It takes four years of hard work to get a degree in engineering. It takes six years of…well, education…to get a library degree (and the mere possibility of a job). Casey Reep has looked into the reasons why a master’s degree is required. The answer appears to be the American Library Association, which has successfully kept non-master’s-degree poachers outside the library or in menial positions. Reep notes that the “professionalization”of librarians (an effort to distinguish between librarians and clerks) started early in the twentieth century, and a 2011 study of requirements for library jobs revealed that “a master’s degree was compulsory for entry-level positions, but that the degree alone was insufficient, calling for practical experience from internships, co-op programs, or employment,” Reep writes.

The apparent cartel overseen by the ALA seems to have gone largely unnoticed. Maybe that’s why it’s effective.