San Jose State U

[carolinesays]

No GRE, no letters of recommendation, no personal statement. I could apply for this program tomorrow(!), but I'm wondering how awesome can it possibly be to have so few admissions requirements (transcript, fee, app)?

Also, any thoughts on their MARA program? I lean toward Archives specializations but I'm not completely convinced about what I want to do. There seems to be a lot of merit in generalist lib sci programs...or am I off-base thinking that too?

[Lauren the Librarian]

No GRE, no letters of recommendation, no personal statement. I could apply for this program tomorrow(!), but I'm wondering how awesome can it possibly be to have so few admissions requirements (transcript, fee, app)?

Also, any thoughts on their MARA program? I lean toward Archives specializations but I'm not completely convinced about what I want to do. There seems to be a lot of merit in generalist lib sci programs...or am I off-base thinking that too?

I've talked to hiring librarians (public) and they've said the graduates that have been interviewing in the past few years out of San Jose are "surprisingly" well-qualified compared to their peers. I don't know the sample size, but they seemed to agree that San Jose is an under-rated gem. At the (UC) library I interned during my senior year there was a San Jose grad student interning in the special collections department. She said she liked the program because she could go half-time for a 3 year program and either on-line or on-campus allowing her to get precious work experience under her belt.

Some of my UC professors (not familiar with library science) poo-poo'ed my suggestion I apply to San Jose, recommending Berkley instead. Take that for what it's worth.

[carolinesays]

I've talked to hiring librarians (public) and they've said the graduates that have been interviewing in the past few years out of San Jose are "surprisingly" well-qualified compared to their peers. I don't know the sample size, but they seemed to agree that San Jose is an under-rated gem. At the (UC) library I interned during my senior year there was a San Jose grad student interning in the special collections department. She said she liked the program because she could go half-time for a 3 year program and either on-line or on-campus allowing her to get precious work experience under her belt.

Some of my UC professors (not familiar with library science) poo-poo'ed my suggestion I apply to San Jose, recommending Berkley instead. Take that for what it's worth.

Ok - sounds decent. My friend helped clarify the MARA issue that slipped by me. The Archives specialization is ALA accredited, but the MARA program is not (maybe it will be someday). Thanks for your help!

[Ivy]

Ok - sounds decent. My friend helped clarify the MARA issue that slipped by me. The Archives specialization is ALA accredited, but the MARA program is not (maybe it will be someday). Thanks for your help!

I'm an alumna of the SJSU program and I can't say enough good things about it. I enjoyed the education and the experience. That said--it's almost entirely online and you really need to be a self-motivated, disciplined student to get through.

I would recommend the MLIS over the MARA not just because of the accredidation factor but also becuase it'll be more versatile in the profession. I took plenty of archives classes and felt well-prepared for a career in archives with my MLIS.

Just a heads up, Berkeley is no longer accredited by the ALA, either. They changed their program focus some years ago to a more management-based program rather than info science. It's still a great program from what i hear, just for a different area/focus.

[Lauren the Librarian]

Just a heads up, Berkeley is no longer accredited by the ALA, either. They changed their program focus some years ago to a more management-based program rather than info science. It's still a great program from what i hear, just for a different area/focus.

Good point. I hope I didn't confuse anyone by my statement about Berkeley for MLIS. I assumed people interested in Library Science would know that Berkeley lost its accreditation over 10 years ago. I was trying to show how outside of the field people don't always know how good a given program is. This can be trickly because SJSU is a 2nd tier backwater online school with a really good program, while world-class top-tier UC Berkeley isn't even accredited.

And when I say 'backwater', I mean not prestigious and will take anyone and has very little application requirements. But I'm only referring to how it appears from an outsider's perspective, not how good the program actually is.

Edited January 14, 2010 by Lauren the Librarian

[mrkupe]

Good point. I hope I didn't confuse anyone by my statement about Berkeley for MLIS. I assumed people interested in Library Science would know that Berkeley lost its accreditation over 10 years ago. I was trying to show how outside of the field people don't always know how good a given program is. This can be trickly because SJSU is a 2nd tier backwater online school with a really good program, while world-class top-tier UC Berkeley isn't even accredited.

And when I say 'backwater', I mean not prestigious and will take anyone and has very little application requirements. But I'm only referring to how it appears from an outsider's perspective, not how good the program actually is.

I'm going to have to take a small issue with the way you stated something here. Berkeley did not "lose" their accreditation, rather they chose not to apply for ALA re-certification. They had their reasons for their decision, and it was one that did not go totally unsupported by others (I'll leave it to you to look up more). Of course, California happens to be a state that mandates that its librarians must have a degree from an ALA-accredited program. That policy may change at some point in the future, for obvious reasons. The politics of MLIS programs are complex and fascinating.

To the OP:

SJSU certainly does a fine job of filling libraries with its grads, but it depends on what you're looking for out of a program. If you want to go to a place where lots of research is being done and you have an active and cohesive study body, SJSU is not your cup of tea. Otherwise, it might just be for you. You are right when you say that their people seem to be prepared well for professional work.

If you want to specialize in archives / records management don't do SJSU, if only for the reason that you will GREATLY enhance your chances of finding the post-grad job of your dreams by going to a research-oriented program that has a lot of internship/volunteer programs to cut your teeth on. Start with UT-Austin and Maryland, those are your gold standards.

Finally, as for not being sure what you want to specialize in, that's perfectly acceptable. Don't say that to an admissions committee, but most MLIS programs see lots of students start with VERY slight leanings in one direction only to go in a totally different direction after getting their feet wet. Your core classes alone will make you versatile enough to consider the majority of info-related occupations as post-grad possibilities. But don't worry too much, as the more time you spend in one of these programs, the more you will realize just how interconnected the various branches of LIS are.

[Lauren the Librarian]

I'm going to have to take a small issue with the way you stated something here. Berkeley did not "lose" their accreditation, rather they chose not to apply for ALA re-certification. They had their reasons for their decision, and it was one that did not go totally unsupported by others (I'll leave it to you to look up more). Of course, California happens to be a state that mandates that its librarians must have a degree from an ALA-accredited program. That policy may change at some point in the future, for obvious reasons. The politics of MLIS programs are complex and fascinating.

Yeah. My bad for using the term "lose". But it does seem like they were (and still are) thumbing their noses at the ALA. The Official FAQ on the issue suggests as much: http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~hal/FAQ-accredit/

[mrkupe]

Yeah. My bad for using the term "lose". But it does seem like they were (and still are) thumbing their noses at the ALA. The Official FAQ on the issue suggests as much: http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~hal/FAQ-accredit/

I would not disagree with that. There are people who really aren't fans of the ALA accreditation process and how much weight it's purported to hold. It involves a lot of money and a lot of planning on the part of schools for something that isn't necessarily relevant to the direction that many LIS programs are taking. As noted in that FAQ, many of their graduates don't even plan on working in libraries, and you'll find that same sentiment at many LIS programs across the country. For schools that are on the iSchool movement, librarianship is just one of many different paths of study. These schools also have curricula and faculty bases that are evolving to meet the varied professional needs and desires of their students. Given the current financial restrictions on many departments, I suspect that anti-ALA sentiment will probably grow rather than subside in the years to come.

Of course, when it comes to a school like SJSU which by and large produces librarians, they're not abandoning ALA anytime soon. Maybe that uneasy balance is for the best . . .Berkeley obviously does not have the money to hire the people they would need to justify ALA accreditation, and the program that they have at present does turn out people who contribute both as information professionals and researchers.

[carolinesays]

I'm still very much on the fence about whether I want to do an archives or library track. I used to consider UMD as an option, since I'm from the area and did my undergrad degree there, but I've been talking to recent graduates who think the archives program has gone downhill (although, yes, there are may opportunities here for internships /jobs / volunteering). I'm not sure about the library concentrations.

I've been working at the National Archives in College Park for 8 years - 2 as a student employee and 6 as a researcher. I'm hoping to start some volunteer work in a library just to even out this perspective

Does anyone really decide between one thing or another? I'm kind of a fan of trying a bit of everything, but I don't know how easy it would be to do that, or how prepared that wold make me for the working world.

Thanks for the replies - I neglected checking back, but I really appreciate your help and information.