Such a "certification" practice isn't common practice in any other field,
and I don't think it is appropriate to separate the profession of
librarianship from other fields. Those who obtain an ALA-accredited
master's degree in library science or library and information science
should benefit from their educational endeavor, and be recognized for their
achievements. A person can't be an engineer, social worker, attorney,
physician, or any of a number of other professionals through merely passing
a test, and I can't see that librarians should be defined in a different
fashion. There is a significant difference in the background and realm of
knowledge between a person who works as a "librarian" (as defined via a job
description) and one who is a certified professional (vis a vis a master's
degree).
Sue Fawcett
At 10:37 AM 3/31/97, Bryan Carson wrote:
>I think that there are people who are in the positions now who are doing
>great work. I don't want to cut them out of the profession. However, I
>also think that perhaps we do need some kind of a professional test.
>
>There are bad librarians with the M.L.S. degree. I also know that those
>who are fresh out of library school are often not as good as someone who
>has been in the position for several years but doesn't have the degree. I
>do think library school was good for me. I learned things that came in
>handy after I had been in my career for a little while. However, when I
>first arrived, many of the things I learned were not yet in context.
>
>We need to make use of the highly trained and skilled people who are in
>the profession now who don't have their M.L.S. degrees. At the same time,
>we need to make sure that we value the profession adequately. At one
>time, not that long ago, teachers did not have to have education degrees
>or even bachelor's degrees. In the early part of the century, a person
>with a two-year degree or even a high-school graduate could turn around
>and teach. The increase in status and (albeit small) increase in pay came
>as the profession became more rigid about who was qualified to teach.
>
>Here is my suggestion. Lets institute a professional test. Those who
>pass it would have the right to put the title "Certified Librarian" after
>their name. If they don't pass, legal action can be taken to enjoin
>others from using the title. (We can do this by trademarking the term
>"Certified Librarian.") I dare say that people like Bob Ryan and Amy
>Comeau would easily pass that test, or perhaps (like the teachers) the
>people who are in the positions now can be grandfathered in.
>
>New M.L.S. grads are a little more problematic. Some may say that they
>are qualified by virtue of their degree. Others may remember that not all
>M.L.S. people are good, and want them to take a test right away like the
>bar exam. Still another model is to take a page from the accounting and
>actuarial profession, and require a combination of work experience and
>tests.
>
>The only way to stop the decline in our profession is to formalize the
>requirements. (This will benefit those who don't have M.L.S. degrees too,
>since as "Certified Librarians" they will be able to command a higher
>salary, as well as ending the feeling that some M.L.S. people look down on
>them.) I think we need to form some sort of a certification committee to
>look into the possibility of doing something about this. If the AALL, the
>ALA, and the SLA got together, along with other groups such as the school
>librarians, we could do something. I am willing to serve on such a
>committee.
>
>Just my two cents' worth (and probably not my employer's position). Lets
>now stop shooting arrows at each other, and use the energy to benefit the
>profession.
>
>
>
>Bryan M. Carson, J.D., MILS
>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 © 1997 Bryan M. Carson. All rights
>reserved.
>
>
>>>> Karen Mahnk <karenpdo@mailhost.netrunner.net> 03/31/97 08:41am >>>
>
>But one is not an attorney merely because she/he has attained a JD - but
>only after passing the bar..
>The same example can be applied to medical school graduates - they may not
>practice as Drs. w/o passing a board exam. And accountants as well...
>Nearly every well compensated profession demands more than an educational
>degree.. perhaps because it is well
>known that a "sheepskin" alone does not reflect competency..
>Only my HO..
>Karen Mahnk
>
>
>
>>Mr. Ryan, if you went to work in a hospital, would you expect to be called a
>>doctor? Nothing in my message suggests or was intended to suggest you are
>>inferior to any other human or any other profession on earth. You are not
>>a librarian because you lack the professional credentials of a librarian,
>>period. People with M.L.S. degrees but no JD, but yet work in law firms,
>>are not lawyers because they lack the professional credentials of lawyers,
>>however high the quality of the work they do. Would you argue otherwise?
>>
>>Ann Puckett
>>Director of the Law Library and Professor of Law
>>University of Georgia School of Law Library
>>Athens GA 30602-6018
>>Phone (706)542-5078
>>Fax (706)542-5001
>>apuckett@uga.cc.uga.edu
>>http://www.lawsch.uga.edu
>>
>>
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