Educating and training library practitioners: a comparative history with trends and recommendations - includes appendix on history of library education

Library Trends, Wntr, 1998 by Anthony M. Wilson, Robert Hermanson

INTRODUCTION

In this article, comparisons are made between formal education for librarians and for library technicians. The scope of these comparisons is limited mainly to practices in the United States. Note that terms such as "librarian" and "professional" have been used to describe librarians. Likewise, terms such as "library technician," "library clerk," "library assistant," "support personnel," and "library paraprofessional" have been used to describe library technicians. Note too that one author followed the evolution of library technician education, while the other did the same for the evolution of librarian training. They intentionally did not attempt to parallel one another's style or emphasis. The result is an occasional disjointedness, which the authors nonetheless believe to be of value.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF EDUCATION FOR LIBRARIANSHIP

The purpose of this section is to provide a brief overview of the history of education for librarianship. At the same time, several issues concerning the significance of such education are introduced. This discussion will provide a basis for comparison with both the development and the current nature of education for library technicians. A detailed chronology is provided in Appendix A.

Carroll (1975) suggests five periods in the development of library education: (1) before Dewey, (2) from Dewey to Williamson, (3) from approximately 1919 to 1939, (4) from approximately 1940 to 1960, and (5) from 1960 to the present. Reed (1975) starts with the same two first divisions but then divides by a series of more closely timed events. Richardson and Robbins (1993) simply divided their chronology into decades, starting with the 1870s. Bramley (1969) used a narrative style without major divisions as have a number of other authors. Robbins (1993) suggests three periods: (1) the Albany period from 1889 to 1926, (2) the sixth-year master's period from 1927 to 1960, and (3) the fifth-year master's period from 1960 to present. Carroll's divisions will be used in this discussion.

Before Dewey

The pre-Dewey period is the time prior to 1887 when the first formal library school was established by Melvil Dewey at Columbia University. Nasri (1972) explains that, as early as 1829, the need for a library training school was recognized by Martin Schrettinger in Munich. The need, however, was not great, since libraries were rare and composed of small collections, and scholars and clergy had adequately filled the role. As the nineteenth century progressed, libraries became more common, and their collections increased in size. Colleges and universities began to accumulate more formal collections, and governments and private institutions began to support other types of libraries. Eventually, people were needed to manage them. These needs went beyond having individuals who were simply well read to those with skills in organizing the materials and in administrative tasks. Nasri (1972) cites Mary Wright Plummer's 1901 outline of the history of library training, in which she said that prospective librarians typically had three options for their training: (1) trial and error on the job; (2) apprentice-style training by working in an established library and imitating what was observed; and (3) taking some form of classes, personal instruction, or formal training often in a university library (p. 417). The most commonly exercised of these options was some form of apprenticeship, although in-service classes were also available for library employees in some locations (Reed, 1971, p. 19). Overall, library education lacks both uniformity and consistency, as well as opportunities for a general formal education.

From Dewey to Williamson

This period stretches from 1887 when Dewey established the School of Library Economy (Library Economy being the common phrase of the time describing the body of knowledge of the library trade) at Columbia University to the Williamson (1971) reports in the early 1920s. The establishment of the Columbia school was the pivotal change during this period. Bramley (1969) describes how opening the school became an issue which was to become important in the development of library schools (p. 77). It was an early step toward professionalism. At first, Dewey called for a systematic apprenticeship program on the trades model; when this was not forthcoming, he simply started the school. Dewey vacillated between the trade and profession concepts in his writings until, in 1883, at the Buffalo, New York, American Library Association (ALA) conference, he expressed his views that librarianship had in fact become a profession. Some effort was put forth in 1893 to separate the professional education programs at the (New York) State Library School and at Illinois from the various institutes. At the Conference of Librarians at Lakewood-on-Chautauqua, it was established that: (1) the schools of librarianship should be attached to universities; (2) college graduation should be the educational requirement for admission to the school; and (3) an examining board with clearly defined authority should be set up (Bramley, 1969, p. 82). This was the beginning of the debate over another key issue: Should a librarian's credentials be established by certification of the individual or by accreditation of the program from which the individual graduated?