Re: Required? Degree

[Carolyn Blatchley <sierra@lis.pitt.edu>]

On Wed, 2 Jul 1997, Gail Smith wrote:

> Advanced degrees could be required for
> administrative positions, just as they are in education and some other
> fields. =20

I just finished my MLIS, so I am certainly not an expert on this, but
from what I have seen, school library media specialists DO perform an
administrative role.  The purchasing, reviewing, grant writing, and
proposal skills needed in this field are not gained in a bachelor's
program.  Leading the faculty in curriculum integration and technological
skills is Masters level expertise.  I can't imagine fighting intellectual
freedom battles without the knowledge gained in my MLIS program.  My
bachelor's gave me a solid liberal arts background, and I got my ed.
degree there, but now I feel highly qualified to take on the multiple
roles of a school library media specialist.

Carolyn Blatchley
University of Pittsburgh
School of Information Sciences
sierra@sis.pitt.edu