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 30 th, 2012 1.

1

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

2

I can interview you, but...

3

“...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

4

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

5

2011

6

2009

7

How did the expectation that the law librarian would have a J.D. develop?

8

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).

9

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)

10

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)

11

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).

12

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.

13

Historical attitudes about legal subject specialization and the

J.D.

14

Current state of law librarianship

15

“Current” attitudes about legal subject specialization and the

J.D.

16

1988 – AALL drafted Guidelines for Graduate Programs in Law Librarianship

17

1988 – AALL drafted Guidelines for Graduate Programs in Law Librarianship

18

Current Educational Requirements for law librarianship per AALL

19

These Educational Requirements correspond to the 1988 Guidelines

20

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

21

AALL Core Competencies (revised April 2010)

22

What are these guidelines, requirements, and competencies

missing?

Formal educational requirements

23

Can legal subject knowledge come from library education?

24

ALA list of 58 schools with ALA-Accredited programs

25

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

26

Alternatives to the J.D.

27

Alternatives to the J.D. - Library Master’s programsUniversity of Denver: MLIS with Law Librarianship Specialization

28

Alternatives to the J.D. - Library Master’s programsUniversity North Texas: Law Librarian and Legal Informatics Specialist

29

Alternatives to the J.D. – Certificate of Advanced Study in Law Librarianship at University of Denver

30

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

31

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

32

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

33

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