Contested Terrain: Accreditation and the Future of the Profession of Librarianship

Abstract

This article explores the future trajectory of librarianship and its status as a profession in the context of the contested terrain of the information professions and particularly the development of a differentiated information technology workforce. Andrew Abbott’s theory of the system of professions informs the historical comparison and future forecasting of the relative power of librarianship and the emerging information technology professions to persist into the twenty‐first century. How might value differences manifest themselves in the development of a legitimatizing process for information technology education? What effect might these have on the future development of information technology degree programs offered within schools of information studies? Is it likely that the stability that ALA has enjoyed as a mediator between librarianship and the discipline of information studies will be challenged? Finally, what are the likely consequences for the status of the profession of librarianship?