The following is a message I posted to the LIBSUP-L list in July of 1993. LIBSUP-L is a discussion list for topics of interest to library support staff, which I used to subscribe to in the mid-'90s before I got too busy to continue following it. One topic that surfaced fairly often is the value of the MLS, or Master of Library Science degree. Without rehashing the discussion here, let me just say that during this particular airing of the topic, several people expressed the opinion that with their years of experience on the job, they were often far more competent than MLS librarians who were fresh out of library school with no practical library experience, and at least one as much as said that the degree was worthless. The following was my contribution to the discussion.
Speaking as one who's been on both sides... I worked for years in libraries (starting as a student worker), got my MLIS, and now am a librarian. At least in title anyway, for I feel that it will take me years of hard work before I'll feel I really deserve the title. I actually enjoyed library school, and found it to be a rewarding experience. I can say that the kinds of things you learn in library school are different from the things you learn on the job. Some of it overlaps, but really, they are different experiences that compliment each other. I do believe that what I learned in library school has helped me to get more out of my current (and past) work experiences than I think I would have otherwise. I can also say that my past work experience made my library school experience much richer. Library school (as with academic study in general) is not well suited for, nor is primarily intended to be, vocational training. It's inescapable that someone who's fresh out of library school will be far less equipped to deal with the job than someone who's been doing it for a while. Library school is more than a place where you learn theory and background and broadly survey the wide and varied world of libraries. It is all that, but it also goes much deeper. I think the core function of a library school (as with academic study in general) is to prepare someone to grow and develop as a professional over the course of an entire career. You spend a lot of time writing papers and doing projects and exercises, many of which may seem fairly insignificant in of themselves, but the idea is to get you to think critically about what you're trying to learn to do, to exhaustively examine the issues in the field, and to seek creative approaches to dealing with problems. The MLS experience should, theoretically, produce someone with the potential to not only serve effectively in a library, but to also contribute to the field of librarianship and face the challenges of the future. The attitude of the student is critical to how well that goal is achieved, even in a really good school. I think it is unfortunate that some MLSers look at the experience as a lot of busy work leading to a piece of paper, including some people I've gone to school with. However, many of the people I went to school with found it to be a valuable and life changing experience. I suppose it is possible to learn this stuff on the job. But chances are you'd learn it faster and more thoroughly in an organized and planned course of study. Now I'm not saying that an MLS automatically makes someone an enlightened person, or even a good librarian. What I am saying is that for me personally, getting my MLIS was definitely worth the time, effort, and money. One last thought: "Library science" is a work in progress. The evaluation of a library's effectiveness is complex. The best way to provide effective service is difficult to determine. Our world is changing rapidly, and we must deal with what the future holds for us. To look at a smooth-running library as the function of librarianship is, in my opinion, short-sighted and limited. Admittedly, it's unlikely (but not impossible) that someone could die or land in jail as a result of what we do. But libraries do have a real and significant impact on people's lives, and to assure that for the present and the future, it will take a lot of work by those of us who work in libraries. For this reason, I feel that librarianship IS a legitimate profession. And I feel that anyone -- librarian or not, with or without an MLS -- who's willing to deal with these issues and take on these challenges, fits at least one definition of what a professional is.