The Degree We Need

摘要

Our professional credential is an embattled thing. It's a rare day that the master's in library and information science (MLIS) escapes a conversation unscathed and unquestioned. This is rightfully so. Nothing so time-consuming and expensive, and essential, should be taken for granted. It should be under constant scrutiny by the schools themselves, the candidates, those who hire graduates, and the broader profession that it serves. We should always be challenging our degree programs to bring forth engaged, nimble, informed new recruits who are prepared to be as dynamic as this profession can be. Then, we need to hire them and let them get to work. That is easier said than done, of course, but such a goal should not be dismissed just because we haven't already achieved it.