Hiring Preferences in Libraries: Results

Table VI - Survey Responses by Library Type
Table VII - Survey Responses by Age
Table VIII - Survey Responses by Location
Table IX - Survey Responses By Library Size

Table VI - Survey Responses By Library Type

Type of Library	Public (162 responses)	Academic (120 responses)	School (52 responses)	Special (48 responses)
Aware of Distance Education?
Yes	160	117	48	45
%	99%	98%	94%	94%
No	2	3	3	3
%	1%	2%	6%	6%
No answer			1
Know online MLS student?
Yes	131	101	31	26
%	81%	84%	60%	54%
No	30	19	21	22
%	19%	16%	40%	46%
No Answer	1
Which degree is better
Degrees are equivalent	67	53	21	22
%	42%	44%	40%	46%
Traditional Better	48	39	23	11
%	30%	33%	44%	23%
Online Better	6	2	0	1
%	4%	2%	0%	2%
Not Sure	40	26	8	13
%	25%	22%	15%	27%
No answer	1
Hiring Preferences
Would Hire Online Graduate	134	99	34	36
%	84%	86%	67%	80%
Would Not Hire Online Graduate	25	16	17	9
%	16%	14%	33%	20%
No Answer	3	6	1	3
Opinion on MLS
No MLS Should be Required	4	0	0	0
%	2%	0%	0%	0%
MLS is preferred	21	10	9	9
%	13%	9%	18%	19%
MLS should be required	17	8	8	8
%	10%	7%	16%	17%
ALA MLS should be required	90	86	17	28
%	56%	77%	35%	58%
ALA MLS is preferred	27	13	15	5
%	17%	12%	31%	10%
No Answer		8	3
School Attended
Most Important Factor	0	0	2	0
%	0%	0%	4%	0%
Important	41	34	24	11
%	26%	29%	50%	24%
Not Very Important	55	32	7	19
%	35%	28%	15%	42%
Not important	13	10	1	4
%	8%	9%	2%	9%
It Varies	50	40	14	11
%	31%	34%	29%	24%
No answer	3	4	4	3
Grades Earned
Very Important	6	7	10	2
%	4%	6%	20%	4%
Important	76	46	30	30
%	48%	39%	59%	64%
Not very important	36	29	5	7
%	23%	24%	10%	15%
Not important	10	11	1	3
%	6%	9%	2%	6%
Sometimes important	31	26	5	5
%	19%	22%	10%	11%
No answer	3	1	1	1

Table VII - Survey Responses By Age

Age	Under 30 (46 responses)	31-40 (99 responses)	41-50 (14 responses)	51-60 (16 responses)	Over 60 (23 responses)
Aware of Distance Education?
Yes	45	96	13	15	22
%	98%	97%	93%	94%	96%
No	1	3	1	1	1
%	2%	3%	7%	6%	4%
Know online MLS student?
Yes	37	69	10	11	16
%	80%	70%	71%	69%	70%
No	9	29	4	5	7
%	20%	30%	29%	31%	30%
No Answer		1
Which degree is better?
Degrees are equivalent	18	46	6	7	10
%	39%	47%	43%	44%	45%
Traditional Better	14	35	4	4	6
%	30%	36%	29%	25%	27%
Online Better	2	2	1	1	0
%	4%	2%	7%	6%	0%
Not Sure	12	15	3	4	6
%	26%	15%	21%	25%	27%
No answer		1			1
Hiring Preferences
Would Hire Online Graduate	38	79	11	12	19
%	86%	81%	85%	80%	83%
Would Not Hire Online Graduate	6	18	2	3	4
%	14%	19%	15%	20%	17%
No Answer	2	2	1	1
Opinion on MLS
No MLS Should be Required	1	1	0	0	0
%	2%	1%	0%	0%	0%
MLS is preferred	9	11	3	1	3
%	20%	11%	21%	7%	16%
MLS should be required	6	10	1	1	1
%	13%	10%	7%	7%	5%
ALA MLS should be required	22	63	9	9	14
%	48%	64%	64%	64%	74%
ALA MLS is preferred	9	18	1	3	1
%	20%	18%	7%	21%	5%
No Answer				2	4
School Attended
Most Important Factor	0	0	0	1	0
%	0%	0%	0%	6%	0%
Important	13	20	2	5	8
%	28%	21%	14%	31%	36%
Not Very Important	16	36	8	2	4
%	35%	38%	57%	13%	18%
Not important	3	6	3	3	1
%	7%	6%	21%	19%	5%
It Varies	15	32	1	5	9
%	33%	34%	7%	31%	41%
No answer		5			1
Grades Earned
Very Important	4	7	1	0	1
%	9%	7%	7%	0%	4%
Important	23	46	6	8	10
%	50%	47%	43%	50%	43%
Not very important	5	16	7	3	8
%	11%	16%	50%	19%	35%
Not important	3	7	0	1	1
%	7%	7%	0%	6%	4%
Sometimes important	10	22	0	4	3
%	22%	22%	0%	25%	13%
No answer		1

Table VIII - Survey Responses By Location

Location	New England (40 responses)	Middle Atlantic (71 responses)	South (90 responses)	Middle West (80 responses)	Plains (35 responses)	Pacific (40 responses)	Outside US (17 responses)
Aware of Distance Education?
Yes	40	67	87	77	35	39	17
%	100%	94%	98%	96%	100%	98%	100%
No	0	4	2	3	0	1	0
%	0%	6%	2%	4%	0%	2%	0%
No answer			1
Know online MLS student?
Yes	32	47	77	61	31	28	6
%	80%	66%	87%	76%	89%	70%	35%
No	8	24	12	19	4	12	11
%	20%	34%	13%	24%	11%	30%	65%
No Answer			1
Which degree is better?
Degrees Equivalent	14	34	35	33	19	19	5
%	36%	49%	39%	41%	54%	48%	29%
Traditional Better	14	23	27	27	10	9	6
%	36%	33%	30%	34%	29%	23%	35%
Online Better	0	2	4	2	2	0	1
%	0%	3%	4%	3%	6%	0%	6%
Not Sure	11	11	24	18	4	12	5
%	28%	16%	27%	23%	11%	30%	29%
No answer	1	1
Hiring Preferences
Would Hire Online Graduate	29	55	75	63	29	37	12
%	76%	79%	87%	82%	83%	95%	75%
Would Not Hire Online Graduate	9	15	11	14	6	2	4
%	24%	21%	13%	18%	7%	5%	25%
No Answer	2	1	4	3		1	1
Opinion on MLS
No MLS Should be Required	0	0	2	0	1	0	0
%	0%	0%	2%	0%	3%	0%	0%
MLS is preferred	6	6	8	6	7	8	5
%	16%	11%	10%	9%	21%	21%	31%
MLS should be required	5	6	10	5	3	4	5
%	13%	11%	12%	6%	9%	10%	31%
ALA MLS should be required	21	36	51	51	19	19	2
%	55%	65%	61%	73%	58%	49%	13%
ALA MLS is preferred	6	7	13	8	3	8	4
%	16%	13%	15%	11%	9%	21%	25%
No Answer	2	16	6	10	2	1	1
School Attended
Most Important Factor	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
%	0%	0%	1%	0%	0%	0%	0%
Important	15	25	23	20	9	9	5
%	38%	37%	26%	26%	26%	23%	31%
Not Very Important	15	17	27	26	13	11	5
%	38%	25%	30%	33%	38%	28%	31%
Not important	1	3	6	4	6	5	2
%	3%	4%	7%	5%	18%	13%	13%
It Varies	8	23	32	28	6	15	4
%	21%	34%	36%	36%	18%	38%	25%
No answer	1	3	1	2	1		1
Grades Earned
Very Important	5	8	7	2	1	1	1
%	13%	11%	8%	3%	3%	3%	6%
Important	19	30	48	38	18	17	10
%	49%	43%	53%	48%	53%	44%	63%
Not very important	2	18	10	20	7	11	3
%	5%	26%	11%	25%	21%	28%	19%
Not important	3	6	4	4	3	4	1
%	8%	9%	4%	5%	9%	10%	6%
Sometimes important	10	8	21	15	5	6	1
%	26%	11.4%	23%	19%	15%	15%	6%
No answer	1	1		1	1	1	1

Table IX - Survey Responses By Library Size

Library Size	<10,000 (156 responses)	<25,000 (18 responses)	<50,000 (10 responses)	<100,000 (37 responses)	>100,000 (56 responses)
Aware of Distance Education?
Yes	150	16	9	37	53
%	97%	89%	90%	100%	95%
No	5	2	1	0	3
%	3%	11%	10%	0%	5%
No answer	1
Know online MLS student?
Yes	111	13	5	29	48
%	71%	72%	50%	78%	86%
No	45	5	5	8	8
%	29%	28%	50%	22%	14%
No Answer
Which degree is better
Degrees are equivalent	65	8	7	18	21
%	42%	44%	70%	49%	38%
Traditional Better	50	8	1	7	19
%	32%	44%	10%	19%	34%
Online Better	5	0	1	0	3
%	3%	0%	10%	0%	5%
Not Sure	35	2	1	12	13
%	22%	11%	10%	32%	23%
No answer	1
Hiring Preferences
Would Hire Online Graduate	122	12	9	29	49
%	81%	71%	90%	81%	89%
Would Not Hire Online Graduate	28	5	1	7	6
%	19%	29%	10%	19%	11%
No Answer	6	1		1	1
Opinion on MLS
No MLS Should be Required	1	0	0	1	1
%	1%	0%	0%	3%	2%
MLS is preferred	18	2	1	1	4
%	14%	13%	10%	3%	8%
MLS should be required	19	1	3	8	4
%	14%	7%	30%	24%	8%
ALA MLS should be required	77	10	6	18	34
%	58%	67%	60%	53%	65%
ALA MLS is preferred	18	2	0	6	9
%	14%	13%	0%	18%	17%
No Answer	23	3		3	4
School Attended
Most Important Factor	0	1	0	0	0
%	0%	6%	0%	0%	0%
Important	51	5	3	11	12
%	34%	29%	33%	31%	21%
Not Very Important	38	3	4	13	23
%	25%	18%	44%	37%	41%
Not important	13	1	2	2	3
%	9%	6%	22%	6%	5%
It Varies	50	7	0	9	18
%	33%	41%	0%	26%	32%
No answer	4	1	1	2	0
Grades Earned
Very Important	17	0	1	2	0
%	11%	0%	10%	6%	0%
Important	76	11	4	19	24
%	49%	61%	40%	54%	44%
Not very important	26	2	4	6	13
%	17%	11%	40%	17%	24%
Not important	9	2	1	4	2
%	6%	11%	10%	11%	4%
Sometimes important	28	3	0	4	16
%	18%	17%	0%	11%	29%
No answer				2	1

Hiring Preferences in Libraries: Perceptions of MLS graduates with online degrees

Hiring Preferences in Libraries: Perceptions of
MLS graduates with online degrees