Let me start then by expressing profound gratitude to the members of the search committee. I know several of them—fine, clearheaded, and experienced people all—and I also know they must have done yeoman’s work. These tasks are important, time-consuming, and often with little reward other than self-satisfaction because you can’t tell anybody what’s going on. … Continue reading Degree or Not Degree
In that first professional job, at a small library, all librarians—from the director to the systems librarian to the head of technical services—taught classes. None of us had been prepared by our coursework to teach, and no on-the-job training was provided. While my initial efforts to teach information literacy were cringeworthy at best, I learned … Continue reading Learning to Teach
The students and their topics are: April Lynne Anderson (Iowa State University in Ames) examined information literacy programs in community colleges. Laura K. Clark (Florida State University in Tallahassee) explored the motivations of caregivers who bring children to emergent literacy programs in the public library. Sarah Clark (Oklahoma State University in Stillwater) investigated the ways … Continue reading Notable Dissertations 2017
Most library internships allow for experience in one area. Choosing between a public library and an academic library meant I would learn practices and policies unique to that particular type of institution. Thankfully I did not have to make that decision. I came across an opportunity for a dual-library internship, applied, and was selected. The … Continue reading Best of Both Worlds
As all doctoral candidates know, dissertations are rites of passage that facilitate a student’s transition into independent scholar, and to earn this passage, he or she must make an original contribution to the knowledge of the field. Sadly, dissertations are often overlooked as a source of information within our profession. While the topics vary, these … Continue reading Notable Dissertations 2016
Throughout 2016, American Libraries will be adding images to the ALA 140th anniversary Pinterest board in reverse chronological order, starting in 1876 with ALA’s founding and ending up with 2015. This blog post includes some of the imagery from the Association’s first 25 years of existence. In 1899, Melvil Dewey, a founder of ALA and … Continue reading Things You Didn’t Know about ALA History, 1876–1900
The two task force charges and memberships are: Task Force on Accreditation Process and Communication CHARGE: To make recommendations to the ALA Executive Board on the following areas: External Communications, including the importance of LIS education to the profession, the academy, and the public; the celebration of the strength of LIS programs; and advocacy and … Continue reading Task Forces on LIS Accreditation Announced
I can’t help but wonder where MLIS degrees fit in this new landscape. We library professionals take pride in our degrees, but our job requirements are changing rapidly, and many of us feel underpaid and underappreciated. Conversely, I’ve heard our new MLIS graduates feel lucky if they can even find a traditional library job. Retirements … Continue reading The Future of the MLIS
Due to loss of funding over the years, many libraries opted to hire less expensive staff members who were not certified librarians. Now, even though people with the title “librarian” make up one-third of library staff, only half of all libraries reported having a credentialed librarian on staff in 2010, according to the Public Libraries … Continue reading LIS on the Job
