Papers and Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Library Association: Held at Ottawa, Canada, June 26-July 2, 1912
Science
Papers and Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Library Association: Held at Ottawa, Canada, June 26-July 2, 1912
American Library Association; Library science -- Congresses
The CHAIRMAN: I am not sure but that there should have been a second
paper, upon the subject of "What the library schools can not do for the
profession." I wonder if it has ever occurred to you that a medical
school confines a student for four years before he is permitted to go
at large. I wonder if you have ever put to yourselves the question,
how many medical students, in their first, or second, or third, or
fourth year after graduation, you have been ready to employ in vital
matters in your own family. I am quite sure that were any of the young
ladies here seeking to employ a lawyer in a breech of promise suit
against any of the young men, they would not go to the law graduate
in the first year of his experience. It seems to me, therefore, that
it is not surprising at all that we do not find in the library school
graduate, during the early years of his actual work, all the business
ability, the diplomatic qualities and the personality, book knowledge
and tact that we might expect. We cannot do everything in one year, I
think we all agree. What we do wish to know, and what we welcome very
definitely, I am sure, from the standpoint of the schools, is that you
let us know, in any way possible, what we can do that has not been done.
The discussion will be carried on further by Mr. Edwin H. Anderson, of
the New York public library.
Mr. E. H. ANDERSON: I find myself in such general agreement with
Mr. Hadley's excellent paper that I fear I can do little to stir up
interest by discussion.
His point that in the first library school the influence of the
university library was too marked and that university demands have had
too much influence on the curricula of all schools, seems to me well
taken. It is only natural that it should be so; but since most of the
schools are now directly connected with, or closely related to, public
libraries, I think their courses of instruction are more and more
losing the marks of university influence. This influence should still
hold with the schools connected with universities. But these schools,
it seems to me, should frankly specialize and prepare students for
university library work.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account