woman holding books in library for her MS degree in Library and Information Science

M.S. in Library and Information Science: Public Librarianship Specialization

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Make a difference in your community.

Fill leadership roles in libraries serving diverse populations, helping patrons of all ages and backgrounds access the literary resources they need. With St. John’s University’s Master of Science in Library and Information Science: Public Librarianship specialization, you gain the wide variety of skills and knowledge necessary to run a public library.

Through our comprehensive curriculum, you learn how to evaluate and implement programming, develop literary collections, facilitate administration activities, and more. Graduate ready to advance your information science career and help your community thrive with the M.S. in Library and Information Science: Public Librarianship specialization.

Career Outlook: Lead Your Own Public Library

As a graduate of the Public Librarianship specialization, you are armed with literary, administrative, and technical knowledge to take on leadership roles in this growing profession. Overall, the job outlook for librarians is projected to grow nine percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations.¹

Career Spotlight: Public Librarian

As a public librarian, you focus on building a stronger community by helping people of all ages gain access to educational programs and literary materials designed to help them learn and grow. Through careful evaluation, curation, organizing, and implementation, you ensure your library’s resources are available to those who need them. The average salary for public librarians is $49,151, and you could earn up to $70,798.²

Jobs and Income

Curriculum: Explore All Aspects of Library Management

Through 36 credit hours of core and specialization coursework, you gain a skill set that ranges from material selection to adult- and youth-specific services, technical support, and outreach and advocacy program implementation. Graduate with the full spectrum of competencies you need to efficiently and effectively run a public library.

Students choose four of the following specialization courses:

LIS 221: Planning and Delivering Information Literacy Programs
LIS 222: Materials and Services to Diverse Populations
LIS 233: Public Libraries and Community Information Centers
LIS 238: Web Design for Libraries and Information Centers
LIS 260: Information Use and Users
LIS 262: Project Management in Information Organizations
LIS 263: Marketing and Advocacy in Information Organizations
LIS 275: Cultural Competence for Information Professionals
LIS 302: Genealogical Sources and Services
LIS 320: Fake News and Misinformation

Explore full curriculum

Specialization Outcomes

Manage day-to-day planning, budgeting, team organization, and human resources in libraries and other information agencies.
Understand the history of human communication and its impact on libraries and the importance of effective verbal and written advocacy for libraries and librarians.
Demonstrate knowledge of historical and present-day libraries and librarianship, as well as trends within the library and information profession.
Apply ethical, values-based decision-making and support the promotion of democratic and legal principles and intellectual freedom.
Design and deliver information literacy instruction programs that fit within the guidelines of the Association of College and Research Libraries Information Literacy Competency Standards.
Analyze complex problems, create appropriate solutions, and communicate them effectively in verbal and written format.
Develop information, communication, assistive, and other technological skills related to managing library resources, service delivery, efficacy, and cost-efficiency.

More Specialization Options

Through a curriculum aligned with the nation’s leading information organizations, you learn to reach young readers and thrive as a children’s or young adult librarian, a youth specialist, and more.

Become a qualified information specialist, helping students and researchers access the information they need, whether they attend a community college or conduct research in a university.

Learn to select, arrange, and preserve records of value to researchers. You prepare to work in archives, special collections, historical societies, museums, and various other curatorial environments.

Work in Information Governance and help organizations manage and protect records and increase business efficiency.

Learn More

Advance your career and help your entire community access a plethora of educational resources with an online Master of Science in Library and Information Science: Public Librarianship specialization from St. John’s University. Contact us at 844-393-1677 or request more information today!

Sources

Librarians. (2018, July 02). Retrieved January 4, 2019, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/librarians.htm.
Average Librarian Salary. (n.d.). Retrieved January 4, 2019, from https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Librarian/Salary.