Jaqueline Woolcott MLIS‘12 is a research librarian at a large bond rating agency. Since she graduated in 2012, the program’s name changed—it is now the Master of Information (MI). When we asked Woolcott to reflect on her experiences during and since earning her master’s degree at SC&I, she shared the following.

 “I would argue I have the best job in the company. It has a little mix of everything. I get to help anyone who asks for assistance, from the most junior all the way to the C-suite. I love to see projects grow, where the information lands, and how the capital markets receive the publications and resources we produce.

  “The Knowledge Management concentration [now Technology, Information, and Management] drew me to the program. The class offerings looked challenging and innovative. Rutgers also cultivated an atmosphere that encouraged students to try new things! The SC&I calendar was full of student activities, workshops, and learning opportunities. I wanted a space that allowed students to see what we liked professionally and what we didn’t—somewhere that was creating librarians willing to try innovative and interesting ways to serve their communities.

 “Once I enrolled at Rutgers, I noticed a lot more interest in my resume, and it opened many cool opportunities for me! I accepted an internship at AskNYPL (the virtual reference and telephone reference department), which led to my first actual librarian position. Additionally, I was an information assistant via the work-study program with the Douglass Library. These were two very different positions with lots of various projects. This work helped me enter the workforce as a well-rounded librarian.

 “I also appreciated the safe space SC&I offered to explore the academic side of librarianship. I had the opportunity to pair up with doctoral students and help with academic research. Similarly, Professor of Library and Information Science Marie Radford’s ‘Seeking Synchronicity’ project was a lot of fun to work on; it was great to see seasoned researchers in action.

 “The program’s challenging classes prepared me to dive into the world of corporate librarianship. The top two courses I draw from each day to serve my clients are “Competitive Intelligence” and “Knowledge Management” with Associate Teaching Professor Lilia Pavlovsky. These two courses gave me the most significant return on my investment in many different ways. They were also oddly hard to find offered at other programs, and one of the ways that makes this program such a stand out.

 “I also learned much from Professor Radford’s ‘Library Management’ course. She drew on her experiences managing a small library, and now, when managing our small corporate library, I implement what I learned from her. I have great fun working as a librarian, and I love that I learn so much each day. 

“When I consider what advice to share with young professionals, my top suggestion is to become a job-posting nerd, and not just for librarians, but also for the occupations surrounding it. You’ll get a feel for new (and profitable) skills needed for the industry.”