Q: I am currently an Administrative Specialist – Records Manager for a Federal Agency.  I am not being recognized for my efforts, knowledge, skills, and abilities in this position.  I am also a Paralegal.  I have a Bachelor’s in Paralegal Studies and a Master’s in Dispute Resolutions. I have maxed out on the Stafford subsidized and unsubsidized student loans and I would like to go into Records Management and stay with the Federal government as well.  I live in Kentucky and would have to take classes online and if there is a work experience requirement it would have to be in my city and state.  I love doing research and thought I could use this as a part time job to earn extra money without a lot of issues that could arise with part time work.  I am not sure what direction to go in and would like to know what you or your associates would suggest at this point.  I am in a forbearance for the student loans as I have had to do a lot of Home Improvements to my home that has caused me a great deal of financial strain this year along with having surgery in October. 

Please let me know what you think would be the best course of action that I should go and if there are any scholarships or grants that I do not have to pay back that might be available to me.  That would be the only way I would be able to pay for the training or education for online classes or on campus classes.  I am just thinking about it and the more I think about it, it just feels right to look into it more and to get started with the online classes for now and work on the on campus classes later if that is part of the requirements.

TA: You have a lot of personal circumstances influencing your decision to return to library school and unfortunately, we’re not in the position to give you specific instructions on how to proceed.  I would encourage you to do some careful research into grants and scholarships that are available to individuals pursuing a library science degree.  You can look into professional associations, as well as employers who may have a tuition support benefit program for employees.