Two proposals working their way through ALA committees and the Council
could have significant impact on the way library careers and degrees are
viewed and pursued. A third item focuses on how to increase "distance"
participation in ALA. I continue as an active member of the ALA Council,
and chair of the ALA Standards Review Committee. Feel free to ask
me about these or any other ALA policies, procedures, and current issues.
1. MLS ACCREDITATION: It is being proposed that the accreditation of library degrees be done, not by an internal ALA committee as is now the case, but by a new, external affiliated organization that would include not only ALA but other major library and information science organizations such as the Special Libraries Association, the Society of American Archivists, the American Association of Law Libraries, and the American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIST). A description of the task force work that led to this initiative, which was an outcome of the Congress on Professional Education, is at http://www.ala.org/congress/accredtf/index.html. The text of the proposal is at http://www.ala.org/congress/accredtf/proposal.html. Many proponents feel this approach could broaden and strengthen the place of library and information science degrees especially at a time when many universities are diversifying the types of programs and degrees offered.- Sarah Pritchard The original Congress has also led to ongoing work on defining core competencies for librarians, and core values of the profession. Both of these relate not only to establishing educational standards, but to clarifying issues at stake in the outsourcing of library functions and services. 2. CERTIFICATION OF POST-MLS SKILLS: While accreditation is something granted to institutions and the degrees they confer, certification is an endorsement granted to an individual who has accomplished some defined set of courses or examinations. At the present, while some states have certification for some library-related specialties, and some universities offer a "sixth-year" certificate in a particular sub-field, there is no national program for certification. A detailed proposal has been put forth to set up an organization led by ALA, but parallel to it (there are legal and tax reasons for making it separate), that would offer certification to librarians. The way it would work is still not fully spelled out, but what is envisioned (I think!) is that, for each area of certification, the division of ALA that is responsible for that specialty would define a set of standards, criteria or competencies to be achieved, and set out the ways in which that could be achieved (coursework, exams, etc.). The new institute would administer the actual program. The specific providers of continuing education courses would not themselves receive the certification - that would go to the individual. A variety of educational providers (existing library schools, state library organizations, independent consultants) could provide courses tailored to the certification requirements. The first certificate to be offered will be in Public Library Management. People who are now, or who would like to be, public library directors could apply for certification, take courses or exams or otherwise demonstrate the required skills and competencies, and become certified. The definitions of competencies and how to achieve them are under development by the Public Library Association. Other certification specialties could emerge as determined by professional interest and demand. There is nothing mandatory about certification; it would still be up to each individual employer, or to state boards in those states that have requirements (e.g., for school librarians), to decide whether certification is required or whether it is simply a helpful "extra." For more about this, see http://www.ala.org/hrdr/certif_2proposal.html 3. BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN ALA: For some
time, ALA has been looking for ways to encourage "electronic participation"
for committees and programs, to involve the many members who are not able
to come to every conference. There are concerns, however, that this
creates conflicts with the "Open Meetings Policy" and the "Requirements
for Committee Service" policy, that were designed to ensure equitable participation
and open discussion. The ALA Committee on Organization has crafted
some issue documents and held hearings at Annual, to get input on the following
questions:
Can an ALA member be a "virtual member" of a committee, board, etc., by participating in the body's business through means of electronic communications technologies (e.g., telephone, e-mail, chat software, etc.)? For relevant background documents and policies, see http://www.ala.org/alaorg/committees/coo/ |