Let me put in my two cents worth (and let the flaming begin).
I went to library school because I was a J.D. who wanted to
be a law librarian. I knew that it was going to be next to
impossible for me to get a job without having the M.I.L.S.
degree. However, I had a friend in Library School who had a
J.D. and had been working as a professional librarian at a law
school for 10 years. His institution was paying for him to get
his M.I.L.S. degree. Did that mean that he was not already
an experienced professional? Of course not. He had been
doing reference for 10 years in a university law school.
By the same token, I know another law librarian who started
her career at a university law school library. While working in
this position, she got (in this order) a J.D., an M.I.L.S., and a
Master's degree in Education. She was assigned to
standard reference duties. However, the law school refused
to promote her to a "professional librarian" position. Twenty
years later, with the J.D., M.I.L.S., and M.Ed., her title was
still Secretary to the Director. Again, I think that regardless
of what her title or pay was, she was a professional librarian
because she was performing the duties of a professional
librarian. (In fact, when she changed jobs, her new
employers considered her experience to be professional.)
The point is that an M.I.L.S. is vital in today's world in order
to obtain a position as a law librarian. However,
professionals from allied research professions can learn on
the job, to "read librarianship." After all, until about 35-40
years ago most librarians were English majors. The true
mark of what a librarian is depends on what their duties are.
Bryan M. Carson, J.D., M.I.L.S.
Reference/Computer Services Librarian
Hamline University Law Library
1536 Hewitt Avenue
St Paul, Minnesota 55104
612-641-2063
bcarson@gw.hamline.edu
*********************************************************************
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
--Samuel Johnson
*********************************************************************
All opinions expressed are my own and not my employer's.
All original content (c) 1997 Bryan M. Carson. All rights
reserved.
>>> Mary Whisner <whisner@u.washington.edu> 03/26/97
12:34pm >>>
I believe that library education is worthwhile for a
professional
librarian, and I think that hiring people with an MLS is a good
thing. I
want patrons to know that there's a difference in role (as well
as
expertise) between me and the undergraduate staffing the
circ desk. And I
want law firms to know that having a secretary or paralegal
file pocket
parts does not transform that person into a "librarian."
But I think we can lighten up a little.
According to the 1996 Survey of Members, more than
4 out of 5 AALL
members have an MLS degree -- which means that almost 1
in 5 do not. Hmm.
Do we want to write off 15-20% of our colleagues?
Open up the AALL _Biographical Directory_ at random.
Nearly every
two-page spread has at least one person who lacks the
MLS. Here's someone
who has a paralegal degree; he has worked as a law librarian
for nearly
twenty years, at two New York law firms; he has served on
two LLAGNY
committees and has written for LLAGNY Law Lines. Here's
someone with a BS
who began her career as an elementary librarian (perhaps her
undergraduate
education included certification as a school librarian) and has
worked at
a county law library for 11 years. Here's someone who has
an AB and a JD
who has been working as a public services librarian at an
academic law
library for 10 years; she has written a book on legal research
in her
state (as well as two law review pieces when she was a
student). Here's
someone who has a BA and a JD; she worked at a county
law library for 6
years and has been a law firm librarian for 11 years.
In my state, aspiring lawyers can still "read the law"
and qualify
to take the bar exam without a JD. It's clear that in
librarianship, some
people learn on the job -- and through reading and
professional
development activities -- and become professional librarians
without an
MLS. They exercise professional judgment and have broad
and deep
expertise: they are much more than the undergraduate at the
circ desk or
the secretary who files pocket parts.
If asked for advice on pursuing a career in librarianship,
would I
recommend going to library school? You bet. When my
institution has
vacancies do we require an MLS? Yep. But would I say that
our colleagues
without MLS degrees should stop calling themselves
librarians? Absolutely
not.
-- Mary
Mary Whisner (BA, JD, MLIS, if you're curious), Head of
Reference
Gallagher Law Library, University of Washington
whisner@u.washington.edu
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