This paper traces a brief history of the development of American librarianship as a profession and examines the social climate from which it emerged. Several traditional and modern models of professionalism are discussed and applied to librarianship. Shortcomings of the profession, e.g., its scholarship and the non-prescriptive nature of its…

Briefly reviews the impact of the ideology of professionalism on librarianship and explores the affected labor-management and librarian-client relationships. (RAA)

Explores the concept of the "professional" in librarianship, the right mix of professional and support staff in libraries, librarians doing clerical work, professional credentials, and staffing changes resulting from technological advancement. (PEN)

Argues that librarians should be committed to ensure access to knowledge, adhere to encouraging users to be knowledge self-sufficient, avoid outmoded models of professionalism, and not feel threatened by other information dissemination groups. Included are 26 references. (RAA)

Advocates pursuit of service to the public rather than autonomy of practice as the proper professional goal of librarians. This article explores the tensions between professional attributes and the bureaucratic demands of the organizational environment. (Author/RAA)

Discusses what makes occupations develop into professions, what prevents this development, and the functions that differentiate professional and paraprofessional library work. The factors that have influenced the development of paraprofessionalism in library and information work are examined, and paraprofessionalism in North American and…

Suggests that, although the characteristics of librarianship are definitely those of a profession, in practice many libraries actually operate under a nonprofessional or bureaucratic organizational model. The hypothetical experiences of an entry-level librarian are considered, and an alternative vision of a professional model is offered. (EAM)

Discussion of professional status of the college librarian includes a definition of "colleges," decline of status of college library in American Library Association and Association of College and Research Libraries, crisis in higher education and implications for colleges, bias against "small" in academic librarianship,…

Argues that changes in profession of librarianship reflect general changes in knowledge and work that are due to differentiation and structuralization of the subject disciplines. Introduction of automation, provision of information services that define user in terms of abstract categories, and orientation in school librarianship are highlighted.…

Much of what passes for professionalism is self-serving elitism and not relevant to librarianship. Librarians, most of whom are women, should continue to improve service to the public and strive by pragmatic means to overcome low pay and status. (RAA)

Discusses the processes shaping the professionalization of college and research librarianship within the framework of four sociological theories. It is suggested that structural changes within higher education and the information industry affect the legitimacy, status, and territory of librarians' work, and that professional growth cannot be…

The meanings of professional and academic as qualifiers of librarians are discussed, arguing that if librarians in academic institutions are to be accorded a status comparable with that of faculty, they must be prepared to be assessed by the comparable and traditional means, namely qualifications, research, and publications. (14 references)…

This essay on the issue of qualifications for librarianship highlights debate over the Master of Library Science (MLS) as legitimate academic credential or minimum qualification, use of the MLS, change and new directions that are transforming field of librarianship, nonlibrarian specialists, and professional role and behavior. Ten sources are…

Discusses the issues surrounding faculty status for academic librarians. These include professionalization aspects of librarianship, the power relationships of academic faculties, and the phenomenon of academic collective bargaining. (Author/RAA)

American library schools are confronted by the problems of declining enrollment, changing modern technologies, and a shrinking market for their graduates. The extension of courses to include information science is a welcome direction, although it seems to reflect a lack of confidence in the traditional library science education. For librarianship…