Library School Do-Overs: What Working Librarians Would Change

The most common regret librarians report from library school is not a bad grade or a wrong program. It is a missed habit: drifting through electives, skipping the practicum, or never talking to a professor until graduation. A recent r/librarians thread, tagged "Job Advice," asked experienced librarians to name one thing they did right and one thing they did wrong in LIS school. The answers clustered into a handful of repeatable patterns.

Those patterns map cleanly onto five decisions every student in MLIS programs faces: MLIS specializations, experience, networking, work-life balance, and money. The tradeoffs differ for academic, public, and special library paths, but the timing of each choice matters more than most students realize while enrolled.

What the R/librarians Thread Reveals: Five Regrets That Keep Coming Up

What do working librarians say they got right and wrong in library school? A recent Reddit r/librarians thread, tagged "Job Advice," asked exactly that: share one thing you did right and one thing you did wrong. The replies are anecdotes from a handful of people, not survey data, so treat them as patterns worth testing rather than proof.

What commenters say they did right

• Worked while studying: A concurrent library job, often paired with a practicum and volunteer work in the same specialty.
• Gained experience every term: One commenter held a part-time library job and an internship each semester and summer , a pattern common in MLIS Entry-Level Jobs.
• Chose a capstone: That same commenter picked a capstone over a thesis.

What commenters say they did wrong

• Skipped specialization: One commenter took whatever classes fit their schedule and felt less prepared as an academic librarian , a reminder to think through how to choose mlis specialization.
• Chose mismatched electives: Another took book history and typography courses that did not help an academic career.
• Passed on networking and talks: Several wished they had gotten to know professors, classmates, and extra-curricular speakers through library associations for MLIS students.
• Clashed with a professor: One commenter challenged an instructor in an intro reference course and had to retake it.
• Left scholarships unclaimed: One wished they had applied for more funding.

How the Thread Informs the Advice That Follows

The comments are sorted into program milestones, from pre-enrollment planning to the final semester. Each milestone then gets sector-specific advice for academic, public, and special library tracks, so the anecdotes become a plan you can act on.

Pick a Specialization Early and Choose Electives for the Job You Actually Want

One commenter in the r/librarians thread had no specialization and simply took whatever classes fit their schedule rather than following how to choose electives for MLIS program. They later felt less prepared as an academic librarian. Another took History of the Book and a design and typography course, which were interesting but did not help in an academic career. The pattern is consistent: schedule-driven or curiosity-driven choices can leave gaps that show up in interviews.

Map Electives to Your Target Track

• Academic: instruction and information literacy, scholarly communication, research data management, collection development.
• Public: programming, community engagement, readers' advisory, youth services.
• Special: taxonomy, knowledge management, archives, competitive intelligence.

ALA competency guidance covers school, academic, public, special and governmental libraries, and expects specialized knowledge beyond the core³. Special libraries vary most. Some want a subject-area degree or certification, so check the special librarian career guide early.

The 10-Posting Test

Before you register each term, pull 10 real postings for the role you want. List the required and preferred skills, then match them against your program's course catalog. Whatever appears repeatedly and has no matching course is your gap. Fill it with an elective, practicum, or project.

Hiring Context

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 3% growth for librarians and library media specialists from 2025 to 2035, slower than average, with about 12,600 openings a year¹. It does not split those openings by sector. An analysis of ALA JobLIST postings shows academic libraries made up about 66% of the 2025-2026 postings and public libraries about 20%². The same ALA JobLIST data shows nearly 47% of 2026 postings mention AI-related skills², a shift visible in Library Hiring Trends. Treat these as approximate, since the underlying dataset is not available to verify.

Interest-driven electives are fine in moderation. One or two will not hurt if the rest of your transcript points toward a clear role.

If Your Program Offers Few Specializations

Smaller programs may not have a formal track. Ask about an independent study built around your target skills, and choose a practicum that matches the job. Look into post-master's or stand-alone certificates, and use course projects to build a portfolio in your chosen area.

Internships, Practicums and Library Jobs: Build Experience Every Term

The strongest MLIS candidates now enter the job market with a deliberate stack of hands-on experience, not just a transcript. In the r/librarians thread, the most confident commenters did not rely on coursework alone. One paired a part-time job with an internship every semester and summer, and chose a capstone instead of a thesis. Another stacked a job, a practicum, and a volunteer gig around one academic library specialty.

Build a Consistent Experience Stack

• Part-time work: A paid or unpaid library position builds daily skills and visibility.
• Internship or practicum: One per year adds supervision, references, and portfolio projects.
• Volunteering: Short roles fill gaps in archives, special collections, or digital projects.
• One specialty focus: Stack roles in the same library type, not scattered across unrelated areas.

How Requirements Vary Across ALA-Accredited Programs

Requirements differ across ALA-accredited programs. Typical placements run about 120 to 150 hours, but credit hours and required status vary. St. Catherine University lists a 120-hour supervised practicum over 12 weeks, generally 10 hours per week. The University of Missouri encourages a two- or three-credit practicum. The University of Arizona requires a three-unit Capstone Internship after 18 units of prerequisites. The University of Southern Mississippi strongly encourages a practicum for students with little experience and requires 150 hours for its archival certificate. Old Dominion University uses an internship as the degree capstone, and Syracuse University offers a capstone project, professional paper, or practicum.

Capstone vs Thesis and Turning Placements Into References

A capstone or portfolio is usually the better choice for practice-oriented library careers. It produces a usable project, showcase, or work product. A thesis is more relevant if you are considering a PhD in library science or a research-heavy academic track. To find MLIS internships and other placements, start with your program coordinator, local public and academic systems, campus libraries, and remote or digital projects. Many online MLIS programs allow local practicums near home. Treat every placement as a job lead. Ask supervisors for references, document what you accomplished, and stay in touch after the hours end.

Networking in Library School: Professors, Classmates, Talks and Associations

Networking is the regret experienced librarians name most often, and it is the easiest one to fix while you are still enrolled. In the r/librarians thread, the original poster had a job, a practicum and a volunteer role, yet still wished they had gotten to know professors and classmates. Another commenter said they should have attended extra-curricular sessions and talks.

Five Moves That Build Real Relationships

• Office hours: Bring a career question, not just a grade question. Faculty write references and often hear about openings first.
• Faculty research projects: Ask whether a professor needs help with a study, grant or digital collection. It doubles as resume experience.
• Speaker series: Attend virtual talks and send the presenter a short follow-up note.
• Student chapters: Join or help lead your program's student association group.
• Cohort study groups: Today's classmates sit on tomorrow's hiring committees.

Students in flexible online MLIS programs have to network on purpose. Nobody bumps into you in a hallway, so schedule one outreach action each week.

Student Memberships Worth the Dues

ALA charges students enrolled in an LIS degree or certificate program $40 in 2026, capped at five years.¹ A joint ALA and state chapter membership runs $46 where a participating chapter offers it (ALA says fifty do)², and round tables cost students $5 each.¹ PLA adds a $41 student rate on top of ALA membership³, and AASL totals $80 with ALA.⁴ State options vary: Alabama lists $15 for graduate students (three-year limit)⁵, and New York offers $10 once you hold ALA student membership.⁶ ACRL is an ALA division, so confirm its current student pricing directly. ALA also encourages library committee involvement, and student members get the 2026 Annual Conference student rate of $725 with proof of enrollment.⁷

Disagree Without Burning a Bridge

One commenter challenged an intro to reference instructor and ended up retaking the course. Raise disagreements privately, cite a source, frame your point as a question, and respect the grading policy. Professors remember tone longer than content.

Related Articles

Balancing Work and School Without Burning Out

Yes, You Can Work, and a Library Job Helps

Can you work while earning an MLIS? Yes. Several librarians in the r/librarians thread held part-time library jobs throughout school and counted that experience among the things they did right. Working in a library is often the strongest career move you can make, but only if your course load leaves room to do both well.

A Semester-by-Semester Load Plan

• First term: Take a lighter load while you learn the program's platforms, expectations and pace.
• Middle terms: Carry your heaviest load here, once core courses are underway and a practicum fits naturally into your schedule.
• Final term: Ease off again so the job search and your capstone or thesis get real attention, and use early career tips for librarians to start that transition.

Rules of Thumb for Pace and Scheduling

If you work full time, part-time study (often one or two courses per term) is the realistic default. Full-time study pairs better with a part-time job or a graduate assistantship, especially if you're pursuing an MLIS without library experience. Map required courses before each registration period. Core classes may be offered only in certain terms or at fixed meeting times, so lock those in first and fit electives around your work hours.

Summer terms and asynchronous courses work as pressure valves. They let you catch up after a hard semester or lighten a busy fall without stalling your progress toward the degree.

Avoid the Retake Trap

One commenter, bookwizard82, recalled questioning a professor in an intro to reference course and having to retake it. A repeated required course costs another round of tuition and can push graduation back a term or more. If a class is going badly, talk with the instructor early, use office hours, and ask your advisor about options before a grade becomes final. Disagreeing with a professor is fine; letting that disagreement turn into a failing grade is expensive.

What an MLIS Really Costs: Tuition Ranges for In-State, Out-Of-State and Online Programs

LSU online MLIS lists $585 per credit across 36 credits, an estimated $21,060 before aid or transfer credit. That sits inside a typical 2026 band: roughly $300 to $550 per credit at public universities, though some programs run well above it. Treat every figure here as approximate and dated, and confirm current rates on each school's tuition page.

Typical Total Costs

• In-state public: commonly about $12,000 to $25,000 in total.
• Online public: often about $11,000 to $20,000 when the school charges online students the resident rate.
• Out-of-state or private: much higher. The University of Maryland lists about $37,000 for 36 credits at in-state rates, and St. Catherine University lists $850 per credit, or $30,600 total, for 2025-26.
• Full spread: one 2026 guide puts ALA-accredited totals from about $6,000 to over $60,000.

At the low end, UNC Greensboro is cited at about $6,400 for 36 credits and Valdosta State at about $11,400 for 39 credits. Texas Woman's (about $8,520), Emporia State (about $8,843) and USF (about $10,428) are also cited for in-state students.

How the Math Works

Programs usually require about 36 to 42 credits, so multiply the per-credit rate by the credit count. Then add mandatory fees. Practicums can carry hidden costs too: many are unpaid, so you may give up work hours or pay for travel. UW-Milwaukee's online courses, at $800 per credit for 2025-26, come to $2,400 per three-credit course.

Online Can Change the Math

Some online programs charge one rate to everyone. Pitt's online MLIS, for example, bills all online students at the in-state rate, so a distant state school may be your cheapest option. Policies differ, and sources disagree on LSU's exact rate, so check the school's own page.

Use an MLIS program tuition comparison to compare total program cost, not per-credit price, and confirm the program is ALA-accredited before you apply.

Is the MLIS Worth It? What Librarian-Related Occupations Earn

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics put the national median for librarians and media collections specialists at $68,270, with the middle half of earners between $56,310 and $84,480. That median is higher than the $60,470 median for the broader librarians, curators, and archivists group. These are national figures, so compare them against your program's total cost and the pay in the region and library type you are targeting.

Apply for More Scholarships: Funding Sources Worth Chasing

Scholarship applications are the single most controllable regret. Many librarians working today say they left money on the table simply because they did not file enough applications for library science scholarships while enrolled, even though the cost and salary sections above show how quickly borrowing can narrow an MLIS's long-term return.

Where to Look First

A good first stop is the American Library Association's annual scholarship program. The main pool typically opens September 1 and closes March 1, with awards commonly in the $2,500 to $8,000 range.¹ Within that pool, the Spectrum Scholarship stands out: 60 recipients in a recent cycle received $5,000 plus a $1,500 professional development package,² and the David H. Clift Scholarship offers $3,000 to eligible MLIS students.³ The ALSC Frederic G. Melcher Scholarship is larger at $8,000 but requires that applicants have completed no more than 12 semester hours before the award year.⁴

State and local library associations run their own awards. Amounts and deadlines vary widely, so check your state association's official page and your graduate program's aid office. One example is REFORMA Los Angeles, which offered two $1,500 Elizabeth Martinez Scholarships and a $1,500 Dr. Karin Duran Scholarship with a March 31 deadline in a recent cycle.⁵ School-specific aid, graduate assistantships, and employer tuition assistance also vary by institution and employer; none have a reliable national standard amount.

Make It a Habit

Treat scholarship applications like a recurring assignment. Reuse a core essay about your career goals and adapt it for each award instead of starting from scratch. Apply every cycle, even if the awards are small, because multiple $1,500 to $2,500 checks reduce the amount you borrow. If you already work in a library, ask your employer directly about tuition reimbursement benefits; many systems offer some support for MLIS coursework.

Keep the ROI in view. BLS pay data for librarians indicates that library roles requiring an MLIS can support a modest debt load, but only if you limit borrowing. Scholarships and assistantships are the difference between a manageable monthly payment and a decade of financial strain.

When Should You Act? A Regret-Prevention Timeline for Library School

Most library school regrets come from good intentions started too late. Use these four milestones to time the choices experienced librarians say mattered most.

How to Choose an Accredited Program That Supports These Choices

An accredited MLIS program is one whose curriculum has been reviewed and approved by the American Library Association (ALA), and that approval is the credential most employers expect for professional librarian roles. Many public, academic, and school library postings list an ALA-accredited master's as a baseline requirement, so a degree from an unaccredited program can close doors before you ever interview. The ALA publishes its ALA accredited MLIS programs list, and it is the first place to confirm a school's status.

Accreditation only gets you to the starting line, though. The regrets librarians describe (drifting without a specialization, skipping networking, missing practical experience) are easier to avoid when the program is built to support the opposite.

A Quick Program Checklist

• Practicum support: Does the program help place you, or leave you to find your own site?
• Specialization tracks: Look for defined concentrations or certificates in areas like academic, public, archives, or data.
• Alumni network: Check whether graduates are visible and reachable in the type of library you want, and browse MLIS alumni career paths for realistic outcomes.
• Scheduling flexibility: Evening, part-time, or asynchronous options matter if you plan to keep working.
• Transparent cost: Tuition, fees, and per-credit rates should be easy to find without a sales call.

Questions to Ask Admissions

• How are practicums arranged, and are they required or optional?
• How many electives can I take each term, and how often are they offered?
• Are there student chapters of professional associations or a mentoring program?
• What share of students work while enrolled, and how does the schedule accommodate them?

When you are ready to narrow the field, use our how to choose an MLIS program guide alongside the ALA's list to check each school's status, cost, and format side by side.