Comments on: Does MLS = Librarian?

By: Isaak’s Thoughts » Isaak’s Links - Are You A “Real” Librarian? and Others - 31 July 2006

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 09:41:36 +0000

[...] Are You a “Real” Librarian?Steven Cohen started this series of posts by various librarians on what constitutes a librarian. And does someone not having a MLS (or MSc in the local context) excludes the person from being a good librarian. Personally, I don’t have a MLS and I don’t feel that I’m any worse off than someone who had done theirs. I do have plans to earn my MLS degree in the not-too-distant future as I do see the value in having some education on library skills. But having a MLS doesn’t guarantee that you are passionate about helping readers with their quest for knowledge and empathise with them. These values, plus being customer-centric, are not something that can be taught in library school. I invite you to weigh in with your comments on this topic.(via Library Stuff) [...]

By: Nicole

Nicole — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 13:04:36 +0000

By: Nicole

Nicole — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 10:47:02 +0000

More on the subject at Library Stuff - for those of you who are interested in keeping up with the thread.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 10:39:20 +0000

Oh no - that’s not what I meant - what I meant was that I was going for my MLS because I wanted to - as part of my lifelong learning goals. It’s not necesssary - there are so many other ways to learn - I agree 100%!! It’s just one way in which I’m going to be bettering myself as a library professional.

By: Steven M. Cohen

Steven M. Cohen — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 02:51:55 +0000

Thanks for the kind words.

You need an MLS for “lifelong learning” in librarianship? I don’t agree. Look at the conferences, blogs, wikis, etc. No MLS required to do (or attend) those things. Just a coke and a smile.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 20:12:10 +0000

Way back when I went got my MLS, I learned a great deal of theory and scholarly things, but not so much on the practical side of things. While I got a lot out of my coursework, I didn’t feel like a real librarian until I had a few years of on the job experience.

I think you’ll be able to understand and work through the theoritical stuff much better, having spent five years working in a library. I have no doubt that it will make you a better librarian when you’re done.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 18:33:06 +0000

I’m not calling myself a librarian - others have called me one. See not everyone agrees with the fact that the degree makes the librarian. When I made the announcement that I was going to library school I got several responses from people that it’s great that I’m going to school, but I’m already a librarian in their eyes.

I’ve done plenty of hard work over the last 5 years - more than I’ll ever have to do over the next year while I’m in school. It’s those 3 little letters though (MLS) that mean I’m a “real” librarian. Silliness if you ask me - but that’s not stopping me from going ahead and getting the degree because - like I said - never stop learning - there has to be something I’ll learn next year (well starting next month) that will make me better at my job.

By: Pat Orr

Pat Orr — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 18:01:44 +0000

You most certainly do have to earn an MLS degree to be a librarian. The distinction is, that to be a good librarian you must possess the empathy and user focused skills which are cultivated through the course of a career. If a library / information science school cannot teach you how to perform research well, find a mentor who will do so. I am flattered by the number of well-intentioned individuals who want to call themselves librarians before they have done the hard work and earned their credentials. It isn’t rocket science, but it is library science.