Library Science Masters Personal Statement Sample

This is an example personal statement for a Masters degree application in Library Science. See our guide for advice on writing your own postgraduate personal statement.

Having spent several years working for libraries and archives across the country, I understand the importance of organising information and improving access to these resources. I hope that the Masters in Library Science offered by your university will allow me to deepen my knowledge of library services and give me the opportunity to take the next steps in a career relating to information management.

While studying for my Bachelors in English Literature, I was fortunate enough to be given access to the archival records of T.S. Eliot while writing my dissertation on The Waste Land. Seeing first-hand the effort that goes into preserving such valuable documents was inspirational, and after graduating from university I completed an internship with the Rosenbach Museum in Philadelphia. This institution holds a prestigious collection including a first edition of Ulysses by James Joyce and numerous titles by Herman Melville. During my time with the Rosenbach Museum I was involved in a number of digitalisation projects, as well as the promotion of various exhibitions to increase public engagement with its archive.

Upon returning to the UK, I began working as an assistant for a large university library in London, gaining experience in information organisation and cataloguing, as well as copyright, e-learning and more. Your Masters offers ample opportunity to deepen my expertise and further my career in librarianship. As a CILIP-accredited course, the programme has a fantastic pedigree and will be recognised by institutions across the UK and beyond. I’m particularly interested in the module you offer on digital libraries, as this ties in with my current employment.

Although I haven’t finalised my dissertation plans, I’m keen to continue my previous work on modernist writers and will be looking for ways in which I can apply my knowledge. I’m also very passionate about public engagement and increasing the access of under-represented communities to library and archive services. To this end, I’ve promoted a series of successful ‘open days’ for the library I work at, where members of the community who aren’t current university students can spend time there and attend talks by academics on aspects of our collection.

Outside of work, I’m a keen poet and run my own independent press, publishing zines and pamphlets from a range of voices. I’m interested in increasing the representation in libraries and similar institutions of non-traditional print forms such as these and I hope that your programme will equip me with the skills and experience to do so.