Researching what? Library science? After a hour orientation to the library when I was in college I was able to do my own research. There isn’t a library science major smart enough or knowledgeable enough to do research in the real sciences. Anyways, you don’t go to a public library to do research. Public libraries are where the vast majority of over credentialed library science types work. Next to that is Barnes and Nobles. Library science isn’t a science by the way. The name is a dead give away to massive Napoleon complexes. It’s as if libraries were monster trucks built for their need to compensate for inadequacies.
“Researching what?”
The core of library sciences is researching... it’s researching subject matter information. 🙄
I’ll give you an example Winston Churchill wrote some great histories about World War II and he basically dictated them to a stenographer and then a team of researchers used the library of London and other resources to obtain the necessary errata of he was narrating so they could put the details in place with the subject matter that Churchill was talking about. That’s just one example.
The researching of subject matter information isn’t just literary stuff.
Any subject or concentration has alot of info scattered thoughtout repositories, physically or online, microfiche books, perioducals etc...
Research papers require scholarly information with citations. To back up any points one is trying to develope to show a path to a summary or conclusion of said research.
Wading through a plethora of information in order to get to an answer that that supports a thesis statement. Upper level graduate work thrives and feeds itself on research papers. It’s an exercise in most cases however... follow on professional research is built upon this model.
A library science graduate provides direction. At this point in time they’re probably not being paid for what they do - they’re being paid for what they know and how to obtain information.
This is not your local library on Main Street this is University libraries and other places of information storage or access. When you’re in lower level education you’re basically using Lexus-Nexus to gather citable material.
I hope that clarifies it for you. I spent years writing research papers to obtain a degree that I never really used after college, a degree that I paid for myself by the way.
Do I really give a rip what a library science professional does? No. But it appears that UL concentrations recognize a need for a reasonable amount of data and media organization.
Has technology changed the landscape for a library resource managers? Certainly, but somebody still has to manage the technology, storage and validity of the certified data.
I can imagine large industrial concerns such as Dupont or Monsanto or some other entity probably has a library research professional on staff to attend to the staff reaseachers with the amount of information that they need at their fingerprints. Just another position such as statistician or mathematician or even English Majors to help them write professional manuals and trade journals. It’s all part of the business or business.
Calvin Coolidge once said the business of America is business. And if that’s what it takes to have a successful business venture then I guess you’d be a fool not to staff properly.