Re: degree requirements are good and
necessary
Hi Dana and others,
Please allow me to reply to a few of your comments. You
write:
...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.
I reply:
Personally, I don't expect an applicant to be considered for a
position at any institution (prestigious or otherwise) if he or she
lacks the needed qualifications. Rather, what I am questioning
is the logic and efficacy behind those minimum requirements, as
demonstrated by the successful completion of a certification program.
I think there are other (maybe even better?) avenues for demonstrating
competency. I hope that is reasonable! Allow me the following
example...
You write:
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.
I reply:
Passing something like the bar is exactly the example I
previously gave for demonstrating minimum requirements. What I
am questioning is the need to go through the JD program. For an
example of my point, please see the California State Bar website at
the following URL:
http://www.calbar.ca.gov/state/calbar/calbar_generic.jsp?sImagePath=Bar_Exam.gif&sCategoryPath=/Home/Attorney%20Resources/Bar%20Exam&sHeading=Summary%20of%20Requirements%20for%20Admission%20to%20Practice%20Law%20in%20California&sFileType=HTML&sCatHtmlPath=html/Admissions_Rules-Regulating-Admission.html#v
The California State Bar requires the following legal education
as a prerequisite for taking the state bar examination (especially
note 2.(b).2):
Section 2. Legal Education. Every
general applicant has the burden of establishing that he or she has
met the following legal education requirement:
(a) Graduated
from a law school approved by the American Bar Association or
accredited by the Committee; or
(b) Studied law
diligently and in good faith for at least four years in any of the
following manners:
(1) In a
law school that is authorized by the State of California to confer
professional degrees; is registered with the Committee; and which
requires classroom attendance of its students for a minimum of 270
hours a year; or
(2) In a
law office in this State and under the personal supervision of a
member of The State Bar of California who is, and who has been
continuously, an active member of The State Bar of California for at
least the last past five years; or
(3) In the
chambers and under the personal supervision of a judge of a court of
record of this State; or
(4) By
instruction in law from a correspondence law school requiring 864
hours of preparation and study per year and which is registered with
the Committee; or
(5) By any
combination of the methods referred to in this subsection
(b).
The example above demonstrates that one may become a licensed
attorney without obtaining a JD. An exam is one way to separate
the men from the boys, as you put it! :)
Formal education in an accredited (and expensive) university may
not be as crucial as some would have us think. It isn't clear
(to me, at any rate) that formal education helps one do his or her job
any better than someone who is self-trained and studied in an
apprenticeship type of environment. Apparently, the California
State Bar agrees.
Thanks to those on the list so many personal emails to me about
this. I completely understand why some of you have asked to
remain anonymous!
Cheers,
John
--
John Erdmann
Graduate Student
Library & Information Science
Email:
[log in to unmask]
Phone: 206-685-5240
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