>The reforms necessary for what you want are extensive,
>starting with extending the LIS masters program to more
>than the "quick 36" or so hours currently required, and
>including strengthening of the accreditation standards.
(Just as a disclaimer, most of what I have to say on this issue comes
from a public librarianship point of view).
Yes. That's not likely to happen anytime soon, either, which is one
reason I think we have already lost the battle. At the public / public
school level, we will probably continue to lose our relevance, at least
in terms of our traditional specialties - we will need to adapt to a new
concept of what libraries are, or risk being shut down.
>Resistance to both is strong and persistent,
>and based on economic considerations
That is also true, and is one of the major reasons that we're being left
in the dust - the private sector is driven by profit.
I think there's a case to be made for eventually ceding to them the
things that we can't keep up with, and finding new ways to be relevant.
We have to realize that we are no longer the best place for the general
public to go to get information, and figure out ways to serve them that
can't be accomplished on the Internet. We COULD be, but librarianship
would have to become a much better funded - and technically proficient -
profession, and that's not likely to happen.
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 Tue Sep 30 2008 - 12:34:39 EDT