I'll say it again: Librarians ROCK!

U.S. News & World Report has named "librarian" as one of the best jobs to have in 2006, according to Yahoo. The magazine says:

This is an underrated career. Most librarians enjoy helping patrons dig up information. They learn in the process and keep up to date on the latest books and online resources. The need for librarians, unfortunately, may decline because search engines make it easy for patrons to find information without a librarian's help. The job growth for librarians will be in nontraditional settings: corporations, nonprofit organizations, and consulting firms.

I completely disagree that the need for librarians will decline, although I do see the profession embracing more "nontraditional" settings and resources. It's interesting that the article (or the portion reprinted here, anyway) doesn't talk about salary or working conditions, since many public librarians are not paid as much as other professionals with Masters degrees. Still, good to have our profession recognized as a worthy one in a national publication!

See the whole list here.