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On 1/12/1999 katrina yurenka wrote:
>Does anyone know of any other profession that by definition requires a
>Master's Degree and yet is frequently staffed (at least in NH) by anyone who
>enters the door and says they "like books" ?
>Lawyers?  Teachers?
>Why is a degreed librarian  worth/valued/appreciated so very little by so
>many Educators?
>

I think this is a very interesting question. I am currently trying to
write a master's dissertation on the professional (and social)
isolation experienced by many (most?) school librarians. I have been
in my current school for 14 years and still feel something of an
outsider.

In England it is very rare for a school librarian to be qualified as
a teacher, but it takes just as long to become a librarian as a
teacher (usually first degree plus postgraduate diploma in both
cases). We are generally considerably less well paid (different pay
scales so it is difficult to be precise about how much we should be
paid, but surely not less than a basic scale teacher of similar
length of experience).

Is it simply a question of one profession having insufficient
understanding of the skills/expertise of another? But teachers
'respect' lawyers or doctors. Of course they are paid better. In an
information age, why are librarians seen as second rate professionals?

I don't want to get on my soapbox. I should really like to see a way
forward, not only because I should like more money (though I should),
but because I think it would be easier to work with teachers to
develop the information skills I think so important, if they actually
respected those skills and me as an expert in them.

I realise that this is only partly to do with your original question,
but I think it is relevant. If anyone who likes books is seen as a
librarian, then respect for our skills is obviously going to be hard
to find. Or, to put it the other way, if respect for our skills is
lacking, then of course anyone will do to run a library.

Yours,

EB




-------------------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Bentley
Head of Learning Resources
Northbrook C of E School
Taunton Road
Lee, London SE12 8PD
e-mail: info@northbrook.lewisham.sch.uk
Tel: (+44) 020 8852 1563
Fax: (+44) 020 8244 4590

email: sln-owner@egroups.com

ICQ: 11252617
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