What is Library and Information Science?

There will be an increase in demand for certain professions in the future and librarians are one of them according to ‘The Future of Skills: Employment in 2030’ a study by H. Bakshi, J.M. Downing, M A Osbourne and P Schneider*. If you love books and knowledge, are academically minded, a good communicator and have excellent organizational skills you may want to consider taking a degree in Library and Information Science (LIS).

Before we go into the details, let’s first explain the basics.

What is Library and Information Science?

LIS is the management of books and digital materials. This ‘management’ includes the collection, preservation and organization of books and other materials. Librarians help people find information by designing and developing systems, and creating resources to help locate any necessary information.

There doesn’t seem to be any real difference between the terms library science, library and information science and librarianship. There seems to be a greater emphasis on the use of the term science in recent times.

What subjects will be covered in Library and Information Science?

A bachelor’s degree in LIS will generally take three to four years to complete and is typically offered as a Bachelor of Science (BSc). Some courses at this level are online courses which make them cheaper and more accessible for international students.

The subjects covered will be different for each university, but generally you are likely to cover some of the following topics:

• Information and society
• Archives management
• Digital libraries
• Information and knowledge management
• Information analysis
• Research methods
• Information systems and technologies
• Database design and data management
• Public and school library services

A master’s (MA, MSc)  is a particularly popular choice for those who want to specialise and progress to a more senior level within a library. Each university has its own course programme but you might expect to take some of the following modules at MSc level:

• Cataloguing and classification
• Supporting information users
• Information law
• Information analysis
• Human information behaviour
• Research methods
• Libraries, information and society

What are the top universities for Library and Information Science?

According to QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022, the following universities ranked in the top 10 for Library and Information Management:

It’s important to check each university’s entry reequirements for each course as these will always be different. For information about tuition fees in the above countries see:

• How much do tuition fees in the USA cost?
• How much do tuition fees in the UK cost?
• How much do tuition fees in Canada cost?

Each country and university will have its own application procedure also.

• How to apply to study in the USA
• How to apply to study in the UK
• How to apply to study in Canada

Is Library and Information Science good for my career?

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics the demand for Librarians and Library Media Specialists is projected to grow six percent from now until 2031 in the US. In India there is currently a high demand for librarians in both government and private sectors. The same is true in other destinations around the world such as Canada. Librarians are on the Australian Government’s Skills Priority List for 2022.

In terms of salaries, the average base Librarian salary is currently as follows:

Figures from Indeed.com

What other skills will I learn?

As with most academic subjects, a degree in library and information science will equip you with many transferrable skills, suitable for a range of careers; these in-demand skills are what the employers of today and tomorrow are looking for.

Some of the skills you will gain include:

• Organisational skills
• Research skills
• Problem-solving
• Communication skills
• IT skills
• Working as part of a team
• Customer service
• Ability to self-manage   

If you’re unsure whether you definitely want to work in a library, here are other professions that that could also follow from this degree:

• Publisher
• Data analyst
• Digital archivist
• User experience researcher
• Teacher
• Rare books curator
• Information architect
• Taxonomist

Hopefully you now have a better idea of what to expect from a library and information science degree. But if you didn’t find what you were looking for here, check out our course matcher tool to find the right university and programme today.