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 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]>