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Educated but Underpaid
Uwe Beltz, J.D., M.S.L.S.Elizabeth Caulfield, J.D., M.L.I.S.
SWALL Annual Meeting, San Antonio March 30th, 2012
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I can interview you, but...
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“...fewer than 20% of the law librarian positions being filled require both degrees.” AALL, Education Requirements, http://www.aallnet.org/main-menu/Careers/lawlibrarycareers/Education-Requirements
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But a study of law-lib job advertisements shows that about 69% of the academic law library ads from 1991 – Jan. 2011 either prefer or require both the MLS and JD
Study by Chuck Marcus, Faculty Services Librarian, UC Hastings College of the Law Library, on file with presenter
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2011
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2009
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How did the expectation that the law librarian would have a J.D. develop?
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Are law librarians bonded to the legal profession or serving in bondage?
See Christine Brock, Law Libraries and Librarians: A Revisionist History; or More Than You Ever Wanted to Know, 67 Law Libr. J. 325 (1974).
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Our history1906 - New York State Library School – lectures on law books/organization of law libraries
1910-1926 - New York State Library School – formal program for those who had studied law
1937-1961 – Columbia School of Library Service – legal bibliography (no formal legal training necessary) (for six weeks during alternate summers)
1939 – University of Washington – masters in law librarianship – must have J.D.) (program initially led to Bachelor’s)
1935 – AALL Executive Board: legal education = “essential”; library education = “desirable”
1937 – AALS recommended that by 1940, member schools have “qualified librarian” devoted to library service (rather than rotating clerks/students)
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Our history
1953 AALL meeting – suggestion of 1 yr. library sch., 1 yr. law sch., and 1 yr. of electives from both – rejected!
1964 – AALL rotating institutes for librarians with little formal training
1965 – AALL certification program, ended in 1983 b/c of potential conflict with AALL’s tax-exempt status
1952 – AALS: the law librarian should “have a sound knowledge of the practical problems of a law school library, or a legal education, and preferably both.” AALS also recommends faculty status.
1971 – AALS required that member schools’ librarian be dual-degreed
1958-1962 – several universities instituted library programs or courses with emphasis on law librarianship (UNC, Case Western, U of Ill, Drexel)
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Head academic law librariansHistorical Picture
1936 1957 1962 19740%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Dual degreed
Dual degreed
All law libraries of 10K+
25% 29% 59%
5%
Survey and Report of the Committee on Education for Law Librarianship, 29 Law Libr. J. 198 (1936).
Miles O. Price, The Law School Librarian’s Educational Qualifications: A Statistical Study, 10 J. Legal Ed. 222 (1957-1958).
Connie E. Bolden, Educational and Experience Backgrounds of College and University Law Librarians, 57 Law Libr. J. 58 (1964).
James F. Bailey and Mathew F. Dee, Law School Librarians: Survey Relating to Autonomy and Faculty Status, 67 Law Libr. J. 3 (1974).
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Academic law librarians
1999 20110%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Dual Degreed
Academic Libraries
30.3%
406 of 1338 academic law librarians
responding to the survey were dual-degreed
55.1%
552 of ____ academic law librarians
responding to the survey were dual-degreed
AALL, The AALL Biennial Salary Survey, 1999.
AALL, The AALL Biennial Salary Survey & Organizational Characteristics, 2011.
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Historical attitudes about legal subject specialization and the
J.D.
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Current state of law librarianship
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“Current” attitudes about legal subject specialization and the
J.D.
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1988 – AALL drafted Guidelines for Graduate Programs in Law Librarianship
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1988 – AALL drafted Guidelines for Graduate Programs in Law Librarianship
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Current Educational Requirements for law librarianship per AALL
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These Educational Requirements correspond to the 1988 Guidelines
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These Educational Requirements correspond to the 1988 Guidelines
“So, to qualify for almost any professional position in a law library, you must have an MLS or its equivalent.
You may want to consider also earning a law degree.
Armed with both JD and MLS degrees, you will be qualified for additional professional positions in law librarianship.”
http://www.aallnet.org/main-menu/Careers/lawlibrarycareers/Education-Requirements
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AALL Core Competencies (revised April 2010)
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What are these guidelines, requirements, and competencies
missing?
Formal educational requirements
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Can legal subject knowledge come from library education?
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ALA list of 58 schools with ALA-Accredited programs
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5 programs offer three or more classes in law l’ship7 programs offer two classes in law l’ship
27 programs offer one class in law l’ship
So 39/58 or 67% offer at least one class
But 33% offer no classes and about 1/2 offer only one class
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Alternatives to the J.D.
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Alternatives to the J.D. - Library Master’s programsUniversity of Denver: MLIS with Law Librarianship Specialization
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Alternatives to the J.D. - Library Master’s programsUniversity North Texas: Law Librarian and Legal Informatics Specialist
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Alternatives to the J.D. – Certificate of Advanced Study in Law Librarianship at University of Denver
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Alternatives to the J.D. – Master of Legal Studies
Legal R & Wand either:Contracts, Property, orTorts
33 credit hrs+ oral exam
University of Nebraska College of Law
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Alternatives to the J.D. – Master of Legal Studies
U.S. Law and Legal Analysis; andProfessional Legal Writing
and at least two:Con LawContracts, Criminal LawProperty, orTorts
30 credit hrs
Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
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Alternatives to the J.D. – Master of Legal Studies
• Law & the Legal System
• Researching the Law
• Law & Society• Administrative
Legal Process
• The Legislative Process
• ADR• Research
Capstone
36 credit hrs
West Virginia University Division of Public Administration
Onlin
e
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Why should law librarians care about establishing educational requirements for their
profession?Money – it’s a matter of equity
Establish law librarianship as a real profession
R. Tawney, in The Acquisitive Society (quoted by Christine Brock in
1974’s Law Libraries and Librarians: A Revisionist History; or More Than You
Ever Wanted to Know):
“The essence of a profession is that it assumes
certain responsibilities for the competence of
its members.” Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, (quoted by Julius Marke in 1957’s The
Education of a Law Librarian – A Panel):
“Every calling is great when greatly pursued.”
Changes in Society/Changes in Profession
• More people attending college • Increasing level of educational requirements • More technology (and its impact) • Fewer questions – more in-depth questions• More inter/multi-disciplinarian • Change in the nature of (law) librarianship
Tenure Related Concerns
• Tensions– JD vs Not– Tenure vs Not– Performance vs Scholarship– Standards– Teaching or not
From: Carol Parker, The Need for Faculty Status and Uniform Tenure Requirements for Law Librarians 103:1 Law Libr. J. 7 (2011)
From: Carol Parker, The Need for Faculty Status and Uniform Tenure Requirements for Law Librarians 103:1 Law Libr. J. 7 (2011)
From: Carol Parker, The Need for Faculty Status and Uniform Tenure Requirements for Law Librarians 103:1 Law Libr. J. 7 (2011)
Impact of Tenure on Salary: Does it impact Salary?
1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011$40,000
$45,000
$50,000
$55,000
$60,000
$65,000
$70,000
Yes - TenureNo - Tenure
Impact of Teaching on Salary
1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011$40,000
$45,000
$50,000
$55,000
$60,000
$65,000
$70,000
Yes - TeachingNo - Teaching
Other Professionals
Number of postings where JD required is increasing
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 180.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
Each Year's %ageCummulative %age
Totals (all Dual Degree – vs – All Others)
1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011$40,000
$42,000
$44,000
$46,000
$48,000
$50,000
$52,000
$54,000
$56,000
$58,000
$60,000
$62,000
$64,000
Total -BothTotal -Other
Totals (less than 2 years experienceDual Degree – vs – All Others)
2003 2005 2007 2009 2011$0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
Ref-Both <2Ref-Other <2
Embracing Today, Innovating for Tomorrow!
• Continuing education• Look for service opportunities• Keep doing well what you do well already• Avoid becoming obsolete • Become an advocate for law librarianship• Work within regional/national professional
organizations…. • Organize/Unionize? • Keep a balance
Questions? / Discussion! / Suggestions
• Uwe Beltz, J.D., M.S.L.S.– [email protected] or 806-742-3990 – ext. 286
• Elizabeth Caulfield, J.D., M.L.I.S.– [email protected] or 806-742-3990 –
ext. 311
