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Re: Article in Chronicle of Higher Ed



Many institutions refuse to hire people with the MLS or equivalent for
support positions on the grounds that it cheapens the MLS or archival
degree, and isn't totally ethical.  This is where we must educate our own
institutions about the importance of professional training; you most often
get what you pay for.  It's very tempting to hire someone who is
over-qualified for a staff position, figuring that you'll be getting more
for your money.  But it cheapens the MLS, and gets into some ethically gray
areas.

Last year I advertised for the part-time staff position of archival
assistant.  I got over 40 applications, some with MLS or equivalent degrees,
many with masters degrees, and even a few Ph.D.s.  I was dumbfounded.  Most
of the applicants were either terribly overqualified, or were shotgunning
for any job whatsoever.  So there are lots of folks out there applying for
these staff positions who are 'way overqualified.  We need to think
carefully about who we hire, the ethics involved, and the impact our hiring
choices make on the perception of the profession.

*Soapbox Warning*  What we do is too important to leave to untrained people.
If we hire untrained people, it is up to us to give them the best training
and supervision we can.  We must make sure our collections are around and
useable in 200, 300, 500 years.  We must make the materials physically safe
but accessible, and intellectually accessible as well. *Stepping off
Soapbox*

As a teacher told a class I was giving a presentation to, "Be nice to
librarians and archivists or you'll never find anything again as long as you
live."  That pretty well sums it up for me.

Best,

Sally Childs-Helton
Special Collections/Rare Books
Butler University

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