EDUCATING AND TRAINING LIBRARY PRACTITIONERS - A COMPARATIVE HISTORY WITH TRENDS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

THE LIBRARY PROFESSION AS PRACTICED IN THE UNITED STATES has evolved i nto two primary divisions of employees: librarians and library technic ians. A historical survey of the education of both groups reveals a nu mber of persistent themes and some currently urgent issues. The school ing of library practitioners is heavily influenced by two environments -i.e., academia and the profession itself. The academic setting for ea ch group is different as are the roles of each within the profession. With current changes in economics and technologies, within both academ ia and the library profession, it is reasonable to expect that the dif ferences between education for library technicians and education for l ibrarians will continue to evolve. The ''support staff movement'' offe rs an opportunity for inclusive leadership to create a setting that is responsive to the career and developmental needs of all library staff as well as to create a positive vision of the future of libraries, Di stance education, enlightened personnel policies, recruitment from wit hin, and the updating of policy statements on library education and li brary personnel are recommended areas of attention.