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Well, Karen, I think you have answered your own question: it is the "growing amount of challenges" that makes it impossible for any LIS school to train graduates to hit the ground running. In a survey I conducted last year, more than 500 different skills sets were identified as required from a selection of job advertisements which appeared under the title 'librarian'. Susan Dr Susan Myburgh School of Communication, International Studies and Languages University of South Australia ________________________________ From: Open Lib/Info Sci Education Forum [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Karen Weaver [[log in to unmask]] Sent: Wednesday, 13 January 2010 11:13 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: 2010 Forum on Library Education On Sun, Jan 10, 2010 at 8:22 PM, Thomas Wilburn Leonhardt <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: "You can always find someone who denigrates one's graduate education but as a long-time employed, I would rather have an entry level librarian than one with experience in many if not most positions. ..." I find this a very troubling remark especially since that most often translates as pay your faculty librarians as cheaply as possible based on their in turn "lack of experience" that's a double edged sword, I'm not sure most would agree with in the field today when experience is especially needed to meet a growing amount of challenges beyond answering a reference question and picking up the phone. It ends up more work for the managers/supervisors, maybe more than the administration level. I would not recommend that approach or mindset to people going out looking for jobs today either, if that is how some are thinking about the question, then there is a growing gap or soon to be "canyon". Budgets are cut these days, if there are more experienced faculty hired, they will also require higher compensation too... --Karen Weaver, MLS, Adjunct Faculty iSchool at Drexel University, Philadelphia PA email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> / Electronic Resources Statistician, Duquesne University, Gumberg Library, Pittsburgh PA email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>