An examination of the employment scope of recent library and information science masters course graduates in the Republic of Ireland

Abstract

The range of skills used by librarians on a day-to-day basis is continuously expanding due to constant developments in technology. As a result, recent LIS graduates need to be educated in a variety of skills in order to function as professionals in the modern day library environment. The LIS Masters courses in the Republic of Ireland, the Masters of Science Information and Library Management programme at Dublin Business School and the Masters in Library and Information Studies programme at University College Dublin, provide programmes which aim to train future LIS professionals with these required skills. Due to the aforementioned expansion of technology and the ever changing roles of librarians, the skills provided in these programmes are becoming ever more applicable to employment environments outside of the library sector. Both of these courses work to develop multi-skilled graduates, capable of securing employment both in the library and in a number of other organisation types that require the abilities of trained information professionals. Based upon data gathered by means of a survey disseminated amongst graduates of LIS Masters courses in the Republic of Ireland, this research will examine the scope of employment secured by these graduates, with the purpose of discovering what sectors recently qualified LIS professionals are currently seeking employment opportunities in.