Hi David This is an interesting and perennial question...
After having worked in this business for close to 30 years, it's clear to me that one major qualification for being a media librarian is the willingness to work in other areas before getting a gig as a media librarian. At the risk of sounding gloomy, I must say that there are very few jobs in this particular area of library specialization and the prospects for the field expanding in the future are fairly slim (despite the growing importance of media in academia and elsewhere). I personally do not a single video librarian who went into the business right out of the shoot. So...being flexible and willing to keep the faith until a position opens are good traits to have. You should also understand that nature of media operations and media librarians vary widely from library to library: In some instances, there are discrete media operations which are primarily focused on collecting and providing access to various media formats. In other cases, the media collections may be more dispersed. Selection can also be done by a format specialist across disciplines, by a subject specialist, or various combinations... In some cases, media operations may primarily function like reserve book operations, with faculty requests as the primary determinants of what goes into the collection. The media center/media librarian may be responsible for other functions, such media production facilities and assistance. In some cases, this kind of tech development and support may overshadow collection building. In other words, the skill-set required could vary widely, depending on institutional needs, history, and policy. Also: depending on the reporting lines and staffing of the media operation, managerial/administrative skills may be more or less important. I think there are generic skills/knowledge that would be useful regardless of the shape and function of media operations/collections: Not sure whether a second masters is necessary, but a firm grounding in the basics of film history and film theory would certainly not hurt. A solid familiarity with the ways in which media is or can be used in teaching and research is also a good thing to have. Having interesting ideas about these things, even better... I think that in this day and age, a good understanding and experience with various forms of evolving digital media would be a plus, including at least basic working knowledge of digital capture, editing, and delivery (even if it's only how to make an iMovie and serve it up over the web) Knowledge of copyright issues and policies related to media ain't a bad thing to have. Eclectic interests, creativity, and a willingness to take risks...well, they're good attributes no matter which field you go into. Like any public service, effective communication skills are esstential. And lastly, you've got to demonstrate that you love this stuff...that it's a passion and a calling, rather than just another job. You've got to be able to articulate these things, for yourself, your administration, and your clients... Hope that helps a bit... gary handman > So I see most of the people on this list are in academic positions, As a > student who wants very badly to work with media as a librarian, do most of > you have and need a second master in film or media studies or if not do > you > have masters at all or and what exactly is the qualifications people look > for in a media librarian , thank you for considering this question > > -David Folmar > MLS student Clarion University > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of > issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic > control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in > libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve > as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of > communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video > producers and distributors. > Gary Handman Director Media Resources Center Moffitt Library UC Berkeley 510-643-8566 ghand...@library.berkeley.edu http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC "I have always preferred the reflection of life to life itself." --Francois Truffaut VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
