What We Don’t Learn in Library School

In a Nov 14 article in LJ, Bernard Margolis, the departing President of the Boston Public Library, points out that library schools don’t teach us any skills that equip us to deal with politics in big city governments – or anywhere else. What else aren’t library schools teaching us? Since the statutes don’t require that the President of the Boston Public Library is a librarian, it may be that they will hire a successor for Margolis who is from another profession – one that provides an understanding about working in politically charged environments. What other powerful librarian or library director positions don’t require an MLS? Do state librarians need an MLS? How about presidential library directors?