The Impact Of Federal Legislation For Library Education

Almost all discussion of federal legislation for libraries ends, \nif indeed it does not begin, with the problem of support versus control. \nIf support is desirable, is control inevitable ? Library education \nhas long taken for granted the control which state legislation \nrequiring certification of librarians may impose on the curriculum. \nAs a matter of fact, library educators have frequently been the proposers \nof such legislation, thus achieving control on their own terms. \nWhen professional vision outruns the legislators' insight and is \npersuasive then the profession is able to prescribe the control which \nsociety exercises over the individual librarian. \nIn the academic world of library education, the yang and yin relationship \nof support and control exists within the context of the \nscholar's leadership, with the faculty exercising its judgment to use \navailable support to the best advantage of the students, within the \nlimits hopefully, the quite broad limits established by the institution \nand by society. \nIdeally, legislation for library education should enable the exercise \nof the best faculty judgment within the context of society's need \nand the legislative intent. But faculty judgment varies in competence. \nLegislation, then, must attempt to embody support for, and control \nwithin, the best available faculty judgment. State legislation specifically \nfor library education has tended to limit itself to identification \nof the curriculum required for proficiency in librarianship; it generally \ninvolves setting minimums, and therefore has not been able to \nembody necessarily the best faculty judgments on the optimum program \nof library education. On the other hand, federal legislation, \nwhich has only begun to be directed toward library education, has \ntended to look toward optimums; the National Defense Education Act, \nfor example, looks toward the best possible education for school librarians \nbut allows faculty judgment to be determinative as to means.