Acronyms are everywhere.

 by Jim Whalen  Rowan Public Library

 ASAP, FBI, FEDX, NRA, CBS, NBC, ABC, TNT, GMAIL, all the two letters for states-TN-AK-AS-AL, etc. The list goes forever. Go to a hospital and find, CNA, LPN, RN, PA, CLNC, CPAN, CCBS.  IHOP is famous for their acronym. I know a 9 year old who thought IHOP and International House of pancakes were two different restaurants. It was not that long ago we discovered some email acronyms, LOL,OMG, but texting  has eclipsed that by millions. IMU, AMMOF, IDK, IMO, WRT, OT, IIRC, and many I can’t use here

When did McDonald’s become so difficult that the term Mickey Ds started? A long series of names have evolved into short cute names.  AT&T, GEICO, ING, HR Block. Like many people, I don’t know the original name just the acronym.  It is much easier to say GEICO than Government Employees Insurance Company.   Remember the super bowl commercials for ING?  The full name is International Netherlands Group. Again the acronym is much easier to remember.

Do librarians have acronyms? Well the library can be Lib, LIB, Libr. You may as well just spell the entire name. Librarians are not known for their acronyms. We blend in so well many people think everyone here is a librarian. No not everyone is, but the service can be so good you can’t distinguish between roles.  What is a librarian?  A librarian is someone who has obtained an undergraduate degree, completed a masters degree in library science approved by ALA, American Library Association. Courses include library management, cataloging and classification, information sources and services, principles of database information retrieval, collection management, and many, many more.

While some librarians hold degrees in general library or information science, others pursue specialty degrees in concentrations of a particular field.  There are concentrations in academic, public, music, legal, history (archives), special collections, library administration and management, and again many others.  Specialization may be required for some positions. For example, school librarians in many states are required to earn a master's degree in education or library science with a specialty in library media.

With many colleges offering online courses you can work full time and earn a Masters in Library Science. There are volunteer opportunities in libraries where you can try out the profession before committing to a degree. You don’t need experience in a library to attend a graduate school, just an undergraduate degree, and a desire to help others find what they are searching for.  This is a very generic statement but, give people what they seek and you will have a very happy patron.