Probably since I got my library degree I’ve been debating the value of a second masters. I rather envy those people who did the library thing second, but until I worked in a library I had no idea that I wanted to be a librarian. All I did know was that I wasn’t cut out to be a caseworker any longer and no amount of money was going to make me go back for an advanced degree in psychology or social work.

So, the debate continues. I actually started work on a MA in English. Really original considering all the librarians I know who have done that or an advanced degree in history. It occurs to me that this is not going to mean much if there are 20,000 other people out there with the same degrees. Which also really made me start thinking about how much value does a second degree have? And the answer to that is “it depends”.

My liaison departments are only loosely tied to my two BA’s in music and psychology. In fact, I’ll admit that selecting for art really does stretch me because I’ve got no background in that area, other than the fact that I enjoy going to museums and looking at pictures. I do select for psychology, but I don’t for music. Go figure! Basically what this tells me is that I can still select for areas that I may not necessarily have a great deal of expertise in. And how can I do that? By reading the professional journals in those areas, following up on reviews on materials, and consulting with the department faculty. Done, done, and done!

Of course, as a reference librarian I get all sorts of questions thrown at me from every discipline. And my job is to know how to find the best info. I can do that. However, I am at a university that mostly has undergraduates. If I were in a place that had something like advanced engineering degrees or something like that, I’d be completely out of my element. That’s when that specialized advanced degree would come in handy. And if I didn’t have it, I’d certainly be sending those students along to the librarian who did.

So, this brings me back to my initial problem. Do I need a second degree and if I do pursue it, what should I focus on? A few weeks ago, I came up with an answer to the question. English was not it. While I’ve enjoyed the classes and actually had a few ideas for my theses, in the end it doesn’t really add much to my job. I started thinking seriously about Instructional Design Technology (which is what we call the program in these parts). Hmmm. I’m writing tutorials. I hope to get us into podcasting. I like dealing with 2.0 technologies. In fact, I like what technology has to offer for libraries and I want to do more with it. And so on.

I found a degree that will be worthwhile and useful in my job now and hopefully wherever I end up in the future. I like reference and instruction and plan to keep on doing this for a long time. So, there you go. My process of figuring out more about what I’m doing as I grow up.

I’ve run across this question on listservs, message boards, blogs, etc. My advice is to really think about your future goals, look at the job market, and consider how much time you want and have to invest in more education.