Exploring Options Traditional Library Jobs are Just the Beginning
There are so many directions to take your library science career that part of the challenge is figuring out which of those directions to pursue first. However, sometimes it helps to frame the choices as categories of options. From librarian to independent information professional, these may include:
Traditional library jobs: Working within facilities-based librarianship, such as becoming a school librarian, public librarian, or campus-based academic librarian (although it's increasingly the case that few types of librarianship can any longer be thought of as "traditional")
Going nontraditional with traditional: Doing nontraditional things within a traditional library setting (perhaps creating unique outreach programs for the local small-business community)
Librarian with a twist: Performing traditional library roles but within an organization whose mission is not librarianship or education (the traditional special library role)
Going special within special: Doing nontraditional types of librarian work within traditional special libraries (e.g., designing and running the company intranet)
Becoming part of the ops team: Doing these nontraditional activities embedded in operational units, rather than in a designated organization library (for example, being the researcher on a business-development team)
Supporting the cause: Doing library-focused activities outside of - but for - libraries and librarians (think vendors, bibliographic utilities, etc.)
Bridging: Building on skills honed in a library-based job to bridge those skills into a new, non-library role (for example, shifting your reference librarian skills to competitive intelligence or prospect research)
Making it up: Creating your own job, either within a library or for a non-library organization
Going solo: Going independent, doing any of the activities that fall within the categories above on a freelance, contract, or project basis - an increasingly popular information professional path
The Library Science Skill Set: What Kind of an Information Professional Do You Want to Be?
Which of these options seem most appealing to you? Happily, it's not necessary to choose one and exclude all the rest; it's only necessary to decide which you want to pursue first, then design your strategy for achieving that goal.
Whether you choose to pursue on of the traditional library jobs or decide to pursue any of the multitude of other opportunities for which your library science knowledge base prepares you, keep in mind that one of the best things the MLIS guarantees you is a lifetime of career options.