Well, uh--our public library is hurting right now--tax issue FAILED
(it would have been first increase in funding in something like 47
years).  No, it won't be charging admission, but it _has_ been
running a gift shop of sorts--selling withdrawn or donated
books and magazines.  It also has a very active "Friends of the
Library" group bringing in money.  I believe they rent space, too,
for meetings and such.  But the sorry vote is going to mean (at least
this is the plan now--the city may come to the rescue with funds from
elsewhere) that the library will only be open two evenings a week
instead of four, and will be closed Saturdays as well as Sundays.
 
Actually, depending upon the library, you can get a decent job
without an MLS.  I'm a technical assistant in an academic library; in
a big library, there are plenty of "paraprofessional" positions (and
yes, there's a movement afoot to get recognition as such).  I have a
master's in history, which is just dandy for my job in Special
Collections here.  I don't catalog books (cataloging is something
that only the catalogers do, not just anyone with an MLS) and work
under supervision, of course (although as a matter of fact, my
immediate supervisor does not have an MLS, either).
 
Actually, I have often thought that for managers (library directors,
department heads in big libraries, etc.) a degree in management might
be much more useful and beneficial to the library than an MLS.  Some
of us, in fact (when we're feeling really nasty), think of the MLS
as a trade school degree--no broad education or knowledge of a wide
variety of subjects (which would be useful in a library) required.
One can just plug into the library school and get a bunch of
information about the mechanics of dealing with books--and of course
get the magic degree.  I have been continually amazed at the _lack_
of education exhibited by librarians with an MLS.  Things like an
interlibrary loan request to a library in New South Wales being sent
to England.  Or seeing in one of our collections a program for Marian
Anderson's concert at the Lincoln Memorial--and an MLS (in Special
Collections!) who had no idea what the significance of the thing was.
 
And as for the "professional degree" getting one a higher salary,
jobs, etc., well, my former supervisor had an MA in history, got his
MLS, took the National Archives 2-week workshop in archives
management, passed the Association of Certified Archivists (or
whatever the outfit is called) exam to become a "Certified
Archivist," had probably published more than all the other librarians
put together (this is an academic library, remember, publish or
perish and all that)--and was working here for a salary only slightly
higher than mine and going nowhere.  It took him a while to connect
with a more appropriate and financially rewarding job.
 
The basic problem, I think, is that museums are still thought of
as luxury items.  Libraries are more frequently thought of as
necessities.  For one thing, libraries are tied to schools more than
museums--kids are frequently told to go to the library, but rarely
given an assignment that requires a museum visit.  For another thing,
when someone (newspaper, TV station, government agency, etc.) needs
information, odds are that person will contact a library, and never
think of contacting a museum.
 
Also, libraries have worked hard to publicize themselves.  Our public
library obviously didn't work hard enough recently, but in the past
I've seen things like table tents in restaurants advertising the
public library as the place to go for whatever you want (nifty
things published, I believe, by the ALA--does AAM put out such
"support" items?).  They usually make it a point to have what people
want--seed catalogs in the spring, tax information and forms, best
sellers, records, lots of videos recently--at one time they had a
public-use computer, but I actually never saw it working.  I think
there were too many problems with keeping it running.  I believe they
even check out tools.  The kids' library has an aquarium, parakeets,
kid-size furniture, and the library has story telling and reading
programs frequently.
 
And despite all this, the voters turned them down...
 
Right offhand I can think of a couple small, local museums that have
fantastic support from their communities, financial and otherwise.  I
don't believe that any employees in either of them have degrees in
"museum"--they have just worked their proverbial tales off to get
that support.
 
Sorry this is so long.  Mostly just wanted to say--from a library--
there's no magic bullet.
 
Nan Lawler
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