Well both teaching and medicine are engaged in giving non-professionals /
allied professionals tasks "professional" tasks. Nurses now prescribe
medicines and are in charge of wards in certain circumstances. This works
okay because the BMA defends its boundaries extremely hard, and also because
nursing is a profession in its own right with good development and
representation.
Teaching assistants in sole charge of classes is, I think, a bad idea,
because in effect the profession is saying that [in straitened
circumstances] experience is a substitute for professional qualification and
accreditation. That is also what we're in danger of doing in the
information profession if we're not careful. That's why we need a proper
development programme for library assistants. However, we also need to be
much more rigorous about what a professional qualification means and why
people need it.
Catherine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Catherine Kimber
Collection Development Assistant Librarian
CCLRC: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Chilton
Didcot
Oxon
OX11 0QX
Tel. 01235 445006
Fax 01235 446403
Email: [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Rowena Macrae-Gibson [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, 18 June, 2002 9:38 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Consume!
.... At Brunel some senior assistants have staff
supervisory duties, although librarian at my level do not.
CILIP is looking at broadening access to the profession, which is not
necessarily a bad thing, but then again, would professions such as medicine
or teaching be downgrading professional posts?
....
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