College and Research Libraries Baffling Variety: Education Methods For Librarianship in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States By A. R O B E R T S R O G E R S PLAGUED B Y A chronic shortage of pro-fessional staff, an American library administrator places an advertisement in The Times Literary Supplement. T o his delight, six replies arrive: three from Great Britain and three from Canada. But pleasure quickly turns to despair as he reads the letters of application. Here, surely, are the qualified people he is looking for. But which ones? Apart from the usual problems of personal suitabil- ity and length and type of professional experience, the mere assessment of edu- cational qualifications poses baffling ques- tions. T h e first letter is from Ilif Evans, A.L.A., who says that he has the G.C.E. with two passes at the A level and has recently been elected to the Register. What on earth is the G.C.E.? And A.L.A. must stand for something other than American Library Association. But what? T h e n , there is J o h n Vickery, who has a B.A. from Oxford with First Class Hon- ours in History and the Academic Post Graduate Diploma in Librarianship from the University of London. No doubt about the excellence of his under- graduate education. But what about that diploma from London? Does it compare with an American master's degree in li- brary science? If it does, why a diploma and not a degree? Finally, there is Alexander MacDon- ald, F.L.A., who has an M.A. degree from the University of Aberdeen. T h a t , at least, looks familiar. But it is not an M.A. in library science. And what about Mr. Rogers is Assistant to the Director, Bowling Green (Ohio) State University Li- brary. those mysterious letters F.L.A. after his name? Perhaps the Canadian applications will pose fewer problems. J o a n Scott has a B.A. (general) from Queen's University, and both the B.L.S. and M.L.S. from Mc- Gill. Why the two professional degrees? Anne Johnson has a B.A. from the Uni- versity of Toronto with Second Class Honours in English. Her B.L.S. is from the same institution. How do her quali- fications compare with those of J o a n Scott and with those of the average grad- uate of an American library school? J e a n Belliveau has his B.A. from Laval and his B.L.S. from the University of Ottawa. How are his qualifications to be equated? T o find the answers to these questions, it is necessary to examine in some detail both the general educational systems of Great Britain and Canada and the spe- cific methods of training for librarian- ship. Compulsory free public education in Britain begins at the age of five. Com- pletion of primary school at the age of eleven-plus brings the British child to the point at which his educational des- tiny is usually determined. On the basis of a battery of psychological tests, his previous record, and his performance on J A N U A R Y 1 9 6 2 45 an examination in English, arithmetic, and general knowledge, a decision is reached as to the kind of secondary edu- cation best fitted to his abilities. T H R E E S E C O N D A R Y S C H O O L S IN B R I T A I N T h e r e are three types of secondary schools in Britain. T h e student who is academically gifted and wishes to pre- pare for admission to a university or en- trance into one of the professions is sent to a grammar school, where he receives a non-vocational, liberal education. T h e student who already has a definite trade in mind and shows the necessary aptitude is sent to a technical school. A student who does not clearly belong in either of these categories will attend a second- ary modern school where every effort will be made to provide a sound terminal education. Upon completion of the fifth form (usually around age sixteen), students write a set of examinations prepared by the Ministry of Education. Success in passing these leads to the award of the General Certificate of Education at the Ordinary level—G.C.E.(O). T h i s is the ter- minal point in the education of the overwhelming majority of young people in Britain. However, the academically gifted may continue to complete the sixth form, which takes another two years. Courses at the sixth form level are both advanced and specialized. Success in the examinations set by the Ministry of Education leads to the award of the General Certificate of Education at the Advanced level—G.C.E.(A). T h e Gen- eral Certificate of Education at the Ordi- nary level is the equivalent of high school graduation in the United States and the Certificate at the Advanced level is ap- proximately the equivalent of junior college. Because of the extensive system of pri- vate scholarships, state scholarships, and grants from local authorities, the barriers to higher education in Britain tend to be academic rather than economic. Never- theless, they are formidable. University expansion since the war has not kept pace with demand. Classroom and lab- oratory space is at a premium. Compe- tition is so keen that only students with the best grades can hope to be admitted. About 6 per cent of British youth of col- lege age attend university compared with about 30 per cent of American young people. T h e degree and diploma structure of British universities is sometimes confus- ing to Americans. T h e subject may be analyzed under three headings: (1) first degrees, (2) higher degrees, and (3) higher diplomas. With the exception of Scot- land (where the first degree is custom- arily the M.A.), first degrees are at the bachelor's level. A pass degree is awarded after a course of general study. An hon- ours degree requires concentration in a specialized field and successful comple- tion of a comprehensive examination. Higher degrees are of three sorts: master- ships; the Ph.D.; and the senior doc- torates. In addition to higher degrees, there are several higher diplomas. Brit- ish universities have been more conserva- tive than American in the matter of awarding degrees, particularly in pro- fessional and technical subjects. As a re- sult, various higher diplomas are awarded upon successful completion of a year or more of study at the graduate level. These are often the equivalent of Amer- ican master's degrees. T h e British pattern of education for librarianship differs in a number of im- portant respects from the American. In the first place, certification of individ- uals is emphasized rather than accredita- tion of schools. T h e Library Association sets its own examinations and admits to the Register of Chartered Librar- ians, as Associates or as Fellows, members in good standing who have successfully completed the appropriate examinations. Secondly, it is possible for people who are not university graduates to become 46 C O L L E G E A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S chartered librarians. Finally, it is not necessary to attend a library school in order to prepare for the L.A. examina- tions, though the association strongly ad- vises candidates to do so. T H E A S S O C I A T I O N ' S E X A M I N A T I O N S T h e First Professional Examination is essentially a preliminary screening de- vice. T h e minimum educational require- ment is the General Certificate of Educa- tion with five passes at the Ordinary level, or four passes if at least one is at the Advanced level. English language is one of the required subjects. In addition, the candidates should have some prac- tical library experience and should sup- plement this with spare-time study of topics indicated in the syllabus contained in the Students' Handbook. University graduates are exempted from this exam- ination upon payment of a small fee. T h e next step up the professional lad- der is the Registration Examination. If a candidate (a) passes this examination, (b) has reached age twenty-three, (c) has satisfied the foreign language require- ment, and (d) has had at least three years of satisfactory full-time paid service in a library approved by the Library Asso- ciation, he may apply for election to the Register as an Associate of the Library Association. Upon acceptance, he will be entitled to use the letters A.L.A. after his name and to designate himself as a Chartered Librarian as long as he re- mains a member of the association. T h e Registration Examination con- sists of the following seven papers: clas- sification; cataloguing; practical classifi- cation and cataloguing; bibliography and documentary reproduction; assistance to readers; organization and administra- tion; literature of a special subject. For those who desire the advanced training that is now generally required for top administrative posts, the next step is the Final Examination. A candi- date who (a) successfully completes this, (b) is at least twenty-five years of age, and (c) has completed five years of ap- proved full-time paid service may apply for election to the Register as a Fellow of the Library Association. If his appli- cation is accepted, he is entitled to use the letters F.L.A. after his name and to describe himself as a Chartered Li- brarian as long as he remains a member of the association. Candidates formerly prepared for the L.A. examinations by study in their spare time, assisted by correspondence courses, evening classes, and short courses that lasted from a day to a week or more. T h e founding of the University of London School of Librarianship and Archives in 1919 and the opening of nine library schools attached to technical colleges after World W a r I I gave more students the opportunity for full-time study. T h e nine library schools attached to technical colleges do not set their own examinations, but offer courses (of a year's duration) to prepare students to take the Registration Examination of the Library Association. Some of the larger schools offer an additional year of prep- aration for the Final Examination. T h e University of London occupies a special position. Its courses in librarian- ship are on the graduate level and it is permitted by the Library Association to arrange its own curriculum and set its own examinations. Its entrance require- ments include an honors degree, a sound knowledge of Latin, the ability to use French and German reference works without difficulty, and some full-time ex- perience (normally a year) in a good li- brary. T h e school also requires three weeks of supervised practice work in ap- proved libraries during the academic year that is spent in London. In addi- tion to successful completion of seven examinations, each candidate must pre- pare a bibliography or a thesis on an ap- proved topic and must present a certifi- cate stating that he has been employed full time (and given satisfactory service) J A N U A R Y 1 9 6 2 47 in an approved library tor a period of at least twelve months. Fulfillment of these requirements leads to the award of the Academic Post Graduate Diploma in Librarianship. T h e postwar years have seen some lively arguments about education for li- brarianship in the United Kingdom. In 1957, the Library Association set up a Syllabus Sub-committee which reviewed the matter and presented a report in 1960. T h e committee felt it would be unwise to disturb the existing structure unduly because employers now accept it and because the Ministry of Education recognizes the F.L.A. as the equivalent of a university degree. T h e possibility of making librarianship entirely a graduate profession was considered but felt to be impractical at the present time. How- ever, it was agreed that higher entrance requirements would be necessary. T h e committee reviewed the L.A. ex- aminations at all levels and recom- mended numerous changes. Among these is the abolition of the First Professional Examination. As a substitute for it, the minimum entrance requirement is to be raised to four passes in the General Cer- tificate of Education of which at least two (compared with one at present) must be at the Advanced level. As at present, one of these must be in English. T h i s leaves only the Registration and Final examinations to be set by the Library Association. T h e proposed Registration Examina- tion will attempt to measure competence in a group of "core" subjects common to all types of libraries by means of four three-hour examinations. Competence in the bibliography and librarianship of a special subject field will be tested by means of a fifth examination in a spe- cialty chosen by the student from a list of nine recommended fields. All parts of the examination will have to be written at the same time, though a student who fails in one part will be allowed to take that part over at a later date. T h i s pro- cedure is designed to encourage full-time study as a method of preparing for the examination. T h e new Final Examination will con- sist of six three-hour papers chosen from three groups (at least one from each group). Group A will deal with types of libraries. Group B will deal with tech- niques. Group C will cover the bibliog- raphy and librarianship of some twenty- six subject fields. If the recommended changes meet with the approval of the Library Association, the first examinations under the new system will be held in J u n e 1963. T H E C A N A D I A N S Y S T E M Education in Canada is primarily the responsibility of the ten provincial gov- ernments and the local authorities. Pu- pils ordinarily begin school at the age of six. A period of 11 to 13 years may elapse between the beginning of elementary and the completion of secondary educa- tion. T h e most common period is 12 years, divided on the 8-4 or the 6-3-3 plan. As a means of ensuring educational uniformity and as a basis for admission to universities, each provincial depart- ment of education conducts two sets of "matriculation" examinations for high school graduates. " J u n i o r " matriculation corresponds to graduation from an Amer- ican high school. T h e courses leading to "senior" matriculation are similar to those offered in the freshman year at American universities. Canadian universities generally draw a distinction between pass (or ordinary, or general) courses and honors courses. T h e former are general in nature and normally require three years of study beyond senior matriculation. T h e latter are more specialized and usually require four years beyond senior matriculation. T h e standard method of becoming a librarian in Canada is the same as in this country: graduation from an ap- 48 C O L L E G E A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S proved university plus a year of graduate study at a library school accredited by the American Library Association. T h e library schools at McGill and the Uni- versity of Toronto have received ALA accreditation. They grant the Bachelor of Library Science (B.L.S.) degree for one academic year (i.e. two semesters) of graduate study in library science, and the Master of Library Science (M.L.S.) degree for an additional academic year of ad- vanced study and research in this field. Not all Canadian librarians accept the standard pattern outlined above. Dis- agreement centers chiefly on two points: (1) the position of graduates of non- accredited Canadian schools, and (b) the appropriate type of professional recog- nition to be given British librarians who have settled in Canada. At least two library schools attached to universities of great repute (University of Montreal and University of Ottawa) offer graduate training in library science but are not accedited by the ALA. T h e courses appear to be of high standard and some of the most distinguished li- brarians in Canada serve as extra-mural lecturers. These schools have not been refused ALA accreditation. T h e y have never sought it. Those who support their viewpoint tend to favor national auton- omy and to be fearful of undue Amer- ican influence. T h e y point to imperfec- tions in the ALA policy of accreditation and are often critical of the new pro- grams of American library schools. They point out, in addition, that standards (need to be fitted to a graduate degree scheme and that the Canadian pattern differs significantly from the American. Finally, they argue that Canada needs an accreditation plan with authority and competence for French- as well as English-language universities. T h e proper equation of British and Canadian standards of professional edu- cation is an equally explosive issue. Since 1948, the Canadian Library Association has recognized the possession of a British university degree plus the F.L.A. as the equivalent of the Canadian B.A., B.L.S. T h e Library Education Workshop of 1958 went on record as similarly endors- ing the Academic Post Graduate Di- ploma in Librarianship of the University of London. Opinions differ widely on the recognition which should be given for other forms of British training. T h e American Library Association dis- cussed the matter of professional equiv- alents at its Midwinter meeting of 1956 and received a report from Harold Lan- cour, associate director, Graduate School of Library Science, University of Illinois. No action was taken, but Dr. Lancour was asked to continue negotiations. In the summer of 1959, an informal committee consisting of J . C. Harri- son, head of the School of Librarian- ship, Manchester College of Technology; George Pitcher, librarian of the Kumasi College of Technology, Ghana; Bertha Bassam, director of the University of Toronto Library School; Lester Asheim, dean of the University of Chicago Grad- uate Library School, and Robert L. Git- ler, executive secretary of the Library Education Division of ALA, met in Ur- bana under the chairmanship of Dr. Lancour. M I N I M U M R E Q U I R E M E N T S R E C O M M E N D E D T h e committee recommended the fol- lowing table of minimum requirements: C a n a d a a) B a c h e l o r ' s degree from an ap- proved i n s t i t u t i o n , b) B . L . S . degree from a library school accredited by the A L A a n d C L A . U . S. a) B a c h e l o r ' s degree from an ap- proved i n s t i t u t i o n , b) M.S., M.A., M . L . S . (or similar de- gree) f r o m a library school ac- credited by the A L A . U . K. a) B a c h e l o r ' s degree f r o m an ap- proved institution, b) O n e year of study in one of the ten library schools approved by the L i b r a r y Association. J A N U A R Y 1 9 6 2 49 c) Possession of the Associateship of the B r i t i s h L i b r a r y Association. These proposals mark a real step for- ward in the matter of international li- brary cooperation, although they do leave a few questions unanswered. For example, no mention is made of the rec- ognition to be accorded the holder of a British university degree plus the F.L.A. or the Academic Post Graduate Diploma in Librarianship of the University of London. By implication at least, these qualifications are ranked somewhere above the minimum, perhaps at the level of the Canadian M.L.S. or the old-style sixth-year American master's degree. At some time in the future, more will have to be said about the holders of the F.L.A. and A.L.A. who are not university grad- uates. It might be helpful to determine how their training compares with that of American librarians who hold bache- lors' degrees with majors or minors in library science. For the present, however, the most important point is that the rec- ommendations establish a sound frame- work within which the details can be negotiated in a spirit of harmony and fairness. Let us hope that constructive action will be taken at the 1961 confer- ences of our three professional associa- tions. S E L E C T I V E B I B L I O G R A P H Y C a n a d i a n L i b r a r y Association. Proceedings of the Library Education Workshop, Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City, Saturday, June 14, 1958 ( O t t a w a : T h e Association, 1958). Commonwealth Universities Yearbook, 1960, ed. ( L o n d o n : T h e Association of U n i - versities of the British C o m m o n w e a l t h , 1960.) " C o u n c i l M e e t i n g s Nov. 20-24, 1 9 5 9 , " Ca- nadian Library, X V I (1960), 186-188. L a n c o u r , H a r o l d , " E q u a t i n g Professional Q u a l i f i c a t i o n s , " Journal of Education for Librarianship, I (1960), 22-32. T h e L i b r a r y Association. Students' Hand- book 1960 ( L o n d o n : T h e L i b r a r y Associa- tion, 1960). L o n d o n . University. School of L i b r a r i a n - ship a n d Archives. Prospectus 1959/60. (Lon- d o n : University, 1959). Ower, B e r n a r d , " R e p o r t on British Li- brary E d u c a t i o n , " Feliciter, I I I (1958), 17-41. P a u l l i n , L . V . " R e v i s i o n of Syllabus: A S t a t e m e n t , " Library Association Record, L X I I (1960), p. 219-225. " R e p o r t s o f Certification and F e d e r a l Aid C o m m i t t e e s , " Canadian Library, X V I (1959), 86. CRL Editor Resigns A C R L P r e s i d e n t R a l p h Ellsworth has an- n o u n c e d that D r . M a u r i c e T a u b e r , a f t e r seventeen years o f close association and work with CRL, is resigning to devote more time to his duties in graduate t e a c h i n g and re- search at C o l u m b i a School of L i b r a r y Serv- ice. H e will be succeeded as editor, begin- n i n g with the M a y issue, by R i c h a r d H a r w e l l , l i b r a r i a n o f B o w d o i n C o l l e g e a n d f o r m e r executive secretary o f A C R L . M r . H a r w e l l has designated the members o f a new e d i t o r i a l board. I t consists o f P e t e r Demery, University of W a s h i n g t o n L i b r a r y , Seattle; D a v i d Kaser, J o i n t University Li- braries, Nashville, T e n n . ; W . P o r t e r K e l l a m , University o f G e o r g i a Libraries, A t h e n s ; F l o r a B . L u d i n g t o n , W i l l i s t o n M e m o r i a l Li- brary, M t . H o l y o k e College, South Hadley, Mass.; E l i O b o l e r , I d a h o State College Li- brary, P o c a t e l l o ; B e n j a m i n B . R i c h a r d s , W h i t e L i b r a r y , Kansas State T e a c h e r s Col- lege, E m p o r i a ; and D r . T a u b e r . Articles f o r f u t u r e use in CRL should be directed to M r . H a r w e l l , College and Re- search Libraries, B o w d o i n College L i b r a r y , Brunswick, M e . M a t e r i a l to be used in the c o m p i l a t i o n of the news sections o f the magazine (notes a b o u t buildings, publica- tions, a p p o i n t m e n t s , etc.) should be sent to Mrs. Mary Falvey, P u b l i c a t i o n s Officer, A C R L H e a d q u a r t e r s , 50 E . H u r o n St., Chicago 11, 111. 50 C O L L E G E A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S