Dist Ed Design Or Library Science?

Q: There are two university programs I'm interested in: technology in distance education and training (designing online courses) and library, archival and information studies. Does anyone have any information on the opportunities available in either these fields. Has anyone made the transition from tech writing to either dist ed design or library science? Both tie into technical communications quite nicely but I don't want to end up in another shrinking market.

A: I don't know much about online course design, but the library science field is growing. A large percentage of librarians are expected to retire in the near future. Corporations and law firms often employ librarians, as do public school systems and towns. In this area (MA) there is even

a telephone "help-desk" staffed by senior librarians that other librarians can call for assistance. My wife is a high-school librarian and she loves it. Someone once asked her why she was going to be a librarian when "the internet is making printed matter obsolete," and she replied that a librarian's job is more about knowing how to classify where to look for information than just sorting books and magazines. It's possible to get a library/information-science degree online. The CT State University system offers an library/information-science degree program online http://onlinecsu.ctstateu.edu/index.real?action=Welcome , and I'm sure there are others out there as well.