Bryn Geffert, Inside Higher Ed ; 6 Reasons Libraries Should Look Beyond the M.L.S.
New research bolsters the growing case for alternative credentialing in academic libraries.
"No question is more likely than the following to provoke a donnybrook among academic librarians: Should every or even most librarians possess a master of library and information science (M.L.I.S. or M.L.S.) degree? Pose the question, step back and watch the fireworks.
A recent survey I conducted of every R-1 and R-2 university library in the United States (with responses from the top library official at 167 universities) identified tremendous dissatisfaction with the profession’s traditional treatment of this degree as the sole or even best credential for academic librarians. A significant and especially vociferous minority of administrators (31 percent) still insist that the M.L.S. serve as a mandatory, bedrock qualification for practitioners, asserting that those without said degree should never hold the title “librarian.” But a strong majority are now willing to consider alternative credentials.
I side with that burgeoning majority. In light of developments over the last few decades, those who contend we should treat the degree as optional rather than mandatory have the stronger case. Herewith, I present six observations in favor of recognizing alternative credentials for those the academy hires as librarians."
