting time as the boomers are starting to retire and the next generation of librarians will help navigate how libraries and the information overload of the web will coexist (or not).

Answer 3

If you want the best jobs in a library, go for a degree in Library science.

"Most professional library jobs require a professional post-baccalaureate degree in library science, or one of its equivalent terms, library and information science as a basic credential. In the United States and Canada the certification usually comes from a master's degree granted by an ALA -accredited institution, so even non-scholarly librarians have an originally academic background. In the United Kingdom, however, there have been moves to broaden the entry requirements to professional library posts, such that qualifications in, or experience of, a number of other disciplines have become more acceptable."

"Library science is an interdisciplinary science incorporating the humanities, law and applied science to study topics related to libraries, the collection, organization, preservation and dissemination of information resources, and the political economy of information. Historically, library science has also included archival science. "The distinction between a library and an archive is relatively modern"[1]. This includes how information resources are organized to serve the needs of select user groups, how people interact with classification systems and technology, how information is acquired, evaluated and applied by people in and outside of libraries as well as cross-culturally, how people are trained and educated for careers in libraries, the ethics that guide library service and organization, the legal status of libraries and information resources, and the applied science of computer technology used in documentation and records management. Academic courses in library science typically include Collection management, Information Systems and Technology, Cataloging and classification, Preservation, Reference, Statistics and Management. Library science is constantly evolving, incorporating new topics like Database Management, Information Architecture and Knowledge Management, for example."

"The term library and information science (LIS) is sometimes used; most librarians consider it as only a terminological variation, intended to emphasize the scientific and technical foundations of the subject, and its relationship with information science. LIS should not be confused with information theory, the mathematical study of the concept of information, or information science, a field related to computer science and cognitive science."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_Science

Answer 4

A degree in "library science." Just ask any librarian.

Answer 5

A degree in Library Science. And believe it or not, the field is highly competitive. Pax - C

Answer 6

A Master's, probably. I've got a few friends going into it, and it's not the cushy job most people expect, but it is highly rewarding.

Answer 7

Bitchy, deaf, and near-sighted.