Re: Where do we come from..."

["Lily P. Cooper" <lilypcooper@southtech.net>]

Lorrie Wade wrote:
> ....................
> Realizing this is not a popular statement, it doesn't take a master's degree
> to run the LMC. It takes someone willing to learn what they do not already
> know, .......

        This, of course, is true.  "Running" the LMC--checking out materials,
scheduling, filing, tracking down missing materials--is not difficult,
it's just time-consuming.  When I was working on my MLIS, one of my
professors stated that a bright 8th-grader could "run" circulation in a
LMC.
        What the masters degree does is to vastly broaden the scope of the job
and to give a vision of what the profession is all about.  Courses which
address philosophy, ethics, and administration all lay a theoretical
foundation, establish principles and purpose, and shape the way in which
we run the LMC. The media specialist who has wrestled with issues such
as collection development, censorship, and intellectual freedom in the
MLIS classroom is prepared for the job in a completely different way
from the fourth-grade teacher who knows curriculum, technology, and
literature.
        Lorrie spoke of those who say she has no right to be in the LMC. I
would counter that "right" has little to do with anything. What she has
is a huge responsibility that includes a lot of professional training
while she is on the job. I applaud her willingness to take on the job
and her eagerness to learn. I hope that she will enroll in an MLIS
program!
        Lorries also said "Regardless of degrees and certification, a person
has to be willing to learn and grow......let's work together to fill in
each others weak others and share our strengths."  I say "Amen!" Lily P.
Cooper, LMS
Rosenwald/St. David's Elementary
Society Hill, SC
lilypcooper@southtech.net