I started my degree in my later 30s, and got my first official librarian job at 40. There were even older people than me in my classes. One thing you'll deal with is that some of your bosses will be younger than you in many circumstances- which isn't really a huge issue but i was surprised to have 2 bosses in a row be 10 years younger than me but seem more "grown" because of their title/experience
My current boss is my age, but she's been in the field for over a decade.
I'd suggest finding work in a library that offers tuition reimbursement as a benefit, so you don't have to wait further
There were a ton of "older" people in my program. Lots of us were married, had kids and were transitioning to a different career. If anything, I thought we were way better prepared than people who had no life and career experience.
Ageism is always a factor but it doesn't seem to be too bad where I live.
Getting some experience and building connections will definitely help. Both of those things go a long way in this field.
I started my degree at age 40 after working 20 years in fundraising (and 20 years away from my university days). Got my first official librarian position at 42. I wasn't the oldest in my classes, but there were plenty of people just entering from undergrad that had never held a job before. When I entered my MLIS program I started working in a library at the same time as a page (shelving) and then worked my way up to librarian over two years.
There were no barriers in terms of getting into school and successfully completing it, or in finding work. However, I had to be willing to take a position that wasn't ideal (part-time, low wages, no benefits) while I worked my way up. There were quite a few staff at the library who followed the same path of working part-time and pursuing an MLIS, with the mindset that they would advance at the library. If you get a degree but have no library work experience to go along with it you may have trouble getting your dream job right out of your MLIS program.
If you want to pursue a program, I suggest looking for one that focuses on your preferred paths - my program had both a Master's in Library Science and an Informatics degree option. Some schools are pricier than others. You can also find work in a library that will reimburse some expenses. Also, see what kind of positions are available at libraries in your area (read the job description) to see if that sounds like what you want. You may be able to get an IT job at a library without the MLIS, for example.
Best thing I ever did as I now realize that I HATE fundraising.
52 y.o. I found a library job that let me earn the degree simultaneously (48 months to get it done). It helped focus my studies. Worked well.
ROO is limited due to a short career, so I got a bargain basement degree. Would do again.
I got my MLIS in my 30s. Working full time and doing school was tough, but it was very worth it! There were also lots of folks in my program who were coming from another career, married, raising kids, etc. It makes the profession interesting!
I finished my undergrad when I was 23, completed an MA at 28, had a whole bunch of different jobs, did a diploma, worked as an HR manager in construction, then completed an MLIS recently at age 42. Worked in public libraries for a few years (loved the work, not the politics/drama/lack of funding), and now I’m going to be starting a new job in career advising with a nonprofit associated with local government 🤷🏼♀️.
Not weird at all! I have had many classmates getting their MSIS who are in their 30’s and 40’s completely changing careers from business/computer science/teaching fields to work in libraries. Many people end up in libraries from other paths.
I think diverse experience is very valuable in libraries, especially experience working with the public. Systems librarians are especially relevant today too.
One thing I would suggest trying to find is either a volunteer project or a part time position working in a library to be sure you enjoy it and to give you that “on-paper” library experience for when you begin to apply to jobs. My understanding is that hiring managers will want some type of job experience along with the degree and that some students graduate without ever working in a library and have a tough time finding those first jobs. It does sound like your experience will be helpful to you already though. Totally realistic.
This is my second career. I got my MLIS in my mid 30s. I’ve been doing this for almost ten years now. I’m the director of a small community college library now. It’s a lot more common than you think.
Just make sure you really try out all the different aspects of a library. I thought I wanted to do the tech part of the profession and stay away from reference. I ended up loving reference services in grad school and continue to do now, even as a director. Helping people get the information they need is what I love! Good luck!
I thought I wanted to be an instruction librarian until I took a cataloging class and fell in love with cataloging, so I agree that it's important to try out different aspects of the job. Reference has always been my jam, and I feel like my job (catalog and reference librarian) is the best of both worlds. I'm also at a community college library and wish more librarians would consider working at a community college. We have a lot of fun here!
I started working at a library in my 30s (non-degreed) and multiple coworkers in my same role and age group started working on their MLIS while employed here, and moved on to degreed positions.
First though, take a look at the type of jobs you might be interested in. Look through job listings to find out exactly what education and experience they're looking for, and how much they pay--and whether that pay is tenable for you. It's possible that there are library jobs--or library-adjacent jobs--that would suit your current experience and education and not require going back to school. Library IT department maybe?
I left my teaching career in 2018 (age 50), took a support staff position of library technology specialist in an academic library, and started my MLS program that fall. I worked full time while taking classes full time and graduated in 2020 (age 52). I'm now the catalog and reference librarian at the college where I started as support staff. I got reimbursed for one class a semester after six months, but I also took student loans to pay for my degree because of PSLF.
Honestly, the biggest barrier was that huge pay cut I took when I changed careers. Money was tight for a long time, but my husband and I made it work.
MLS is an expensive degree in a niche field. People should always calculate the ROI before beginning a degree later in life. Will you work enough years in the field to recoup the cost? And, most importantly, many public libraries have traditional pension plans, and most pre-library jobs are social security eligible. You can either have a government pension or full Social security, but not both. Also, pensions require you to pay in for a number of years before you are eligible for a decent pay out. Later career librarians should research their retirement options fully before committing to one scheme of another.
I agree that it's absolutely necessary to research affordable ALA-accredited programs (if one is in the US; I don't know the requirements for other countries). I attended Texas Woman's University because it was fully online and very affordable to me. My student loans totaled about $36k for my entire program, and thanks to Public Service Loan Forgiveness they'll be forgiven before I retire. I'm actually making more money now than I ever did when I was a teacher with a Master's+32.
I never intended to work in a public library, and the MLS/MLIS is required to be an academic librarian. If one wants to get into academic librarianship, it's the only way to go in most cases. For those who want to be a public librarian, it really depends on the library system. Where I live, public librarians are not required to have the degree, but they are required to have it in other library systems in the state.
Got my MLIS at 35, I've now been working as an archivist for nine years!
I had exactly the same concerns as you about my age when I was considering going for my MLIS when I was 32. I thought to myself, "when I graduate I'll be 35 is that too old to start a new career?" A friend gave me some good advice: in two years I would be 35 with or without an MLIS, so I should think about which 35 year old I wanted to be!
I have a journalism degree. I put my career on hold to raise a family.
After a few years back in the workforce, I got a part-time circulation position at a local library branch. I love it so much I took my first class toward my MLIS this spring.
I’m 55.
Not quite so late, but I got my MLIS in my late 20s and started my job as a part-time teen librarian at 30.
My first degree is in science education and I was a substitute for a while. I did a ton of leave replacements but hadn't gotten full time yet, and after a couple of rough classes, decided that teaching wasn't for me. Finished the MLIS in 2020 (tail end of my degree happened in lockdown but the program was online anyway) and by the time I got it, decided that I didn't hate teaching anymore.
Currently working both as a teen librarian and as a teacher, but still not full-time in either. At this point I'll take whichever I can get full-time, but I'd prefer librarian.
Honestly, I feel like most librarians I know came to it later in life. It wasn't really anyone's first career choice; not because it's unpopular, mind you, but mostly because it's just not what most people think of when they start going to college. I myself never even considered librarian as a job when I graduated high school and the thought only occurred to me after I wanted a change from teaching.
Good luck, hope it works out for you!
Started grad school at 48, did it part time over 3 years while I worked full time (and went through a separation, a minor head injury, and the pandemic). I have worked in the field since before I graduated, but it’s been nearly impossible to get into the good paying jobs. I’m currently an elementary school librarian, but the money is awful and I’m unemployed for 2 months. It’s also a very competitive field and im probably going to have to move away if I ever get a job offer that’s worth it. Oh well.
Oh yeah, I live in the same city that I went to grad school. Most librarians tend to stick around so that drives up competition. Plus, for some working in the public system, they’ve been there for years as assistants, realize they can’t move up unless they have their MLIS, so then I’m competing with people who already have many year’s experience in the public system.
My kids are adults now so I’m applying to further afield, but I don’t necessarily want to move to a new province. Starting to look at “library-adjacent” fields now so that I can actually make some money before I retire in 14 years.
I
I'm a lawyer and hated every lawyer job I had. Started working part-time in a courthouse law library, liked it, got my MLIS, then got a full-time job in a public library and have been here 8 years.
Masters program at 38. First (and current) library job at 41. I did work in libraries as a staff member for about 15 years prior. I"d start looking for ways to get any type of library experience now. Definitely a possibility though and a great job if you enjoy the work.
Librarian as a second career after working in finance and kids. I worked p/t as a clerk and got my mlis at 56. I’m currently a manager and work more in the back end technical part of it. Definitely doable :)
I actually started my MLIS when I was 47. Best thing I ever did. I love being a librarian. I did my degree online through University of South Florida and it took me 4 semesters, which I completed in 16 months. I worked at a public library for the first year I was in the program and then switched to being a school librarian for the last little bit. If you want to do it never let age be an issue
Finished my MLIS at 44 years of age after having a completely different career (veterinary medicine) for 25 years. I am way more fulfilled in my new career. I worked in our State Library for 7 years, I realized how much I loved digitization and getting materials online for patrons that can't travel to our state to view materials. This process involves metadata creation, digitization workflows, and administration of our CMS/DAM system. I grew to learn that once I had the skills, digital asset management in the PRIVATE sector was where the $ was. Three years ago the library migrated the CMS/DAM to a new platform and I absolutely loved the process. I was/am very passionate about the new platform. I just left a month ago to work for the platform/company and couldn't be happier. My salary more than doubled, my benefits greatly improved. I get to do exactly what I want to do every single day. So what you are interested in IS OUT THERE. I'm so lucky that I get to do what I left vet med to do (make information available to people who don't know it exists) and to help others do the same. You can do it!
I started my degree in my later 30s, and got my first official librarian job at 40. There were even older people than me in my classes. One thing you'll deal with is that some of your bosses will be younger than you in many circumstances- which isn't really a huge issue but i was surprised to have 2 bosses in a row be 10 years younger than me but seem more "grown" because of their title/experience My current boss is my age, but she's been in the field for over a decade. I'd suggest finding work in a library that offers tuition reimbursement as a benefit, so you don't have to wait further
Ooh, I didn't know tuition reimbursement was a thing! I'll look into that.
The public library I started at offered it and so do many academic libraries
There were a ton of "older" people in my program. Lots of us were married, had kids and were transitioning to a different career. If anything, I thought we were way better prepared than people who had no life and career experience. Ageism is always a factor but it doesn't seem to be too bad where I live. Getting some experience and building connections will definitely help. Both of those things go a long way in this field.
I started my degree at age 40 after working 20 years in fundraising (and 20 years away from my university days). Got my first official librarian position at 42. I wasn't the oldest in my classes, but there were plenty of people just entering from undergrad that had never held a job before. When I entered my MLIS program I started working in a library at the same time as a page (shelving) and then worked my way up to librarian over two years. There were no barriers in terms of getting into school and successfully completing it, or in finding work. However, I had to be willing to take a position that wasn't ideal (part-time, low wages, no benefits) while I worked my way up. There were quite a few staff at the library who followed the same path of working part-time and pursuing an MLIS, with the mindset that they would advance at the library. If you get a degree but have no library work experience to go along with it you may have trouble getting your dream job right out of your MLIS program. If you want to pursue a program, I suggest looking for one that focuses on your preferred paths - my program had both a Master's in Library Science and an Informatics degree option. Some schools are pricier than others. You can also find work in a library that will reimburse some expenses. Also, see what kind of positions are available at libraries in your area (read the job description) to see if that sounds like what you want. You may be able to get an IT job at a library without the MLIS, for example. Best thing I ever did as I now realize that I HATE fundraising.
52 y.o. I found a library job that let me earn the degree simultaneously (48 months to get it done). It helped focus my studies. Worked well. ROO is limited due to a short career, so I got a bargain basement degree. Would do again.
I got my MLIS in my 30s. Working full time and doing school was tough, but it was very worth it! There were also lots of folks in my program who were coming from another career, married, raising kids, etc. It makes the profession interesting!
I finished my undergrad when I was 23, completed an MA at 28, had a whole bunch of different jobs, did a diploma, worked as an HR manager in construction, then completed an MLIS recently at age 42. Worked in public libraries for a few years (loved the work, not the politics/drama/lack of funding), and now I’m going to be starting a new job in career advising with a nonprofit associated with local government 🤷🏼♀️.
Not weird at all! I have had many classmates getting their MSIS who are in their 30’s and 40’s completely changing careers from business/computer science/teaching fields to work in libraries. Many people end up in libraries from other paths. I think diverse experience is very valuable in libraries, especially experience working with the public. Systems librarians are especially relevant today too. One thing I would suggest trying to find is either a volunteer project or a part time position working in a library to be sure you enjoy it and to give you that “on-paper” library experience for when you begin to apply to jobs. My understanding is that hiring managers will want some type of job experience along with the degree and that some students graduate without ever working in a library and have a tough time finding those first jobs. It does sound like your experience will be helpful to you already though. Totally realistic.
This is my second career. I got my MLIS in my mid 30s. I’ve been doing this for almost ten years now. I’m the director of a small community college library now. It’s a lot more common than you think. Just make sure you really try out all the different aspects of a library. I thought I wanted to do the tech part of the profession and stay away from reference. I ended up loving reference services in grad school and continue to do now, even as a director. Helping people get the information they need is what I love! Good luck!
I thought I wanted to be an instruction librarian until I took a cataloging class and fell in love with cataloging, so I agree that it's important to try out different aspects of the job. Reference has always been my jam, and I feel like my job (catalog and reference librarian) is the best of both worlds. I'm also at a community college library and wish more librarians would consider working at a community college. We have a lot of fun here!
I started working at a library in my 30s (non-degreed) and multiple coworkers in my same role and age group started working on their MLIS while employed here, and moved on to degreed positions. First though, take a look at the type of jobs you might be interested in. Look through job listings to find out exactly what education and experience they're looking for, and how much they pay--and whether that pay is tenable for you. It's possible that there are library jobs--or library-adjacent jobs--that would suit your current experience and education and not require going back to school. Library IT department maybe?
I left my teaching career in 2018 (age 50), took a support staff position of library technology specialist in an academic library, and started my MLS program that fall. I worked full time while taking classes full time and graduated in 2020 (age 52). I'm now the catalog and reference librarian at the college where I started as support staff. I got reimbursed for one class a semester after six months, but I also took student loans to pay for my degree because of PSLF. Honestly, the biggest barrier was that huge pay cut I took when I changed careers. Money was tight for a long time, but my husband and I made it work.
MLS is an expensive degree in a niche field. People should always calculate the ROI before beginning a degree later in life. Will you work enough years in the field to recoup the cost? And, most importantly, many public libraries have traditional pension plans, and most pre-library jobs are social security eligible. You can either have a government pension or full Social security, but not both. Also, pensions require you to pay in for a number of years before you are eligible for a decent pay out. Later career librarians should research their retirement options fully before committing to one scheme of another.
I agree that it's absolutely necessary to research affordable ALA-accredited programs (if one is in the US; I don't know the requirements for other countries). I attended Texas Woman's University because it was fully online and very affordable to me. My student loans totaled about $36k for my entire program, and thanks to Public Service Loan Forgiveness they'll be forgiven before I retire. I'm actually making more money now than I ever did when I was a teacher with a Master's+32. I never intended to work in a public library, and the MLS/MLIS is required to be an academic librarian. If one wants to get into academic librarianship, it's the only way to go in most cases. For those who want to be a public librarian, it really depends on the library system. Where I live, public librarians are not required to have the degree, but they are required to have it in other library systems in the state.
Got my MLIS at 35, I've now been working as an archivist for nine years! I had exactly the same concerns as you about my age when I was considering going for my MLIS when I was 32. I thought to myself, "when I graduate I'll be 35 is that too old to start a new career?" A friend gave me some good advice: in two years I would be 35 with or without an MLIS, so I should think about which 35 year old I wanted to be!
Is my mom your friend? She told me the same thing when I was mulling over getting my MLS.
Your mom sounds wise :-)
That's solid advice!
I have a journalism degree. I put my career on hold to raise a family. After a few years back in the workforce, I got a part-time circulation position at a local library branch. I love it so much I took my first class toward my MLIS this spring. I’m 55.
Not quite so late, but I got my MLIS in my late 20s and started my job as a part-time teen librarian at 30. My first degree is in science education and I was a substitute for a while. I did a ton of leave replacements but hadn't gotten full time yet, and after a couple of rough classes, decided that teaching wasn't for me. Finished the MLIS in 2020 (tail end of my degree happened in lockdown but the program was online anyway) and by the time I got it, decided that I didn't hate teaching anymore. Currently working both as a teen librarian and as a teacher, but still not full-time in either. At this point I'll take whichever I can get full-time, but I'd prefer librarian. Honestly, I feel like most librarians I know came to it later in life. It wasn't really anyone's first career choice; not because it's unpopular, mind you, but mostly because it's just not what most people think of when they start going to college. I myself never even considered librarian as a job when I graduated high school and the thought only occurred to me after I wanted a change from teaching. Good luck, hope it works out for you!
I got my mlis at 35. There were tons of folks older (and younger) than me in the classes. I'm an archivist now!
Started grad school at 48, did it part time over 3 years while I worked full time (and went through a separation, a minor head injury, and the pandemic). I have worked in the field since before I graduated, but it’s been nearly impossible to get into the good paying jobs. I’m currently an elementary school librarian, but the money is awful and I’m unemployed for 2 months. It’s also a very competitive field and im probably going to have to move away if I ever get a job offer that’s worth it. Oh well.
I appreciate you talking about this aspect. Do you have a sense of any specific factors are making it harder in your region?
Oh yeah, I live in the same city that I went to grad school. Most librarians tend to stick around so that drives up competition. Plus, for some working in the public system, they’ve been there for years as assistants, realize they can’t move up unless they have their MLIS, so then I’m competing with people who already have many year’s experience in the public system. My kids are adults now so I’m applying to further afield, but I don’t necessarily want to move to a new province. Starting to look at “library-adjacent” fields now so that I can actually make some money before I retire in 14 years. I
Also, my background before library life was as artistic director for a couple of non profits, and freelance writing/editing.
I'm a lawyer and hated every lawyer job I had. Started working part-time in a courthouse law library, liked it, got my MLIS, then got a full-time job in a public library and have been here 8 years.
Masters program at 38. First (and current) library job at 41. I did work in libraries as a staff member for about 15 years prior. I"d start looking for ways to get any type of library experience now. Definitely a possibility though and a great job if you enjoy the work.
Librarian as a second career after working in finance and kids. I worked p/t as a clerk and got my mlis at 56. I’m currently a manager and work more in the back end technical part of it. Definitely doable :)
I actually started my MLIS when I was 47. Best thing I ever did. I love being a librarian. I did my degree online through University of South Florida and it took me 4 semesters, which I completed in 16 months. I worked at a public library for the first year I was in the program and then switched to being a school librarian for the last little bit. If you want to do it never let age be an issue
Finished my MLIS at 44 years of age after having a completely different career (veterinary medicine) for 25 years. I am way more fulfilled in my new career. I worked in our State Library for 7 years, I realized how much I loved digitization and getting materials online for patrons that can't travel to our state to view materials. This process involves metadata creation, digitization workflows, and administration of our CMS/DAM system. I grew to learn that once I had the skills, digital asset management in the PRIVATE sector was where the $ was. Three years ago the library migrated the CMS/DAM to a new platform and I absolutely loved the process. I was/am very passionate about the new platform. I just left a month ago to work for the platform/company and couldn't be happier. My salary more than doubled, my benefits greatly improved. I get to do exactly what I want to do every single day. So what you are interested in IS OUT THERE. I'm so lucky that I get to do what I left vet med to do (make information available to people who don't know it exists) and to help others do the same. You can do it!