Distance learning and online degree programs are options for those seeking library degrees. What concerns should you have?

Twenty years ago when I lived in Italy, I wrote to the American Library Association seeking information of distance library degree programs. At the time there were no accredited programs available.

Over twelve-years ago I began my first library classes. The first class was via the Interactive Intercampus Television System (IITS). This meant the professor was 125 miles away in Tuscaloosa, with a class, while I and 20 other students were in a classroom in Huntsville. We could see and hear the professor, and other students, in real time on television screens, while the professor, and other students, could see and hear us. It was a daring adventure in education. While there are still IITS classes, the landscape of education is much different today. Library schools have been forerunners in distance education and online learning.

Some people look at online classes as not a "real education." They say that the only way to get a real education is in a traditional classroom. I have to disagree. The graduate student is different from the traditional undergraduate student. Most graduate students have jobs and families. They do not have the luxury of picking up and moving hundreds or thousands of miles to attend traditional classes.

During my graduate program I would drive the 125 miles--one way--to my classes, scheduling an afternoon and evening class on the same day. In between classes I would do necessary research for the assignments. After the evening class I would sleep on a friend's couch, get up the next morning and head home. There was no hanging about having intellectual conversations over a cup of coffee. This comraderie was replaced with the pressure to fit everything I needed to do into a brief period of time so I could return home to my family.

I compare this experience with a colleague who earned her Masters in Educational Technology online. She had required readings, assignments, group projects, and lectures. Instead of spending hours in a car driving, she was able to spend the time online having conversations with her peers. She got to know a wide variety of people at a deeper level than I was able to know my peers.

Fortunately for other students, The University of Alabama now has a completely online degree program. There are serveral other schools offering online MLIS progras. You can find a complete list under the Online Degree Programs subject.

An important aspect to be aware of is that these programs are all accredited by the American Library Association. Many employers will not hire you if your degree is not ALA accredited.