A Practical Library School Curriculum

“You have to go to school to be a librarian?”

Yes, you do, and hearing this question over and over again during graduate school never failed to infuriate me. It would be asked less, however, if library school curricula were more sensibly designed.

I went to a fairly average library school program, ranked at 20th among the 56 ALA-accredited master’s programs in the US and Canada. It consisted of 36 semester hours of largely abstract lectures and class projects. You might not think that there is such a thing as “theory of librarianship”, but give someone a Ph.D. in library science and tenure, and they’ll invent a few. My wife actually had to study Marxist theory of librarianship, but that was an extreme that I never had to address.

My course of study consisted of eleven 3-semester hour classes, a 2-hour research thesis, and a 1-hour workshop. There were four foundation-level courses, a course on social science research methods, and a required research thesis. The rest of the curriculum was fleshed out with electives.

In general, the courses and the program did not reflect real world librarianship, and I was left flailing in uncertainly at the beginning of my first job. I've heard that this experience was not unique. A more thoughtful library school curriculum that was fully integrated into the world of library work would have been more useful for me and other MLS graduates. Here’s what I would suggest:

Basic Reference Services: 3-hour course plus 150 hours during the semester spent behind an actual reference desk. Total credit: 6 hours.

Basic Children’s Services: 3-hour course plus 150 hours in children’s department in a public library. Total credit: 6 hours.

Basic Cataloging and Technical Services: 3-hour course plus 150 hours working in a technical services department in a library. Total credit: 6 hours.

Basic Computer Skills: I graduated with only a passing familiarity with computers. That shouldn’t be acceptable. In my proposal MLS grads leave with a knowledge of web page design, computer networking, and Microsoft Office Specialist Certification. Total credit: 6 hours.

Electives: 12 hours.

I think that this model would make MLS grads of a particular institution more competitive, as will be more prepared for real world library work. Library supervisors are a breed apart from library school professors, and care not if the job applicant is familiar with facet theory or feminist approaches to library theory. They want to know if a librarian can do the job correctly from day one. Seeing credentials from a sensible library school curriculum on the applicant's resume will answer 'yes'.