Education for librarianship
Education for librarianship, including for paraprofessional library workers, varies around the world, and has changed over time.
In the United States and Canada, the academic training for a librarian generally consists of a master's degree program in library science (formerly commonly known as librarianship).
In Germany, the first step for an academic librarian is a PhD in a subject field, followed by additional training in librarianship.
Until the 19th century, the librarian in charge of an academic collection was normally a scholar, often a university professor with a special interest in the library.
[5] Inspired by Dewey's example at Columbia, several British librarians pushed for a formal system of education in the UK.
US library schools developed independently of the national organization, and have always been able to set their own curriculum and examinations as well as what to call their degrees.
The pivotal role of the doctoral degree at Chicago from 1921 to 1951 has been analyzed by John Richardson in his study, The Spirit of Inquiry.
[10] Many faculty members at the Graduate Library School (1928–1979) including Wilson were at the forefront of the field's development in the twentieth century: Lester Asheim, Lee Pierce Butler, Leon Carnovsky, Herman H. Fussler, Frances E. Henne, Carleton B. Joeckel, Jesse Shera, Peggy Sullivan, Douglas Waples, Howard Winger, and Robert Wadsworth.
[11] The education of Black librarians in the United States was the focus of the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the School of Library and Information Sciences at North Carolina Central University.
This trend began as early as the 1960s with the recognition that information and access to it was shifting to electronic resources with the development of telecommunications and computer networks, and away from the traditional definition of librarianship.
The required courses focus on core library skills such as cataloging, reference, collection development as well as related areas such as the philosophy underlying the profession, information technology and management.
The Final Report of the Steering Committee on the Congress for Professional Education[23] provides an analysis of these issues.
[29] The first award was made in 1954 to Rudolph Hjalmar Gjelsness Dean of the University of Michigan's Library Science Department from 1940 to 1964.
In Norway, becoming a librarian starts with getting a three-year bachelor's degree in Library and Information Science at Oslo Metropolitan University.
During the first year students learn "basic introduction to library theory, methods and the job market.
Some central themes that are introduced are communication, literature and media history, culture and knowledge policy, information search and source criticism.
"[30] The following two years the students can choose specialization between "culture, literature and politics" or "information technology, organization and retrieval".
[30] Students who wish to can continue with a two-year long master's degree which qualifies them for higher positions within document-related activities in both the public and private sectors.
[31] In Germany, the first step for an academic librarian is a Ph.D. in a subject field, followed by additional training in librarianship.
[36] The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), founded in 1937, is the professional organisation for the Australian library and information services sector and accredits qualifications enabling graduates to be eligible for Associate membership of ALIA, a common requirement for librarian positions in Australia.
The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand offers a bachelor's degree for information professionals, and a range of certificate and diploma courses for para-professionals.
[41] Te Wananga-o-Raukawa offers diploma and certificate courses in Puna Maumahara/Information Management, which provide bilingual and bicultural (across Māori culture) training.
