This thread, returning to the list like migratory geese, will now likely
sputter out until the next time. Here is a quick summary:
1) Some archivists who had to get an MLS to get a position question its
value.
Some librarians trash the degree too; it's amazing what some folks will
say about the educational program you had to go through just to get a
paycheck. The resentment lasts longer than the student loan.
2) Some archival educators insist that anyone wanting an archival career
needs to enroll in their program (or one like it.)
I would be surprised if a Ford dealer told me that I could do just as
well by buying a Chevy. I would expect anyone selling anything to claim
their product to be superior.
3) Lots of Archivists without an MLS are making small salaries.
Generally speaking, academic libraries pay the best salaries, and you
usually cannot get in without the MLS. Like it or not, it is the
terminal degree.
4) The profession is divided about the need for educational
requirements/credentials/certification/degrees.
Lots of people these days go to see "doctors" who have never been to a
medical school. Needless to say, M.D.s warn against patronizing these
undocumented practitioners. People who go to them anyway sometimes get
better.
All I can say is that I am very, very grateful to be working in this
field, and that summarizes my own contribution to the thread.
Kim Allen Scott
Montana State University, Bozeman
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