ANSWERS TO GO with Pamela Carlile
SAN MARCOS PUBLIC LIBRARY
625 E. HOPKINS ST.
512-393-8200
Q. What education is required to become a librarian? What does a librarian do?
A. Most libraries require their professional librarians to complete a Master’s level program accredited by the American Library Association. This is typically a two-year program that will earn you a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science or Information Studies depending on your chosen school. No particular undergraduate degree is needed to become a librarian.
There are many different types of libraries and librarians, and your duties will depend on your role and the type of library you work in. You could be a librarian at a public library, an academic library, a school library, or a special library, such as a medical library, and duties will look vastly different at each institution. Even librarians at the same library will have varying responsibilities. At the San Marcos Public
At the San Marcos Public Library, we have nine librarians whose days all look very different. Most people picture a children’s librarian when they hear the word librarian and imagine storytimes, puppet shows, and crafts. However, we also have librarians who plan teen and adult programs, help patrons with career searches, digitize and preserve local history, order and catalog library materials, supervise our paraprofessional library employees, and so much more.
In my role as Programming and Outreach Librarian, I am responsible for planning the teen programs, facilitating the Star Teen volunteer program, ordering materials for the young adult collection, and reading at bilingual storytime. My duties don’t end there though. I create most of the marketing materials for our library programs and services. I also manage and create content for our Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages. Plus, I write this weekly column.
Although our librarians have different roles and responsibilities, one thing we have in common is our eagerness to help you find the answers you need. Whether it’s finding a book to match your reading taste, providing you with contact information for free legal aid, or researching topics or questions you may have, we are happy to help. Call or email us with your questions at 512-393-8200 or smpl@sanmarcostx.gov.
