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See the following Richardson, J. V. (2010). History of American Library Science: Its Origins and Early Development. In (M. J. Bates & M. N. Maack, Eds.)*Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, Third Edition*. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press Good place to start - 1951 - ALA standards - MLS = first professional degree. On Fri, Nov 23, 2012 at 7:46 PM, Gretchen Whitney <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2012 21:53:13 -0500 > From: Daniel Stuhlman <[log in to unmask]> > To: Open Lib/Info Sci Education Forum <[log in to unmask]>, > Gretchen Whitney <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: History: MLS, MIS, MS, etc > > > At 07:41 PM 11/22/2012, Gretchen Whitney 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 problem is with the question. The first question is what is meant by > "required?" A person may become a public school librarian without a > masters degree in librarianship or anything else. A public library can > hire anyone they want to serve as a librarian. Hiring agencies set their > own requirements. Library of Congress hires subject specialists without > library school degrees. > > Most university libraries would not even look at a candidate without a > masters degree from a library school program. Usually they require one > from an ALA accredited program. > > The second question is "what is needed to have the minimum base of > knowledge for a librarian?' In my opinion a solid grounding in an academic > discipline is essential to be a library school student. Usually that > knowledge starts with a college major. Then the person can earn a masters > in librarianship. Then never stop learning. An academic librarian > eventually will need credits beyond the masters and probably a second > masters or a doctorate. > > Most graduates of undergraduate programs are just beginners in the pursuit > of scholarship. There is just no way to master all the complex aspects of > librarianship and most professions without additional education and > training. > > > > Daniel Stuhlman > Chicago, IL > ddstuhlman at earthlink.net > > Blog: http://kol-safran.blogspot.**com/ <http://kol-safran.blogspot.com/> Latest entry October 25 > Podcast: http://ddstuhlman.podomatic.**com<http://ddstuhlman.podomatic.com> > > -- Nancy Poole University of North Carolina Greensboro, NC *Status, while important in its own right, is reinforced through its relationship to procedural justice because being treated fairly is, itself, a recognition of status. * Robert Birnbaum (2004)