Page 235 - Training for librarianship; library work as a career
P. 235

TRAINING FOR LIBRARIANSHIP

              retical character of the training which they
              give,  for  their emphasis on technic over
              method, their comparative lack of apprecia-
              tion of practical details, and the inexperience
              of their students. Whatever the view taken,
              however,  it  is certain that the best prepa-
              ration  for librarianship  is to be attained
              through library experience superimposed on
              previous personal preparation, or library-
              school training.
                Applied library science is yet in its experi-
              mental stage.  There is on this account every
              opportunity for the man or woman possessed
              of initiative and resourcefulness to rise to a
              place of leadership in the profession. To the
              outsider librarianship, like every other pro-
              fession, seems to be overcrowded and to offer
              little chance for development.    Yet this is
              not the case. Poorly prepared and untrained
              persons and those of second-rate ability will
              naturally find it difficult to advance; this is
              the case in every profession.    The clerical
              worker is never as well rewarded as is the
              able manager, nor does the common laborer
              receive as good a wage as the skilled worker.
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