I tend to agree with this kind of opinion re: LIS education. (Hopefully,
this thread has not gone too far off-tangent, due to being more appropriate
for another list.) I do not think that library science is strong enough on
its own to merit a BA or BS as a major. Having another undergraduate degree
in addition to education on librarianship. An ALA-accredited library science
degree that grants a ticket for admission to employment as a professional
librarian, IMHO, should fall somewhere between undergraduate and graduate
education. I am sometimes appalled at how easy LIS school (practicing
librarian track) is made to be for students. Specialization and/or
concentration would make LIS degrees at the graduate level much more
appropriate for that level. This is one of the reasons why I have chosen to
make my experience more challenging and fulfilling by pursuing research as a
part of my MLS degree program. Most graduate programs make people more
marketable, right (instead of serving as the absolute minimum requirement
for admission)?
Then again, it seems like most people entering LIS school these days (except
for most of those coming right out of undergrad) have had full careers doing
something else that would make them highly coveted and marketable (maybe
preferred?) in librarianship. In those cases, a graduate level certificate
(accredited, of course) might be appropriate.
On Thu, Sep 11, 2008 at 14:17, Jesse Ephraim <JEphraim_at_ci.southlake.tx.us>wrote:
> > More to the point, my point is that I don't think it's reasonable to
> > expect a majority, or even a significant minority, of libraries
> > operating with 2 full-time employees and limited budgets to be able to
> > hire in-house IT expertise ALONG WITH expertise in all of the
> > following areas essential to the operation of any library: human
> > resources, facilities management, customer service, local politics/
> > advocacy, public relations, marketing, fundraising, long-term
> > strategic planning, accounting, state and federal legal and regulatory
> > issues, collection development, cataloging, reference, programming and
> > instruction, etc. ad nauseam.
>
> To me, the solution is to change the way librarian education is
> structured.
>
> I have been through graduate school twice, and was shocked to see how
> simple it is to get a library degree. The work they expect out of the
> students is more appropriate to a bachelor degree. I think we need to
> go back to bachelor degrees in library science (for all the basics),
> then have students specialize during the Masters, preferably in
> something like IT, management, or marketing/advertising.
>
> Jesse Ephraim
>
> Youth Services Librarian
> Southlake Public Library
> 1400 Main St., Ste. 130
> Southlake, TX 76092
>
> Email: jephraim_at_ci.southlake.tx.us
> Phone: (817) 748-8248
> FAX: (817) 748-8250
> www.southlakelibrary.org
> uncommonly friendly service
>
Received on Thu Sep 11 2008 - 13:38:58 EDT