Chronicle Careers: 05/18/2005 | A Matter of Degrees: "If you're a Ph.D. in the humanities, do you need a master's degree in library and information science to pursue a career as an academic librarian or as a curator of special collections?
That question has lately generated impassioned arguments among Ph.D.'s who seek to enter the field of librarianship, as well as among librarians and curators concerned over the integrity of their profession.
My qualified answer is yes, the library-science credential is essential -- unless the Ph.D. really, truly, and demonstrably has the equivalent experience. Before I elaborate, let me review my own background: I'm a Ph.D. in English who switched gears in the face of an abysmal faculty-job market, earned a master's in library science, and landed on my feet as an academic librarian at Yale University.
Admittedly, Ph.D.'s who attend library school may or may not acquire such earth-shaking skills and wide-ranging theoretical knowledge as will justify the seemingly unreasonable outlay of time, effort, and expense required of one who has already endured the tribulations of a doctoral program. That is, at least in part, the motivation and justification for a new fellowship program and other recent initiatives that promise to set humanities Ph.D.'s on the fast (and free or low-cost) track to academic librarianship while bypassing most if not all library-school requirements.
Still, the M.L.I.S., short for master's in library and information science (it's also known in some quarters as the M.L.S., for master's of library science), continues to serve as both a practical and an intellectual entre into professional librarianship. What's more, the M.L.I.S. protects the library profession from becoming degraded in the way that teaching has been in academe. ..."
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
I graduated a year ago with my MLS. My undergrad degree was in the humanities. Library Science course work was not identical to my research for history papers. My eyes were opened to the types of research conducted in other disciplines. In addition the lessons on the organization of information was helpful.
I definitely feel the MLS degree is necessary for our profession. We are INFORMATION professionals. Most people with a Ph.D. are not coming from this perspective. This is exactly the same as if the professor wanted to teach another subject. He or she would need additional credentials.
Post a Comment