Library Science Major: Courses, Degrees, Universities, and Career Prospects

Maybe for some people, the Library Science major still sounds foreign. No wonder, many think that the career path of this graduate is not as broad as other majors. In fact, the Library Science major is an interdisciplinary major, because it studies sciences related to disciplines other than libraries and has bright career prospects, because all agencies, both government and private, need someone who can manage information to support decision making or policies.

What is the Library Science Major?

The Library Science Major is a science that involves various expertise in the fields of Information technology, management, and education to collect, organize and store data. In this study program, you will learn how to solve scientific problems in the field of library and information science.

You will also learn to manage printed or unprinted information, aka digital, such as archives and records. This study program aims to produce skilled research librarian graduates who are competitive in library and information management, and have special competence in managing primary sources of science.

Library Science Major Courses

In the library science major, you will learn how to process, manage, and communicate information. This means that learning about the basics of technology and information systems is a must. Not only that, there are many more of course. In general, the following courses will be encountered during the study period in the Library Science major:

• Office administration.

• Documentation science

• Library management

• Introduction to archiving

• Statistics

• Digital libraries

• Collection management

• Information communication

• Information literacy

• Media publishing, and many more.

Library Science Major Degree

Later, you will obtain a Bachelor of Humanities (S. Hum), or Bachelor of Social Sciences (S. Sos), or Bachelor of Library Science (S. I. Pust). Of course, the degree that will be obtained will follow the policies in force at each university.

So, different campuses, different policies, can also have different degrees. For example, at the University of Indonesia, the Library Science Department is part of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences. So, if you graduate, you will get a Bachelor of Hum degree. Universities That Have Library Science Majors

There are several universities in Indonesia that have Library Science study programs that might attract attention, such as:

• University of Indonesia (UI) – Library Science Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences

• Gadjah Mada University (UGM) – Library Science Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences

• Padjadjaran University (Unpad) – Library Science Study Program, Faculty of Communication Sciences

• Diponegoro University (Undip) – Library Science Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences

• Airlangga University (Unair) – Library and Information Science Study Program, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences

• Brawijaya University (UB) – Library Science Study Program, Faculty of Administrative Sciences

• Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University of Jakarta (UIN Jakarta) – Library Science Study Program, Faculty of Adab and Humanities

• Indonesian University of Education (UPI) – Library and Information Study Program, Faculty of Educational Sciences

Career Prospects for Library Science Majors

1. Librarian

Library Science Major Career Prospects The first is a librarian. Becoming a librarian is of course very linear with the knowledge gained in the Library Science Department. As the name implies, a librarian is a profession that plays a role in managing a library, both in terms of service, governance, manualization, cataloging, and collection maintenance. 

Librarians are an important profession in the context of literacy needs in Indonesia, because librarians must understand how to classify reading collections and map the reading needs of the community. For salaries, librarians in Indonesia are generally in the range of salaries between IDR 500,000 and IDR 5,000,000, depending on where they work, and the regional minimum wage applied.

2. Archivist

The next career prospect for a Library Science major is an archivist. As the name implies, an archivist is responsible for managing archives. Being an archivist requires you to always be meticulous and understand how to manage and preserve archives, considering the age of the archives which can be old.

In its development, many existing archives have been digitized, so to become an archivist you are also required to have knowledge of digital archiving. The duties of an archivist include maintaining archives, maintaining archives, servicing archives, and updating archives. For salary, archivists in Indonesia have salaries ranging from IDR 1,000,000 to IDR 8,000,000, depending on which agency they work for.

3. Data Scientist

One of the career prospects for a Library Science major that is currently popular is a data scientist. The dynamics of the digital world that increasingly requires an expert in the field of data scientists can be a prospect that is worth targeting for graduates of the Library Science major.

It is not surprising that several universities in Indonesia combine Library Science with digital data studies, because they do overlap. If not, some campuses include data science courses in the Library Science department.

Data scientist jobs can be found in the government or private sector such as start-ups or digital startups. According to circulating information, data scientists do not need to worry about their salaries, because the nominal amount ranges from 8 million to 15 million.

4. Curator

Curators are also included in the list of interesting career prospects for the Library Science Department to try. Becoming a curator means having to read a lot in order to have sufficient knowledge. This is because curators are required to understand many things in a specific field. For example, becoming a book curator, of course before becoming a curator it would be better to understand the world of books.

Starting from the publishing system, publishing mechanisms, legislation, and book governance. However, curator work can also enter the fields of fine arts, performing arts, and even product curators. The requirement is to understand well and deeply each field that is being pursued. In short, becoming an expert or specialist in that field. In terms of salary, in Indonesia a curator is already valued at a salary range of 2 million to 5 million. However, the salary depends on the agency and depends on the UMR applied.

5. Publisher's Editorial Secretary

Publisher's editorial secretary can also be pursued by Library Science graduates. This profession is usually targeted by library study program graduates who aspire to work in publishing. The publisher's editorial secretary himself has the responsibility to manage incoming letters, take care of author royalty payment letters, and manage published book data.