My new column is up at Library Journal:
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2015/09/opinion/michael-stephens/nurture-or-nature-office-hours/
There is much to be said for encouraging staff at your library to pursue the professional library degree. These folks know the ropes, the culture, and the community. Prompting staff to go to library school is an opportunity for the library profession to address its own need for diversity. It’s a chance to identify members of underrepresented groups and urge them to think about librarianship as a career. It’s also part of our own values: the American Library Association (ALA) Code of Ethics explicitly makes mentoring future librarians part of our job description: “…we foster the aspirations of potential members of the profession.”
Click the link to read the whole piece.