When I graduated library school at the end of 1999, I figured I was done with library school. I had a professionally recognised qualification, got a job soon after and that was that. A few years later, I returned to my library school department to complete a research degree, giving me a Masters’ that I figured would cover me if I ever wanted to work overseas, where Masters’ are the minimum qualification.

This week I discovered that my Masters’, because it’s research, isn’t part of the reciprocal qualifications agreement ALIA has with ALA and CILIP. And due to degree creep, the Masters is gradually becoming the minimum qualification here too. Australia’s library school system is different in that you can complete a BA or a Gradute Diploma to be profesionally qualified. I did the Graduate Diploma, which is one semester shy of the Masters.

So next semester, I’m applying to library school, back at my alma mater to complete one semester to upgrade my qualifications. It’s a strange position to be in, now I’ve been in the field for 7 years it will be hard to go back to the classroom but at the same time there’s some interesting units on offer in digital librarianship and Internet policy that I would love to study.