The Two-Year Masters's: Perspectives and Prospects.

Abstract

Activity concerning two-year master's programs in library science is increasing. This study pulls together much of the information on the topic that is scattered among several general headings in Library Literature. A chronological presentation beginning with events in the 1920's when the Association of American Universities recommended a two-year master's in library science, going through events surrounding the creation of the fifth year master's, and continuing to the creation and planning of present day two year programs shows that there has been a steady progression from training for a library career to education for a profession. Content has gradually been compacted into the first half of the training period and new content continuously added in the second half, until the confines of a single year program have been outgrown. It is suggested that the two-year program may be the next step in the progression. Advantages and disadvantages of two-year programs for students, faculty, and libraries are discussed.