Describes the work of itinerant librarians in the United States who organized library collections across the country from 1887-1915. Positive results included the widespread adoption of standard classification and cataloging schemes and the training of local librarians. However, low salaries and the practice of employing untrained people were also…

Describes the 1927 American Library Association's job classification and compensation plan, which attempted to identify job duties and minimum qualifications for the entire library profession. The development of the plan, problems with the research methodology used, and the relevance of the plan to current problems in librarianship are discussed.…