Academic Library Experience Research Articles

British and American Library School Teaching Staffs: A Comparative Inquiry

About 50 per cent of the full-time teachers in British and American library schools responded to a questionnaire covering 15 major characteristics such as general and professional education, experience, publications, and age. Many of the respondents were also interviewed. Despite the differences between the United Kingdom and the U.S. in higher education, the status of library education and the avenues to professional status, the findings over-all show that, in a majority of respects, there is a substantial similarity between the British and American teachers. There are, however, several important differences in the percentages of the two groups having (1) collegiate education; (2) formal academic professional education; (3) public and academic library experience; (4) memberships in non-library academic associations; (5) high teaching loads; and (6) records of extensive publication. The probable causes and the possible effects of these and some of the other differences are suggested.