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I recently earned a MA in Librarianship from university in The United Kingdom. I'm a United States citizen and am now looking for work in The US. My degree is accredited by CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals), which is essentially The UK's answer to The ALA. CILIP and The ALA have a reciprocal agreement that a degree accredited by either body is considered equal and acceptable for professional employment in either country. I'm worried, though, that the reality of this agreement is not so simple and that many librarians in The US are not familar with the agreement at all. Realistically, what sort of attitudes am I likely to come across when applying for jobs with a foreign degree? I have experience working as a library assistant, but no professional level employment history yet.
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Many institutions will only accept degrees from these programs: http://www.ala.org/ala/educationcareers/education/accreditedprograms/directory/index.cfmSome will consider foreign degrees but too often the job ads are too strictly worded as "ALA accredited".
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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that doesn't seem like it should be the case at all, though. The ALA's own website states that a degree from a CILIP accredited institution is acceptable for employment in The US (http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/iro/foreigncredentials/libraryemployment.cfm). It seems that if it's good enough for The ALA it should be good enough for any library. Britain has so many well respected libraries, and few of their librarians trained in The US.
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The problem is most libraries do not do their own hiring. It is handled by a larger organizations HR department, and they defined the requirements. "ALA accredited" is the standard in the U.S. and you will see few organizations deviate. The ALA has no power of hiring libraries or organizations. ALA is only saying that they believe the degree to be equivalent. But it is still up to each organization to make they decision for themselves. Once the job ad says "ALA accredited" they have essentially removed the chance of considering a foreign degree. The job ad really needs to see "ALA accredited or equivalent" but you will not see that in most job ads. If they include the "equivalent" that means they are willing to look into the requirements of your degree and decide on its value. In many profession, the U.S. degree or certification is expected. HR departments cannot know all the world variations.
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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On a related note, do U.S. higher education institutes "unofficially" eliminate candidates with an ALA-accredited degree from Canadian universities? Or, given a choice and with all things being equal, would most U.S. higher education institutions have a preference for candidates who received an MLIS degree (ALA accredited) from a U.S. institution over a Canadian one? And conversely, would Canadian higher education institutions generally prefer candidates with an MLIS degree (ALA accredited) from a Canadian institution over an American?
I do realize there are so many variables and every institution is different, but I'm curious what the general impressions might be. I'm considering pursuing an MLIS degree, and wonder if an ALA accredited degree in one country (Canada or U.S.) would limit future opportunities in the other (U.S. or Canada).
And at a more global level, I've seen postings for library positions in non North American countries, and do wonder if they have a preference for an American MLIS (ALA accredited degree) over a Canadian MLIS (ALA accredited degree) all things being equal.
Thanks.
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My impression during my time in Britain was that they prefer a CILIP-accredited degree but are open to degrees from Canada, the US, New Zealand and Australia as all these degrees are regarded as equal. A few American librarians I met with during my time in England mentioned that they were met with some initial reluctance when applying for professional posts with a non-British library degree. I doubt there'd be a marked difference in the way they'd view a Canadian degree by comparison.
I also think the person who originally replied to my post was incorrect; a job application I submitted to a public library in the US which specifically stated "ALA-accredited MLS" and lacked any mention of equivalent made it through the human resources screening and received a high score. It is now being forwarded on to hiring managers.
I heard from someone a few days ago who studied in England and had no problems finding a libarian position upon returning the US. She mentioned that the hiring managers at her current job thought it was cool she'd studied abroad and never questioned the validity of her degree after reviewing the link on the ALA's website stating that they honor CILIP accredited degrees as well.
I think some people may be put off by the unfamilar but many others are not and even view it as a positive. There's much talk of creating a "global librarian." Any kind of international experience then should be valued and not cast aside. It seems a bit wrong that one could easily study medicine, law, and any number of other subjects abroad and find professional work in the US but that librarians would balk at it.
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oftenconfused wrote:On a related note, do U.S. higher education institutes "unofficially" eliminate candidates with an ALA-accredited degree from Canadian universities? I have never heard of such a practice. But I would think if you are looking for U.S. employment the U.S. degree would be better. There is a better chance that those doing the hiring will have knowledge of the specific program. Having a degree from a less known program means more possible selling on your part.
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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snowflight wrote:I also think the person who originally replied to my post was incorrect; a job application I submitted to a public library in the US which specifically stated "ALA-accredited MLS" and lacked any mention of equivalent made it through the human resources screening and received a high score. It is now being forwarded on to hiring managers. It does not mean I am incorrect. It means the hiring position did not follow their own job ad. Most organizations will not deviate from a published job ad, because the candidates that are rejected can consider legal actions if the candidate that is hired does not meet the "required" items listed in the job ad. It is very rare organizations will deviate from the "required" portion of a job ad because it is not worth the risk.
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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snowflight wrote:It seems a bit wrong that one could easily study medicine, law, and any number of other subjects abroad and find professional work in the US but that librarians would balk at it. Even in those professions people must get further education, certifications, tests, and jump through other hoops to find in employment in the U.S.
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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