I often am asked–Why a Master’s in Information and Library Sciences? Do you really need that to be a Librarian? The Answer is Yes. Absolutely, Positively, Hell Yes. So here are 6 reasons (not an exhaustive list in the slightest) why you may need a Master’s in order to run a successful library, because Librarians do more than checkout books and re-shelf them.

1. Have you ever heard of AACR2? How about MARC? RDA? If you want an idea of what gets into ‘putting a book into the computer’ there is a great resource right here that will look like gibberish to you, but is the language of cataloging.
2. Do you know how to create budget? Write a Grant? Do you understand how to appeal to the shareholders of the library to ensure funding continues to come? These are things you need to know to keep your library alive.
3. Do you know the demographic of your area? Can you create a program plan based off the demographics? Why about the future demographic? Another valuable skill.
4. What makes a program successful? How do you measure the outcome of a program when it is the confidence of a child in school, or the comfort of escaping into a book away from harsh realities? There are many courses dedicated just to these topics.
5. Can you read and write in html? Okay this one may not be *required* but it sure is helpful in creating an online pretense that keeps the library current.
6. What ever the most up and coming technology is, the librarians are already learning about it and the best way to teach others how to use it.

Why do I want to be a librarian? Because the library is not a house of books–it’s a house of knowledge, and no matter how the knowledge is being presented you can be sure there are librarians already figuring out how it can be accessible to everyone in the community.