This will be my last message on this topic, but I did want to say that it would be very useful for individuals who post messages to have at least some idea what they are commenting on.
 
Eric Luft writes, “Who learns about Schellenberg or macroappraisal in an ALA-approved 
MLS/MLIS/MSLS/MSLIS program? Not many, I dare say.”  What is this based on?  In the program at!
  Pitt t
here is a full course on archival appraisal, and the students learn about Schellenberg and macro-appraisal.  A call to eliminate degree requirements, as Luft does, without having even considered what these programs offer, seems a bit strange.  Of course, not all programs, either in history or library and information science programs, are created equal, and perhaps Luft has simply had some poor experiences.
 
Most of the programs provide considerable information on their courses and requirements on the Web, and a little investigation might help.
 
As usually occurs with the discussion about graduate education, we have to!
  repeat
 all the same arguments and points.  I am signing off of this one, and perhaps others can join in or, more mercifully, just let the discourse disappear.
 
--
Richard J. Cox
Professor
Department of Library and Information Sciences
School of Information Sciences
University of Pittsburgh
Editor, Records & Information Management Report
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Voice: 412-624-3245
FAX: 412-648-7001
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homepage: http://www2.sis.pitt.edu/%7Ercox/

"What we would like to do is change the world - to make it a little simpler for people to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves as God intended for them to do. And we can change the world: we can work for the oasis, the little cell of joy and peace in a harried world. We can throw our pebble in the pond and be confident that its ever widening circle will reach around the world." - Dorothy Day
 
-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Eric v.d. Luft, Ph.D., M.L.S., Curator of Historical Collections" <[log in to unmask]>

> Dana is absolutely right to say:
>
> > Experience is undoubtedly valuable and you absolutely couldn't get along
> without it, but formal
> > education is the glue that binds us together as professionals. When two
> formally educated
> > archivists face each other and one blurts out "T. R. Schellenberg" or
> "macroappraisal," they know
> > they are speaking the same language, and have the same basic set of
> intellectual tools that a
> > degree provides.
>
> Nevertheless, if he believes that the MLS/MLIS/MSLS/MSLIS or whatever they call
> it is going to give
> us archivists and rare book librarians the training that WE! need, then he is
> sadly mistaken. Who
> learns about Schellenberg or macroappraisal in an ALA-approved
> MLS/MLIS/MSLS/MSLIS program? Not
> many, I dare say.
>
> Dana is also absolutely right to say:
>
> > I don't think it's reasonable for anyone to expect to be considered for
> positions at prestigious
> > institutions these days if they don't meet the minimum requirements,
>
> But to add:
>
> > in this case we're talking about the MLIS.
>
> is like saying that one needs an M.D. to practice law or a J.D. to practice
> medicine. The formal
> educational requirements of a basic knowledge of history, languages,
> preservation and conservation
> skills, etc. are all reasonable and legitimate for a potential employer of an
> archivist or a rare
> book librarian to demand. But does the MLS/MLIS/MSLS/MSLIS in general satisfy !
> ; these requirements? No.
>
> The usual formal requirements for archivists and rare book librarians need to be
> revised for
> relevancy and the MLS/MLIS/MSLS/MSLIS requirement specifically needs to be
> eliminated.
>
> Ça ira!
>
> Eric v.d. Luft, Ph.D., M.L.S.
> Curator of Historical Collections, Health Sciences Library
> Lecturer, Center for Bioethics and Humanities
> SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210
> -- 315-464-4585
> Owner, Gegensatz Press
>
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A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org. For the terms of participation, please refer to http://www.archivists.org/listservs/arch_listserv_terms.asp.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to [log in to unmask] In body of message: SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname *or*: UNSUB ARCHIVES To post a message, send e-mail to [log in to unmask]

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems? Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>