10 Essential Career Tips for New MLIS/MLS Graduates

Gretchen GardellaNo CommentsBlog, Liblime

Navigating the evolving information profession in 2025–2026

 

You crossed the finish line. The coursework is behind you, the capstone is submitted, and your ALA-accredited diploma is on its way. Now comes the part that no seminar quite prepares you for: landing and growing a career in one of the most dynamically shifting professions in the knowledge economy. The good news? Your degree opens more doors than you might think. The challenge is knowing which ones to knock on — and how.

Here are ten grounded, actionable pieces of advice for newly minted MLIS and MLS graduates entering the field in 2025 and 2026.

 

1. Understand Just How Wide Your Career Landscape Really Is

Before you zero in on a job title, step back and take stock of the full terrain. An MLIS equips you with a versatile set of competencies in information management, research, data organization, and digital literacy that extend well beyond traditional library settings [1]. According to data reported by American Libraries Magazine, roughly 22 percent of MLIS graduates work outside conventional library environments, applying their expertise in information architecture, data management, user experience research, and corporate knowledge services across a surprisingly broad range of industries [2]. Government agencies, healthcare systems, law firms, tech companies, nonprofits, and archives are all legitimate destinations for your credentials. Don’t let a narrow job-title mindset close you off from opportunities you didn’t know existed.

 

2. Treat Professional Organizations as Career Infrastructure

Joining professional organizations is not an optional add-on — it is core infrastructure for your career. Connecting with groups such as the American Library Association (ALA) or the Special Libraries Association (SLA) provides access to networking events, job boards, and resources that help MLIS graduates connect with potential employers [3]. The payoff is direct: library programs that actively connect students with professional organizations at the state and national level report that networking through these channels frequently results in concrete job leads [4]. Attend conferences, volunteer for committees, and engage with special-interest groups in your area of focus. The relationships you build now will surface job opportunities, mentors, and collaborators for decades to come.

 

3. Pursue Mentorship Deliberately

Mentorship is widely considered a key component of finding success in a new professional career, yet only 26 percent of MLIS-granting schools offer a formal mentoring program [4]. That means most new graduates need to pursue mentorship on their own initiative. Reach out to alumni through your program’s networks. Attend virtual meetups, join LinkedIn groups, and connect with people who have made the moves you’re interested in making [5]. Micro-mentoring — brief, focused conversations with practitioners in specific subfields — can be especially efficient for someone still exploring options. Mentors don’t just provide career advice; they offer honest intelligence about what a role or organization is actually like from the inside.

 

4. Build Technical Skills Proactively — Especially in Data and AI

The job market is sending a clear message to new MLIS graduates: technical skills are no longer optional. A 2025 peer-reviewed skill analysis of LIS job postings found that while traditional core skills like information management and retrieval remain essential, the growing importance of data analysis, programming, networking, cloud computing, and data visualization is unmistakable [6]. At the same time, research on AI competencies among librarians reveals that while most practitioners possess conceptual awareness of AI, Screenshot 2026 05 23 191436practical mastery of AI tools and data analytics remains limited across the profession [7]. This gap is your opportunity. Graduates who arrive with hands-on fluency in tools like SQL, Python basics, metadata schemas, or AI-assisted cataloging systems will stand out sharply from the competition.

 

5. Pay Attention to AI — It Is Reshaping the Profession

Artificial intelligence is not a distant prospect for librarians; it is an active reality. According to the Clarivate Pulse of the Library 2025 report, which surveyed over 2,000 librarians across 109 countries, 67 percent of libraries are now exploring or implementing artificial intelligence tools [8]. Moreover, 56 percent of librarians recognize that AI will require significant upskilling or reskilling of their teams, with 52 percent citing the ethical use of AI as their top priority for AI literacy [8]. New research also identifies emerging AI roles — in responsible AI management, documentation, and assessing societal impacts — where librarian competencies in organizing information, community engagement, and ethical reasoning are a natural fit [9]. Position yourself not as someone threatened by AI, but as someone who understands it, can teach it, and can apply it responsibly.

 

6. Certifications Can Give You a Competitive Edge

Your master’s degree is the baseline credential for most professional library roles, but additional certifications can help you stand out in a crowded applicant pool. The ALA offers formal certification pathways, including the ALA-APA Certified Public Library Administrator Program for those moving into supervisory roles [10]. For those pursuing alternative careers, credentials like the PMP (Project Management Professional), Agile Scrum certification, or coursework in UX design and information architecture can signal readiness for non-traditional MLIS roles [5]. Platforms like Coursera, edX, and LinkedIn Learning offer flexible ways to build credibility without returning to a full degree program. Think of certifications as targeted investments in your professional positioning.

 

7. Don’t Overlook Specialized Library Sectors

While public and academic libraries dominate the popular imagination of librarianship, specialized library sectors often offer higher salaries and robust career growth. Medical librarians, for instance, earn a median annual salary of approximately $63,195, with senior-level positions reaching up to $87,000, as the field is actively being reshaped by the shift toward digital health resources and bioinformatics tools [11]. Law librarians, corporate knowledge managers, and government information specialists are other high-compensation niches worth exploring. Specialization requires deliberate preparation — additional coursework, sector-specific vocabulary, and targeted networking — but the payoff in both salary and career stability can be significant.

 

8. Negotiate Your Salary — Every Time

Too many new librarians accept the first offer without negotiation, leaving real money on the table. MLIS graduates in the United States earn an average annual salary of $72,983, but this figure varies widely by geography, sector, and specialization [12]. Librarians in California, for example, earn a mean annual wage of approximately $90,960, with top earners exceeding $130,000, compared to the national median of $64,370 [2]. Before any salary discussion, research comparable roles using sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook and ALA JobLIST [13]. Graduates can negotiate higher starting salaries by clearly articulating specialized skills such as digital archiving, data management, or fluency with AI tools, and by connecting those skills to the specific needs of the hiring institution [12].

 

9. Think Beyond the Traditional Career Path

Non-traditional MLIS career paths in UX research, information architecture, and data governance often command higher salaries than traditional library positions [2]. Information architects and taxonomy specialists, for example, can earn between $90,000 and $150,000 or more depending on seniority and location [14]. However, prospective job seekers should approach some of these transitions with realistic expectations. The UX research job market in 2025 is notably competitive, with entry-level positions especially scarce and hiring trends that have flattened compared to earlier years [2]. Research your target role carefully through job boards, informational interviews, and conversations with people already working in that space. Know what additional skills or certifications might be needed before you make the leap.

 

10. Commit to Continuous Learning as a Professional Practice

The library and information profession does not stand still, and neither can you. From AI integration to evolving digital preservation standards to the ongoing expansion of data services, the skills that make an MLIS graduate competitive today will shift over the next few years. The most effective practitioners treat continuing education not as a periodic obligation but as an ongoing professional practice. Presenting at conferences, publishing professional articles, pursuing new certifications, and networking within your specialization all contribute to long-term career growth and visibility [13]. Whether you’re drawn to traditional librarianship or to emerging roles at the intersection of information science and technology, the graduates who thrive will be those who remain curious, adaptive, and engaged with where the profession is heading.

 

The Bottom Line

Your MLIS or MLS is one of the most flexible graduate credentials in the current job market. The graduates who make the most of it are not the ones who simply wait for postings to appear on ALA JobLIST — they are the ones who build networks, develop technical depth, engage with the profession’s ongoing transformation, and advocate confidently for the value they bring. The library field needs people who can bridge the past and the future. That’s exactly what your training has prepared you to do.

 

Sources

    1. Research.com. (2026, April 14). What can I do with a master’s in library science? https://research.com/degrees/what-can-i-do-with-a-masters-in-library-science
    2. MastersinLibraryScience.org. (2026, April). MLIS degree jobs & careers: Your complete 2026 guide. https://www.mastersinlibraryscience.org/careers/
    3. Simmons, M. (2026, May 6). How to Become a Librarian with a MLIS Degree. Master in Library Science. https://www.mastersinlibraryscience.org/how-to-become/ 
    4. Maatta, S. L. (2024, October 15). Challenges, opportunities: Placements and salaries survey 2024. Library Journal. https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/challenges-opportunities-placements-and-salaries-2024
    5. LibrarianCertification.com. (2025). Alternative career paths utilizing library science skills. https://www.librariancertification.com/alternative-career-paths-utilizing-library-science-skills/
    6. Zhang, J., & Chen, J. (2025). Skill analysis of library and information science professionals. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09610006231207656
    7. Oladokun, B. D., & Umar, L. (2025). Artificial intelligence skills and competencies among librarians in 5IR libraries: Systematic review. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/18758789261418488
    8. Liblime. (2025, November 13). Digital transformation: How libraries are implementing AI in 2025. https://liblime.com/2025/11/13/digital-transformation-how-libraries-are-implementing-ai-in-2025/
    9. Cox, A. M., & Wang, X. (2025). Artificial intelligence in libraries: The emerging research agenda. Journal of Documentation. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03400352251365278
    10. Research.com. (2026, April 6). Library science careers: Guide to career paths, options & salary. https://research.com/careers/library-science-careers
    11. Research.com. (2026). Medical librarian careers: Skills, education, salary & job outlook. https://research.com/advice/medical-librarian-careers-skills-education-salary-job-outlook
    12. Research.com. (2026, March 23). Library science salary outlook: What master’s graduates can expect. https://research.com/careers/library-science-salary-outlook-what-masters-graduates-can-expect
    13. LibrarianCertification.com. (2025, October 25). Salary expectations and career growth in library science. https://www.librariancertification.com/salary-expectations-and-career-growth-in-library-science/
    14. Quora. (2025). Besides being a librarian, are there other decent paying jobs you can get with an MLIS with a concentration in information management? https://www.quora.com/Besides-being-a-librarian-are-there-other-decent-paying-jobs-you-can-get-with-a-Masters-of-Library-Information-Science-with-a-concentration-in-Information-Management