Idaho Librarian

Degree or not Degree?  
One person’s odyssey to earn the M.L.S.

 Kristi N. Austin

 I started at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Texas, Austin in 1985, took about 15 credits over two semesters, then moved away, got a new job doing something else, and didn’t finish the degree.  I’d begun the program in the first place because it was becoming clear to me that an MLS was required in order to get an interesting and challenging job within the library world (which seemed to be the place for me).  Even then, though, I resented the idea that the many excellent library workers I knew were not considered worthy of the name “librarian” without the piece of paper the MLS provided.  The requirement of a graduate degree seemed to be an expensive and time-consuming hoop through which everyone must jump, and for no real reason that I could see then.

 Years later, working in libraries again, I knew I would have to finish that darned degree in order to do what I considered the “fun stuff.”  By then I was getting old, and a sense of urgency was upon me.  I knew a few people who had earned their MLS degrees via distance education.  Since there is no ALA-accredited library school in my area, and because I was not about to quit my jobs, move to a city with a library school, and take out a student loan, I decided to look into this option.  I took the GRE and sent an application to one school; unfortunately, that school was undergoing re-accreditation at that time, and not accepting any new students.

 Then I learned through the LIBIDAHO listserv that Emporia State University in Kansas was starting another SLIM (School of Library and Information Management) “cohort” in Salt Lake City, just 166 miles from home.  “What’s a ‘cohort?’” I wondered, but hurried to apply to the program anyway, at the urging of my supervisors.  Even after reading the program information carefully and being interviewed for admission, there was a lot I didn’t understand about the program or how it worked. I was so happy to be accepted to begin in February of 2000, I tried not to worry about the details.  Things would reveal themselves over time, I was sure; and if I asked too many questions and learned too much, the enormity of it would overwhelm me and I’d chicken out!

 The details did indeed reveal themselves, eventually.  Here are a few of the things I discovered or realized as time passed: 

• As a cohort, we were to complete 42 credits in 2 years and 8 months.  That’s a lot of courses (and coursework)!  Especially when I finally realized that none of my prior library school credits would transfer in, because they were too old.  But by being part of a group who all worked together, I had the impetus I needed to stay on track so I could graduate with the cohort.
• We met in Salt Lake City on weekends, once or twice a month.  That meant that sometimes I would work 4.5 days, drive down to SLC for class (classes ran Friday night, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m., all day Saturday, and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. until noon), then drive back home, and get ready to go to work 5 more days until I finally got a day off.  That level of intensity can be quite taxing.  Rarely, though, did we have to go to school two weekends in a row, for which we were very thankful 
• To keep costs down, three of us traveled together, and shared the driving and a motel room.  (I did not know either of these women before we started taking classes together.)  Though sharing the room and the driving reduced the costs, it still added up to a lot of money over time.  

But it had never occurred to me that this might be fun, it could make classes easier, broaden my perspective, and create friendships that I hope will last forever.

• I didn’t stop to add up the total cost (tuition, motels, gas, books, meals, etc.) before entering the program.  I never would have considered it if I had!  But by taking advantage of Emporia’s payment plan whereby one semester’s tuition is split into three parts, it seemed as if I were just making another (large) monthly payment, like a car payment.  That tricked me into believing it wasn’t really that much money.  Further, Emporia has a pretty good scholarship program.  I only managed to apply for scholarships twice (to do so requires more writing, more deadlines, pleas to others for recommendations – which I heartily appreciated!), but I did receive one each time I applied.  Though they were not for the full tuition amount, they were enough to really make a big difference to me.
  
• It seems that every Distance Program works differently.  Our cohort in Utah had the benefit of having a real teacher there for the entire weekend (usually two weekends per 2-credit course), and that was one of its strengths; the professors were fully engaged and involved with teaching us during the class weekends, and some even went out to lunch or dinner with us.  (Other programs may be conducted entirely on the Internet, with no interaction with a human except via chat or email; or telecommunications may be used to connect a classroom of students with the professor, who is at a remote location; others may require the students to spend one semester on campus.  There are even traditional programs wherein students attend classroom lectures once or twice a week.)  I liked our method a lot, but have to add the small criticism that, during the part of the semester that we were not in Salt Lake City with the professor, some of those professors seemed to forget that we existed.  But that was true with only a few of them.
  
• But the real surprise for me was that the experience was FUN.  My brain has never been so stimulated, and I fervently hope I can maintain my high level of interest in this field that the coursework and my interactions with faculty and students caused.  “Lifelong learning” is an ideal Emporia’s SLIM program promotes, and I believe their teaching methods worked on me.  Before I began the program, I’m afraid I had the attitude that I knew all I needed to know regarding the philosophical tenets of librarianship; all I needed, I thought, was some practical knowledge and the diploma.  Now I find myself questioning every aspect of the field (not due to a lack of respect on my part, but rather to curiosity), even down to its definition.  I like to believe I’ve learned new ways of thinking, and new ways to learn.  I felt early on that the doors and windows of my mind had been thrown open, so the dust and cobwebs and stale air could blow away.  I hope they stay open!

 So now I, too, have the coveted piece of paper (finally!), which made it possible for me to apply for my new job.  Was it worth it?  YES!  I have learned so much in a fairly short period of time about this very vital and exciting field.  The enthusiasm and the varied nature of Emporia’s faculty encourage curiosity and expansion of the mind; they encourage us to remain awake and alive to new ideas; and they foster the application of these new ways of thinking to the customer service ethic to which we probably all subscribe. 

 The M.L.S. degree did not make me feel as if I know more about librarianship (or information science, or whatever we want to call it now) than my non-degreed colleagues, but that perhaps I know different things; I’m hoping that new ideas and experience can tie together successfully.  But meanwhile, I encourage those who do not already have an M.L.S to consider getting one.  Emporia is starting another Utah cohort in the Summer of 2003, and there are many other options as well.  Sure, it’s hard work, time-consuming, costly, and sometimes frustrating (how does one balance one’s personal and professional life with this obsessive, all-encompassing black hole?), but the new ideas, new contacts, and hugely-changed world view that it can bring might just be worth it to you too.

 I hope that other recent library school graduates and current students will submit essays to the Idaho Librarian regarding their experiences in the pursuit of the M.L.S, and that others will also express opinions as to the value (or lack of value) of that degree. There may even be some librarians of many years who look at those of us who have recently attended library school and say with utter puzzlement, “what in the heck are they teaching you these days?” It would be interesting to address the question, “Is it really necessary for all librarians in Idaho to have the M.L.S?”  Please send any responses, either short opinion pieces or essays, to ausstkris@isu.edu. 

 For more information, here are a few links: 

Emporia State University’s SLIM Program http://slim.emporia.edu/

 ESU/SLIM’s Distance Education page: http://slim.emporia.edu/text/deptext.htm

 To contact Dan Roland, Marketing and Public Relations at SLIM, to express interest in the next Utah cohort  rolandda@emporia.edu  or Pamela Foster, Site Coordinator for Salt Lake City: pfoster@sisna.com.  To contact Rich Wilson, Site Coordinator Boise regarding the current SLIM-Idaho cohort: slimidaho@cableone.net.  For a list of other ALA-accredited Distance Programs: http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oa/disted.html