Is there any point qualifying as a librarian?

[TheBlackKnightinyellowwellies]

I have worked as a library assistant in a public library for several years, but my days are numbered; we are to be replaced by volunteers.

I love my job and feel I am pretty good at it, I am wondering; in the current climate whether I should give up- just move in to another field entirely.

Or totally commit and undertake some post graduate study and qualify as a librarian, in the hope I am will be one of the few still working.

The whole thing makes me rather sad. wwyd?

You could re-train, I have seen jobs in the private sector looking for libarian qualifications. If you feel this way about limited opportunities, I would see how transferrable the qualification is.

I was talking to a librarian about the same thing not that long ago. She is a Chartered Librarian and was saying that jobs are being advertised with no special experience. There are also fewer opportunities.

I'd look at doing something else personally.

BlackKnight there are hardly any jobs in public libraries that require a librarianship qualification these days unfortunately. Academic libraries still seem to be employing librarians, but it is quite heavily about specialist online information. There are also jobs in learning centres and some well resourced schools.

Thank you for your replies.
Working in libraries is so rewarding, but knowing there is no future, really sad at the moment.

But yes career wise, I need to start looking elsewhere

The drawback is the cost of the qualification without a guaranteed job at the end. There are librarian jobs for which the MSc combined with your experience would put you in the running for - just not as many as there were and more people going for them (isn't it the same story for a lot of careers though?). There are all kinds of libraries and it is only regular public ones in which the job market is really falling. You have to weigh up if you have the cash for the course, and even if you do, if you can think of another route you could take which would have higher job prospects. If you have the money (or can get the course funded somehow) and don't have better ideas, I would do it. Don't under-estimate the value of knowing you enjoy the job and of having years of experience.

From what I've heard the job situation for Library Assistants and Librarians aren't good. Library jobs are quite high on the list to be streamlined when Councils start cutting back. But then there are the college and university libraries. Look round at the current job situation for qualifed librarians around the area you want to work in and if there is absolutely nothing then you have to think seriously before you embark on the course. IMHO.

If you can afford it and manage the training I'd say yes, but...

As a sector, it's feeling really under siege at the moment. I work in the corporate sector which has seen a huge amount of changes in the past 5-10 years, including a depressing number of redundancies. It's in a state of flux at the moment, with the traditional librarians working really hard to get a lot of newer areas (for example knowledge management) under our belt rather than anyone else's.

I love the job. I wouldn't tell anyone not to qualify, as I think the core skills of information management are going to become really important again. But it's going to take a while for librarianship to realign itself as the information/knowledge profession as opposed to the more old-fashioned understanding of the word 'librarian', and as such there no guarantee that you're definitely going to be able to use your MA in the way that a teacher or accountant would.

But if you can afford it, or do part-time study, I would still go for it. If you find the right role for it it's the best job going.