According to the American Library Association (ALA), organizational sustainability requires social equity, and serving diverse populations is mandated in the ALA Library Bill of Rights and its Policy Manual on Diversity. Preparation to serve diverse and marginalized populations is a key ingredient in creating the type of resilient leaders needed…

The author believes her professional life can be divided into two parts--being a building-level school librarian and being retired, noting that few librarians she has met planned to enter the profession, and like them, she was an accidental librarian. Though trained to be a high school English teacher, she was offered a job after college as a…

There are existing studies on data curation programs in library science education and studies on data services in libraries. However, there is not much insight into how educational programs have prepared data professionals for practice. This study asked 105 practicing professionals how well they thought their education prepared them for…

While some professions maintain strong professional boundaries, public librarianship remains a field in which a significant number of those delivering service do not have library degrees. In this article, the author discusses the results of a new hiring practices survey from "Library Journal" ("LJ"). The survey, coupled with…

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that impacted the level of self-perceived transformational leadership potential in preservice school librarians who participated in a master's degree program in library and information studies focusing on leadership development. A mixed-method concurrent triangulation research design was…

The job of the contemporary reference librarian has a virtual component unimaginable a generation ago. Today's library professional can obtain an MLS (or equivalent) online with a minimal residency requirement. Not only the degree, but also library sources, and indeed patrons, have become virtual. Both books and periodicals can be consulted by…

In fall 2005, Rachel Holt and Adrienne L. Strock's article, "The Entry-Level Gap," ("Library Journal" 5/1/05, p.36-38) became the talk of the town. Holt and Strock argued that the new Master of Library Science (MLS) graduates have trouble finding work because of low salaries and the disappearance of entry-level positions owing to…

Examines issues arising from recent controversy associated with American Library Association's (ALA) support of MLS degree as minimum requirement for professional employment. Highlights include ALA involvement in legal cases and viewpoints of ALA groups focusing on goals, constituency and handling of conflict versus nature of librarianship and its…

A content analysis of the "Directory of Library & Information Professionals" was performed to obtain information on people holding the Master of Library Science degree. Two thousand samples were taken and classified by gender, state where employed, job category (public service, technical service, collection management, information science,…

Measures change in social and private net present value of expected lifetime earnings attributable to M.L.S. degree under current market conditions and calculates effect of changes in placement rates and of two-year MLS degrees. Implications for profession's ability to attract capable individuals and for its sex composition are discussed. (33…

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…

Summarizes results of a survey soliciting librarians' opinions on the relative merits of a one-year v extended master's program in library science and a one-year master's in library science, both with and without a second master's in another subject. (Author/FM)

Only 1 in 20 library directors serving communities of fewer than 2,500 people have an Master of Library Science degree or equivalent. This article examines problems facing small and rural public libraries and the necessity for a new form of librarianship brought about by the Internet. Proposes a professional action plan for library staff…

Using published studies and references, shows why the requirement that a manager of interlibrary loan be a librarian with a master's degree in Library Science may be outmoded in the modern academic library. Discusses the librarian's role, certification and professional elitism, job requirements, and user needs. (AEF)

This special issue includes articles on the image of the library science profession and librarians; leadership; the proposed federal standards for librarian positions; international outreach and nontraditional career opportunities for holders of MLS degrees; certification for media specialists, and enhanced status for catalogers with the use of…