Re: degree requirements are good and
necessary
Hello everyone,
Richard Cox writes:
... it
would be very useful for individuals who post messages to have at
least some idea what they are commenting on.
I reply:
I couldn't agree more! I also think it's very useful to
provide clarification when your own comments are unclear. In
reply to my previous questions, would you consider paraphrasing
answers from your many essays? I think we would all appreciate a
learned reply from someone who actually does have an idea of what he
is commenting on.
Richard Cox writes:
I am
signing off of this one, and perhaps others can join in or, more
mercifully, just let the discourse disappear.
I reply:
That's an unique perspective. Many have found this current
thread to be very important and interesting, regardless of how they
come down on the issue. It has brought lurkers out of the
woodwork and challenged conventional thinking on an issue. I've always
assumed that educators cherish such moments, especially when the topic
deals with his or her specific field of study. As a graduate
student in a reputable MLIS program, I find the topic not only of
considerable intellectual interest, but extremely relevant too.
Thanks very much!
John
Hello again,
I continue to read with interest the emails on this topic.
Still more emails are coming in to me personally by folks on the list
who have concerns but fear speaking their mind in a public forum where
current or future supervisors, employers, and/or instructors will read
and possibly form a negative assessment of the individual. This
reminds me of a story my mother once told to me, called "The
Emperor's New Clothes"...
Please allow me reply to one paragraph in particular of Richard
Cox's recent comments, from his email on this subject dated 6/16.
Let's read it closely and think about its claims. It may make an
interesting intellectual project for our group of well-educated
readers.
Richard Cox writes:
There is a right way to become an
archivist and not everything can be learned on the job.
I reply:
Is that true? Even if it is, I gave other avenues that
would compliment on-the-job training with qualified mentors, such as
attending conferences, self-education, and ultimately, being tested
for competency. So my question to Cox is, "are you saying
there is only ONE right way?" To be a professional lawyer,
the California State bar offers several right ways to obtain legal
education; only one of which is by way of formal university
education. Would you admit that there are other, equally valid
ways of obtaining education, other than through a university graduate
program?
Richard Cox writes:
There is a knowledge to our field
(if there is not, then we are not a discipline) and there is a need
for education (different from training).
I reply:
There is knowledge in every field, to include plumbing, baseball,
and stamp collecting! Should all fields of knowledge require
demonstrated competency, as evidenced with an advanced degree?
If not, then which ones should? Also, how do you differentiate
education from training? This is crucial for understanding the
following passages.
Richard Cox writes:
As two recent observers about
higher education have noted, ìTo succeed in education is not to
succeed in what one sets out to do, or even to succeed in doing
whatever is within the realm of possibility; success means to succeed
in doing something worth doing.î (James Engell and Anthony
Dangerfield, Saving Higher Education in the Age of Money
[Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2005], p.
128]
I reply:
So, you are saying here that to succeed in education is to
succeed in doing something worth doing. That would translate
into this: Education = Something Worth Doing. Hmmmm....I'm
not quite sure what the point of this statement is.
Richard Cox finishes this paragraph with the following:
We need education, not merely
apprenticeship, credentialing, practical information, etc., because
the archival mission is important to society (and, actually, there is
quite a range to salaries for such positions).
I reply:
So you are saying that education is different from
apprenticeships, credentialing, and practical information. Could
you explain that difference? It is my experience that a
university education is just ONE particular option for becoming
educated. Are you asserting that we need that particular form of
education (the type that universities offer) because the archival
mission is so important? Could you demonstrate the validity of
that claim?
I'm sorry for appearing dense, but I failed to find much
substance in the paragraph. Please know that I'm quite willing
to be persuaded to your position if the argument presented is
compelling.
Here was my original question: Must that education and
training come in the form of advanced degrees at expensive
universities, or could it come from the within the work environment,
study on one's own, and at conferences?
We have become a society that demands more and more
formalized credentials for obtaining entry level employment. If
we really want to demand a level of demonstrated competency, then why
not simply require passing a test, similar to the bar exam? This
would allow bright and dedicated college graduates to study on their
own, work within the field, and develop competency through hands on
experience.
Thanks for your time,
John
PS....Here is Richard Cox's complete paragraph:
There is a right way to become an archivist and not everything
can be learned on the job. There is a knowledge to our field (if
there is not, then we are not a discipline) and there is a need for
education (different from training). As two recent observers
about higher education have noted, ìTo succeed in education is not
to succeed in what one sets out to do, or even to succeed in doing
whatever is within the realm of possibility; success means to succeed
in doing something worth doing.î (James Engell and Anthony
Dangerfield, Saving Higher Education in the Age of Money
[Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2005], p. 128]
We need education, not merely apprenticeship, credentialing, practical
information, etc., because the archival mission is important to
society (and, actually, there is quite a range to salaries for such
positions).
--
John Erdmann
Graduate Student
Library & Information Science
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