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The wikipedia page on library education seems like an obvious place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_for_librarianship It's not particularly well written, but has a decent bibliography and points to several other good bibliographies. My understanding is that the masters degree was part of a movement to professionalize librarianship into a formal profession. It occurred at a similar time as other fields were also instituting educational regimes for professionalization (nursing, teaching, etc). -l On Thu, Nov 22, 2012 at 5:41 PM, Gretchen Whitney <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Greetings, and Happy Holidays. > > I am looking for references to the history of library education. I have > a colleague who is interested in when the Master's degree was required for > a librarian, rather than the Bachelor's degree. I could not answer his > question. I do not know when, nor how, this transition happened. While I > can remember reading this literature in the 1970s, I can't recall it nor > justify the distinction now. > > Background: I ran into an interesting conversation a few days ago that > was debating the need for a master's degree in library education (and I am > being very specific in not saying LIS education) and the need for a > master's degree as opposed to a bachelors degree for working in, and even > running, a library. > > I am asking the iSchools to stay OUT of this discussion for now. This > concerns library schools. This concerns schools, both graduate and > undergraduate, who are trying to educate librarians. > > The conversation is at > > http://21stcenturylibrary.com/**2011/12/19/why-not-a-** > bachelors-in-library-science/<http://21stcenturylibrary.com/2011/12/19/why-not-a-bachelors-in-library-science/> > > I could not answer their questions about why a master's degree was > required. I could recall vague ideas about why a librarian needed to have > a subject specialty because understanding library science underlaid all of > the other disciplines. And the collaboratory in a library of these subject > specialties with the understanding of library sciences made the building > work. > > I can't refer this colleague to a history of why librarians need a > master's degree rather than an undergraduate degree. Neither the ALISE nor > ASIST website is a help. I have no idea where to send him/her > > Can someone refer me to a decent explanation of why the Master's degree > is needed to be a "librarian" (and I use the quotes specifically), > historically or in present terms, and why a Bachelor's degree would not > suffice? > > Have a great holiday. > --gw > > PS This is a library education problem. I ask the iSchools to stay out of > it for a while. IT issues will come in later. > > --ggww > > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>**<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>** > <><><><><><><> > Gretchen Whitney, PhD, Retired > School of Information Sciences > University of Tennessee, Knoxville TN 37996 USA [log in to unmask] > http://web.utk.edu/~gwhitney/ > jESSE:http://web.utk.edu/~**gwhitney/jesse.html<http://web.utk.edu/~gwhitney/jesse.html> > SIGMETRICS:http://web.utk.edu/**~gwhitney/sigmetrics.html<http://web.utk.edu/~gwhitney/sigmetrics.html> > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>**<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>** > <><><><><><><> > >