A few days ago, I was scrolling through social media posts from one of the professional groups I follow. Perhaps because this is the time of year when graduating library school students are in the throes of job-hunting, the perennial debate over whether librarians really need to have Master’s degrees arose again. It has been a hot topic at least since the early 1950s, when the American Library Association changed its accreditation standards and determined that a Master’s degree should be required for entry-level professional positions (for background, see Boyd Keith Swigger’s book, The MLS Project). Across the decades, many have argued that the MLS provides valuable standardized introductions to information organization, research, technology, leadership, and other topics that might not be sufficiently covered through on-the-job training (especially for those who work at poorly-performing libraries). There’s also value in coursework that exposes MLS students to less-visible career paths that they might not otherwise consider. However, particularly in the past 20 years, there are just as many in the field who note the soaring cost of graduate education, juxtaposed against a tight job market and salaries that are so low that some would be better off working at Amazon warehouses. There are also those who feel that the MLS enforces harmful class hierarchies and inequitable power dynamics that are artificial and are antithetical to the egalitarian spirit of our work.
Where the rubber truly hits the road, though, is at the state and local levels, where government agencies may tie public funding to staff’s educational attainment, and where employers decide what degrees to demand of those applying for open positions. In Pennsylvania, for example, there was a certification system from the 1930s through the 1960s, administered by the Pennsylvania Library Association, but it was voluntary and was enforced (if at all) at the local level. Then, in 1961, a new Public Library Code and accompanying regulations stipulated that if a state-aided library serves an area with a population of 20,000 or more, that library must be administered by someone who is certified as a Professional Librarian by the State Library/Pennsylvania Department of Education. To be certified, one must hold a Master’s degree from an ALA-accredited program or another MLS program that is approved by the state. Pennsylvania doesn’t require the MLS, however, for positions in college or private libraries, or in communities with fewer than 20,000 people. It also doesn’t require graduate-level training for libraries that do not receive state aid, or for non-administrative roles. In all these cases, employers determine the necessary academic preparation for each position.
This week, as I was searching for news articles about the history of the Cumberland County Library System (CCLS), I discovered some thought-provoking items that illustrate the impact of the state’s rules. Because I am still learning about the Public Library Code and about Cumberland, it’s unclear to me when and how the state’s requirements would have applied to each of the member libraries within CCLS’s federation. Nevertheless, by the early 1980s, the Mechanicsburg library’s funding was at risk.
Founded by volunteers in 1961, the Mechanicsburg Area Library (now the Joseph T. Simpson Library) had no paid staff for its first five years. Nevertheless, it developed facilities and services through the efforts of devoted community members who repainted walls, organized pancake breakfasts, and provided other labors of love (for more information, see Simpson Library’s 50th anniversary booklet and timeline). One of those volunteers, Clare Walker, had canvased town streets pulling a small red wagon, gathering book donations for the new library’s collection. She also staffed the library’s bookmobile for a time. By 1980, she had become the institution’s director. Unfortunately, though, her tenure in that position was cut short.
As 2 news articles in the Carlisle Sentinel describe, Walker was “forced” from her leadership role in 1982 because state law required the Mechanicsburg library to be led by someone holding an MLS and Walker had not finished college (see David Stellfox, “Library Changes Forced,” Sentinel, October 2, 1982, pg. 5). Apparently, not only were the funds that the state provided directly to Mechanicsburg (about $10,000) in jeopardy, but additional money provided to the county system (about $16,000) was also under threat (see Dave Stellfox, “Rules Force Librarian Out,” Sentinel, September 24, 1982, pg. 5). In terms of sweat-equity, it appears that Walker would have been hard to replace. One article noted that she often put in 60 hours per week, even though she earned roughly half of what degreed librarians did. Walker stepped down from the administrative role and told the press that she did so without bitterness. In fact, she remained the library’s Assistant Director until the early 1990s. I haven’t uncovered the rest of the story, but despite its very small budget, Mechanicsburg scraped together enough financial support to recruit a degreed librarian. I would bet that a countywide tax levy, approved by voters in 1986, helped somewhat.
Since my research at CCLS is incomplete (and especially since I haven’t tapped any sources Mechanicsburg might offer), it is not my place to weigh in on whether this situation was fair to Walker or whether it resulted in positive outcomes for the library and its users. Whether it marked the “end of an era,” as library board vice-president Mary Lynn Faries told the Sentinel’s reporter, is unknown. Still, I believe that the partial story I’m preserving here is worth remembering as I continue to research Pennsylvania libraries in the 1950s-1990s and I try to understand how the Public Library Code shaped services throughout the Commonwealth. What did the 1961 law give us, and what it may have taken away, is a question that many Pennsylvania library advocates ask. Stories like Mechanicsburg’s can help inform the answer.
Seeing a Sentinel photo of Walker, grinning widely with her arms overflowing with books, also reminds me of an important emotional truth. We need to value all our library workers, whatever their credentials, regardless of how our libraries subsequently evolve. Regrettably, I’ll never get to interview her, since she passed away in 2007. I already know, though, that she deserves significant credit for the start she gave to Mechanicsburg’s library.
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