I agree that professionalism has become
increasingly required of archivists and librarians for the good of both professions.
But you can still become a lawyer in some states;
Joy Ketron - Courier
Service
Watauga Regional Library
"Never trust a man
who reads only one book." ~Arturo Perez-Reverte
-----Original Message-----
From: Archives & Archivists
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Dana Miller
Sent:
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: degree requirements are
good and necessary
For anyone still following this-
I apologize in advance for sounding harsh, but 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, in this case we're
talking about the MLIS. In what other field would that be acceptable? You
wouldn't expect to be a law clerk for 12 years at a small firm and suddenly
become an attorney at a large, fancy firm without first going through a JD
program and passing the bar. Degrees, certificates, and formal education
are tools that all professions use to separate the men from the boys (please
excuse the sexist phraseology- I am empassioned!)- they are the emblems we hold
up to others, to society, as a symbol of our worth and to differentiate
ourselves from the layperson. The fields of librarianship and archives
management have both been experiencing increased professionalization over the
last couple of decades, and in that situation anywhere, at any time, some
practitioners are bound to caught in the middle with many years of experience
and no diploma; the same has happened historically in medicine and teaching and
many other professions. But if those of us who work with archival collections
really want that respect and those better salaries, we have to find a way to
embrace formal education and promote it and its standards throughout our
field. I'm talking about archives programs couched in library schools
here, which I think is the best place for them to be. School may not
always be fun, it is certainly expensive, but it helps us do our jobs better,
it helps strengthen the archival profession in the future. I just can't
see how that is a bad thing, or why we would fight this. Considering we
live the age of Google, if we don't embrace professionalization and
standardization we could find ourselves unable to counter the question,
"You're an archivist? So what?" I for one don't want to be left
behind just because some things have changed- what we do is too
important.
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. I think that kind of
commonality is only the beginning stage of professionalization, that we may as
well accept it, adjust to it across the profession, and move on with the work
ahead of us. Viva la revolucion! Viva la educacion! and Viva la
profession!
Cheers everybody. Pat yourself on the back just a little, because we are
engaged in a noble and worthwhile effort.
A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the
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