An Alternate Career Choice for the Geography Major: Map, GIS, or Geographic Information Librarianship

Abstract

The field of Map, GIS and Geographic Information Librarianship has expanded over the past decade. This expansion is due in part to the addition of GIS dataset collections in many university libraries, specialized government or corporate information agencies. Librarians holding a bachelor’s degree in geography, earth sciences or environmental sciences, are in high demand to fill positions as a Map, GIS or Geographic Information librarian. The standard requirement for these positions, beyond the bachelor’s degree, is a master’s degree from an American Library Association accredited library/information science program. There are 57 ALA accredited library/information science programs in the US, four of which are located in the SWAAG region. Master’s degree curriculum varies, but generally requires 36 hours or more, and some programs require a thesis or practicum. Undergraduates who are interested in a service profession and enjoy the research process, instruction and organization of information are good candidates for this career. A description of the traditional and evolving work duties, starting salaries, and how the geography degree supports this specialization will be included in the presentation.