What about another degree entirely?

February 6th, 2006 Stewart Posted in Uncategorized |

Terminal Degree For the Academic Librarian

The argument that only academic librarians benefit from a Ph.D. is a specious one; everyone benefits from more education. That said, the rigors of your average Ph.D. program usually make the rewards not worth the efforts for your average school media specialist or public librarian.

Some time ago, I thought of another solution — A professional doctorate instead of a Master’s degree, similar to Juris Doctorates (J.D.) for lawyers and Doctorates of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) for pharmacists. We could call it the Lib.D.

Your typical library school would need to retool into a weightier and lengthier affair, a more rigorous educational experience combined with a significant practicum or clerkship, and some form of capstone exam. A four- or five-year Lib.D. program would not be prohibitive for students planning to enter non-academic libraries, but would ensure that those students are exposed to a greater sum of material.

I personally believe that professional accreditation of librarians and other information professionals is inevitable. Those whose job it is to provide quality information will become legally and financially liable for library malpractice — One successful lawsuit will bring down the whole house of cards. When that happens, and communities look to their own librarians, they will demand accreditation as much as we librarians will need insurance. Taking the lead with an aggressive push to higher standards in library education and developing our own professional doctorate is a reasonable “first strike” initiative, and can only help our standing as professionals in the long term.