Library school

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A library school is an institution of higher learning specializing in the training of librarians. The first library school was established by Melvil Dewey (the originator of the Dewey decimal system) in 1887 at Columbia University. Since then many library schools have been founded in the United States and Canada. The development of library schools in other countries began during World War II. The University of Chicago became the first library school to confer a master’s degree in library science, which is now the standard professional degree, and later became the first to give a doctoral degree in the field.

Most library schools in North America are accredited by the American Library Association, and offer graduate programs only. The bachelor's degree in Library Science (or Library Economics as it was called in early days) was, for the most part, phased out several decades ago. Librarians in North America typically earn a master's degree, either the MLS (Master of Library Science) or the MLIS (Master of Library and Information Science). This degree allows one to work as a practicing librarian in public libraries, academic libraries, school library media centers, and special libraries. The degree is also applicable to many other fields, such as publishing. Many individuals with the MLS title work with major vendors, including ProQuest and Ebsco.

In recent decades, many library schools have changed their names to reflect the shift from print media to electronic media, and to information contained outside of traditional libraries. Some call themselves schools of library and information science, while others, such as the University of Washington's Information School, have dropped the word "library" and kept only the phrase "information science".

[edit] References

Kim, Kyung-Sun and Sin, Sei-Ching Joanna. (2006). Recruiting and Retaining Students of Color in LIS Programs: Perspectives of Library and Information Professionals. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science 47, no. 2: 81-95.
Lorenzen, Michael. (2000). Education Schools and Library Schools: A Comparison of Their Perceptions by Academia. Illinois Libraries 82, no. 3: 154-159.
Reitz, Joan M. (2004). Library School in ODLIS — Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science.