Is the MLS Irrelvant to Academic Libraries?

So one of the most provacative panels of this year's conference was this one. it is being presented as a debate one in the positive of the negative. James Neal vice-president of Information Services and University Librarian at Columbia University presented the debate and the challenges of being an academic library.

Arnold Hirshon,, NELINET, Inc. with present the postive. Liz Bishoff, Director Digital and Preservation Services will present the negative. Audience response. Positive and negative will rebutt and then back to audience.

The positive argument (meaning MLIS dgree is NOT Relevant to the Future of the Library).

1. Library schools and curricula lacks unique content

2. Good criteria to admitt right students into their programs. library schools lack predictive selective criteria for individuals.

3. Library schools teach the wrong things. Must teach things realistically. Teach transient skills that may be irrelevant. Don't teach research and strategies,

The schools need to teach about transformation and transititions.


Argument in negative (MLIS is Relevant):

a library must response to the fundamental changes to the academic world.

1. Our MLS program must focus on educating and NOT Training.

2. Research the foundation of the academic library. It is the librarians that play a key role with all in the college or the university in the research process and access.

3. Advancing the digital library. One of the top ten observance of the future is the storage and curration of data management. Where do people go to learn these skills: LIS programs.


Responses from the floor.

U of South Florida Lib: What her students are told about what academic librarians are told that they should be sheep and because of their role in the school.

Clear fellow/UCLA: shouldn't be the dichotomy.

U of Illinois: Not the question of the MLS but how we bring together the graduate training in the class with substantive real life experiences and practices employ it in real world enviroment.

Dir of Library in Arlington, Virginia: Academic research and resources are not taught by Ph.D programs Creating educational malpractice if we are not teaching information literacy.

Curriculium needs to be changed. We don't have the skills to do advocacy and policy in curricula. Statistics and
Assessment.

At the end of the discussion, Richard Sweeny asked the panel how they would define a librarian with the analogy of the description of a doctor is someone who heals. The debaters including Neal agreed that librarians are people who connect people with the information they need. Neal added that they also help them be creative.

In the end what was resolved through the discussion is that librarianship is about the users we serve. The point couldn't have come at better time.