Here are the offending sentences: "Paraprofessionals are very good at precise and repetitive tasks. As a
librarian, I bring a different skill-set to my job, namely customer
service skills, creative thinking, problem solving, knowledge about
sources of information, and advanced searching skills. I'm just not
good at paraprofessional work..." And this came after the librarian stated that she had only the "utmost respect" for library paraprofessionals.
But I don't believe the former statement for a second, because the latter statement contradicts it so nicely. For people not in the library world, let me explain the background to this e-mail a bit. There is a sort-of battle raging between librarians and library paraprofessionals. You might even say that it's a sort of battle over the soul of librarianship. The difference between the two groups, in almost every way, is money. Paraprofessionals make a lot less than librarians, and this might be due to the fact that they couldn't afford to pay for a Master's Degree in Library Science (MLS, henceforth). At least, that's the way I see it. There are more classes involved in an MLS, it's true. But in some things, only experience can teach you what you need to know. I believe this is true of reference, and even to some degree with collection development.
There is a lot of veiled prejudice and fear happening on the part of librarians who think paraprofessionals are after their jobs--and indeed, most libraries love the idea of being able to pay people less money to do the same things a librarian can do. In some ways, it's a very real fear. But at the same time, it's not the paraprofessional's choice or fault that libraries make those sorts of hiring decisions. Anyhow, I really believe that academic librarianship, especially, will never die. Still, there are librarians who are extremely threatened by the presence of paraprofessionals in a library, and I would put the woman above in that category. By neatly boxing up the abilities of a paraprofessional vs. that of a librarian, she's making it clear. She's threatened, and she wants to prove that she's better.
Now, for those of you who don't know, I am a library paraprofessional. I wanted to get an MLS, but didn't get into the school I applied to (now, something I am actually happy about). I knew that I couldn't work a moment longer in retail, so I searched hard for answers, and came up with something called the "LTA", which is a Library Technical Assistant certification. A local community college offered it, so I jumped. Now, I am a certified LTA, working as a paraprofessional (in media) at a college library. I can say without hesitation that I do horrifyingly repetitive tasks every day. Data entry, taping, cutting, etc. But I am also heavily involved in collection development, and my job can be very much about "advanced searching skills" (which, by the way, you acquire by actually doing advanced searching, not sitting in a class learning about advanced searching) when I'm looking for a specific DVD or music recording. I deal with a budget, and I spend a lot of time dealing with faculty; I supervise student workers when I am the only adult worker in the circulation area. I work the reference desk during the busy middle hours of some days, and I'm reference back-up one morning a week. My job in no way encompasses only repetitive tasks, and I am not only good at the repetitive tasks. What I'm good at has nothing whatsoever to do with my degree or certificate, or my job title. Point blank. Only my abilities can limit me in that way.
Will I get an MLS? Maybe. It's something I think about almost every day. I'm fairly certain, however, that were I to get an MLS, I wouldn't want to work at an academic library. I also feel that getting an MLS would waste a good lot of money, considering all the classes I've already taken (none transfer), because I'm certain some would be review for me. But if I want to move up in this field, I may need an MLS. That might not change; then again, many incredibly motivated and competant paraprofessionals have risen to become department heads and so on. (But not so much in academic libraries, which means I'm static in this position without an MLS; this position is static, however, in that I don't believe the library wants a librarian in this position. If I do get an MLS, I will be looking for a new job. No way around that.) The question will, for me, at some point, become the one that exists in librarianship in general--what roles are libraries prepared to let paraprofessionals play? How will that change librarianship and libraries? There are no easy answers--for me, or in general.
(I do want to say that many of the library world's professional associations foster the gap between paraprofessionals and librarians. There are separate conferences for both, separate magazines--and my library doesn't get the magazines for paraprofessionals--and a general sense of dividedness, I think. That said, I insist upon reading Library Journal when it comes--I asked to be added to the list for it, even though only "librarians" are on the list--and I am the only reader here of "Video Librarian". [I love Video Librarian, by the way. I can spend HOURS reading it.] I read RUSA every quarter, and I take these things seriously. I may not be a librarian, but that doesn't mean my concerns are different than those librarians who work here. I will say, however, that I am the ONLY paraprofessional in the building who feels this way. There are at least four others here--one other with an LTA--and they don't seem to feel the same way I do. I am younger than them, by far [probably almost ten years younger than the youngest], and I assume none of them will be looking to get an MLS. Perhaps the thing that makes me different IS the changing world of librarianship [and what I was taught about it], and attitude.)