As others have commented, there are many of us who have gone the
route of being ALA accredited grads as well as having the
teacher/school certification. In my case my undergraduate degree was
in secondary education (mathematics) with a Library minor. This
allowed certification as a school librarian at that time (shh, it was
a looong time ago). When I went back I did a Masters from
UW-Madison, a ALA accredited institution. There were quite a few
teachers who were receiving their masters through this program. As
Gail and Shonda pointed out, there were things that were not very
pertinent to school librarianship and other that were very
useful. There were professors who were very aware that they were
working with students going into a variety of different types of
libraries (kudos to Dr. Diane Hopkins), and others who were very
oriented to just public libraries. I purposely chose the UW-Madison
program because it was ALA accredited and would allow me freedom to
move to a public library if I so chose at a later date. Now, nearing
retirement, I know that my spot is in the school library
area. However, post-retirement I can pursue part time work in
another library sector if I choose to do so.
I also know that not having an ALA degree may not make much
difference in many public libraries other than perhaps for the
director. I also know that attitudes change as the personnel in
charge of screening candidates for positions change. Not having that
ALA degree does not mean all the public library doors are locked to
you. Some may be closed, but others may be open.
Anne
Anne Oelke
mailto:anne@oelke.com
Pfaff 2140/44/70, Singer 221 (Featherweight), Singer 237,
Singer 72W19 Hemstitcher, & Serger
Sew Happy in Wisconsin
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