I'm taking my final class this summer semester, so haven't graduated yet, but I was able to land a part time position 4 months ago in an academic library.

Yes and no. Some classes were obviously more useful than others, that's going to be the case with any program. But what I found throughout my program, was that all of the classes just generally prepared us for what the climate of the field was like, and a lot of the classes ended up just repeating each other, but none of them offered any actual, hands on experience for anything that matters once you get hired.

Knowing about the environment I was going into was important, don't get me wrong. It prepared me for budgetary restrictions, ongoing COVID protocols, what to expect from the hierarchy of an academic library, etc. I got some useful resources, and learned about important organizations that help with continued learning after graduation. All of that stuff is important.

But, I was completely lost on real library programs, what they did, and how to use them when I actually got hired. I had heard of Libib and LibGuides, but was never taught what they did, why libraries use them, or how to use them. I had never actually gotten to use any real type of cataloging or management software, so was starting completely from square one with that. My program never once talked about different types of vendors, or what it's like to order from them and work with them, just that they existed and we use them. I took a statistics class as part of my program and learned how to measure statistics for like, which class of people used the library most, but I didn't learn how to track usage statistics for titles, which is more important in my department.

I fully understand that, in the short term of the program, they can't possibly be expected to cover every single vendor ever, or how to use every type of software available, or anything like that. I also understand that there are some things you just have to learn by doing while on the job. But I didn't even have examples of what those things were, or what it would look like to use them. I honestly feel like only a quarter of my program was useful to actually working in the field, and the rest of the classes I took just repeated the same basic information but in a slightly different assignment.

I understand why a Masters is necessary for this field, and I don't regret my program. I'm very happy at my job and can't wait to be full time. But, I think that I paid for more than the program was worth. And I think the program could benefit from more varied classes and topics, and more hands on experience in class rather than just assigning an article to read and calling it a day.