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
<http://www.upstate.edu/library/history/> -- 315-464-4585
Owner, Gegensatz Press <http://www.gegensatzpress.com/>

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