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I have applied to "traditional" library and information studies programs accredited by the ALA, however, I am also interested in Columbia and Berkeley's programs. I have been told by most librarians I have spoken with that ALA-accredited is the way to go, which I admit makes a lot of sense. Yet Columbia and Berkeley are such well-respected schools that I am wondering how a master's degree from one of them would be viewed by hiring managers for LIS jobs. I did speak with one library director who attended Berkeley, and he felt that a degree in the field, whether it be ALA-accredited or not, would suffice. Would degrees from Columbia and Berkeley be better received for jobs specifically in information management (and archive management in the case of Columbia), or would the degrees work for more traditional positions as well? At this time, I am very interested in law, news, and museum librarianship. I know both Columbia and Berkeley used to have well-respected library studies programs, which were abandoned, but would their former status carry any weight? Would their status as top-notch undergraduate and graduate universities carry any weight? Would their programs provide the same advantages as traditional programs, or what disadvantages would be associated with attending them over ALA-accredited programs? Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated. I would also love to hear from Columbia and Berkeley alums working in the field - if there are any on the site. Thank you all!
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You said you spoke with a library director: did that person have a PhD? Or get the degree before the school lost their accreditation? It seems very irresponsible to me to encourage someone to pursue a non-accredited degree.
Also, regarding your particular interests: this might not be the best time to go into news librarianship, because of the reputed death of the newspaper, and often law librarians also have JDs.
I don't know much about these two programs, but you are closing a lot of doors by not having an ALA-accredited degree. There are many, many libraries that won't even look at your resume without it. If you have any interest in working in an academic or public library, you really should get the accredited degree.
Are you sure there aren't accredited LIS programs with the concentrations you like? In the LS field, it's considered less important where you got your degree than that it's ALA-accredited (and I say this as someone who attended one of the top programs). It doesn't matter that Berkeley and Columbia are well-known schools. It's the program itself that matters.
If you're not convinced--take a look at job listings and you'll see how often "ALA-accredited" is mentioned. While it's true that you'll sometimes see "or equivalent," I think you'd be making a tough case time and time again. Remember the people who serve on search committees probably have degrees from ALA-accredited programs and will be baffled by someone setting out to be a librarian who went to a non-accredited program.
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Thank you for your response; I really appreciate it. The library director I spoke with does have an additional subject-specific advanced degree and they received their degree from Berkeley after they lost their accreditation; they do not have a PhD. I wouldn't say they were encouraging me to pursue a degree from a school that is not ALA-accredited, but they noted that if the program was equivalent, then it would probably be acceptable. Like I said earlier, I have applied to ALA-accredited schools, so I am not relying on Columbia and Berkeley and closing the ALA-accredited door. I am just interested in how their degrees would be seen in the workplace. I am more interested in Columbia's program as they claim to focus on information and archive management in government, non-profits, and business; alongside news librarianship (which I know isn't the best thing to enter now, sadly) and law librarianship, I am interested in government and non-profit positions, so that is what primarily attracted me to their program. Honestly, at this point I am not entirely sure what concentration I would want to focus on, this is just kind of where I am right now, and I have found some ALA-accredited schools that I do find academically attractive, just curious about (mostly) Columbia's and Berkeley's programs.
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I think it really depends what kind of job you're looking for. If you want a traditional public or academic library job, you may wish to choose an ALA-accredited school. If not, then go for Berkeley -- it's a very cool program, but better for nontraditional positions. What I'd suggest is that you browse through job ads for a while, mark the ones that speak to you, and look at their requirements -- do the ads for positions in which you'd be interested tend to require an "ALA-accredited" degree, or no? That will probably give you your answer right there.
Rachel Singer Gordon / rachel@lisjobs.comFind a library job: http://www.lisjobs.comThe Liminal Librarian: http://www.lisjobs.com/blog
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Soon-to-be, you also raise a good question of what qualifies as an "equivalent" degree. At some libraries, this can be used for archivists who, for example, have a degree in Public History. I think this can also cover international degrees. But I'm not sure how librarians would feel about the equivalency of a program that (intentionally I believe) chose not to seek ALA-accreditation. It's a good question, though.
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Rachel - Thank you for your advice. Glad to hear Berkeley is a cool program. Heard anything about Columbia's?
Joan - I have a couple more questions about the issues you raised in your latest reply. Speaking of equivalent degrees - by international do you mean LIS degrees earned overseas? Also, you mentioned how a degree in public history may suffice for a job with an archive. In that position, would it be better to have a LIS degree and a public history or history degree? Are additional degrees (such as history, poli. sci., english, etc.) seen as an advantage for certain jobs? In response to the equivalency of the Columbia and Berkeley programs - I think you're right about Berkeley not choosing to seek accreditation; I haven't heard anything about Columbia. Thanks again.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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I was thinking of degrees earned overseas when I mentioned international degrees. For example, a well-qualified librarian in the UK or Ireland may not have a degree from an ALA-accredited program, but does have the "equivalent." I've also seen this equivalency phrase used to hire PhDs without LS degrees.
In regards to public history degrees: there are non-LS programs that, from what I understand, seem designed to train people to work in archives or similar settings.
But I've not heard of a non-accredited LS degree from within the US being considered "equivalent." My experience is limited here. It could be happening all of the time. But I do know some HR offices actually look up accreditation dates of schools and compare that to the year a candidate earned their degree.
Rachel is right though--the best thing to do is to start browsing job listings and look at the qualifications for jobs that interest you.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Most library jobs specifically say "ALA accredited degree required" which means if they hire some that does not have it, all the other candidates may have reason to sue that organization. I do not know any library that would risk such an action.
Brian C. Gray Head of Reference & Engineering Librarian Kelvin Smith Library Case Western Reserve University http://blog.case.edu/bcg8bcg8@case.edu
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